by Uma Ramesh for BISMumbai

Over thousand fitness enthusiasts and eco-conscious denizens of society gathered on 02 February 2020 at Don Bosco Senior Secondary School, Nerul for Season 02 of ‘Run for Flamingos, ‘Save Wetlands, ‘ Save Mangroves’ and ‘Save the Environment’ Marathon. Organised by the Navi Mumbai Association for Saving the Environment, the marathon was to create awareness and educate people about the importance of mangroves, wetlands and flamingos.

Marathon enthusiasts including children, youngsters, and senior citizens arrived in the wee hours of February 02 at venue partner Don Bosco Nerul grounds, to participate in the run. 10 km timed run, 05 km fun run, 01 km flamingo carnival, and half marathon were flagged off by Shweta Chaudhary-Mrs.India Earth 2017, RJ Archana Pania and Father Barnabe D’Souza-Incharge Don Bosco Nerul. In her on-air programme, Pania appreciated the infrastructure of the school,and also the organisers' initiative to create awareness and educate citizens, especially on the mangroves which are the life of our ecosystem.

The event began with several warm up exercises and zumba sessions for each category to prep the crowd before flag off. The participants ran on Palm Beach and inner roads. The organizers had placed hydration stalls at different spots on the way to keep runners hydrated and energetic. The runners completed their target with enthusiasm and zeal. Schaleen Fernandes, student from the host school secured 1st place in five kilometre (children’s category) and Nishant Gupta, also from the host School, secured the 3rd place in the 05 kilometre marathon (young boys category). Father D’Souza appreciated and congratulated the organizers and all the participants. He said, "Don Bosco institutions in 133 countries, are accompanying young people in over 5,000 presences in the world. I request you to volunteer your services for a cause, in keeping with our theme – ‘Don Bosco for a Cause'." A motivational rap sing brought the event to a close, on a day filled with sportsmanship, enthusiasm and memories to cherish.