A power-packed event in city

BANGALORE: The countdown to the World 10K Bangalore 2012 run began with some interesting changes and positive developments in a Meet and Greet Session. A strong and positive response from the city to the World’s Premier 10K Run, the return of the ‘Nation’s Challenge’, and a change in the dates of the Get Active Event Expo, were some of the significant announcements made.Olympic gold medalist, Linford Christie was named as the event Ambassador to the 2012 edition of this international event. Since its inception, the World 10K Bangalore has been embraced by the city and its citizens well. For the fifth year the total participation in the event has crossed 21,000 and it is this commitment from the participants that propels promoters Procam International, backed by the powers that govern, to deliver an even better event on May 27.The Open 10K Run, which also includes the Corporate Challenge, has received around 9,000 entries, while the Majja Run a whopping 11,500. The senior citizens’ run will have around 600 participants while the wheelchair event will see a hundred. Besides these races, there will also be the World 10K for elite men and women and the Nation’s Challenge. Participation in the Corporate Challenge has tripled this year, with 44 companies having fielded 130 Corporate Challenge teams.Last year, 19 companies had fielded 47 teams for the same. The top five finishers in the Corporate Challenge category with the winning team taking home Rs 65,000 and the runner-up team gaining Rs 55,000. The three-member team will need to have two men and one woman, with each member needing to complete the full distance of 10 km. The average of the net finish timings of all three runners will decide the finish positions in this category.To further enhance competition, the team which accomplishes an average finish time faster than 40 minutes will win a bonus prize of Rs 15,000.The Nation’s Challenge, a unique concept introduced in the World 10K Bangalore, will make a comeback after a gap of two years, featuring the country’s leading male and female track and field and long distance runners, representing state athletic associations and boards affiliated to the Athletic Federation of India.