Kargil to Kohima 4,500 km ultra-marathon to mark 20 years of ‘Vijay Diwas’: IAF

To commemorate 20 years of ‘Vijay Diwas’ or ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ (named after successful Operation Vijay), the Indian Air Force is organising an ultra-marathon named as ‘Kargil to Kohima (K2K): Glory Run’ spanning over 4,500 km from Kargil to Kohima. The marathon run was flagged off by Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa in a ceremony held at Vayu Bhavan in New Delhi.

Key Highlights of Ultra-Marathon

This unique expedition of ultra-marathon from Kargil to Kohima commencing on 21 September 2019 will culminate on 6 November 2019. It will be from Kargil War Memorial at Dras in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and Kohima War Cemetery in Kohima (Nagaland).

Why Kargil to Kohima? Kohima and Kargil are two forward most outposts of India in east and north where two of the most fierce battles of modern India were fought in 1944 and 1999, respectively. The event is to commemorate 20th year of victory in Kargil war.

Objective: Aim of expedition is to promote awareness for safety of pedestrians and recently launched ‘Fit India Movement’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with paying tribute to bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifices.

Expedition Team:  A composite team of 25 air warriors consisting of officers and airmen, including one woman officer Flight Lietutant Rishab Jeet Kaur and Warrant Officer Indra Pal Singh (51) will also run in this ultra-marathon. The expedition is led by Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan, a Su-30 aircraft pilot.

The team has been selected after regressive selection trials and is undergoing their 1st phase of strenuous training. This will be followed by 2nd phase of training at Leh, Ladakh.

The team will cover distance of more than 4,500 mm in 45 days by running an average of 100 mm per day.

Adventure Activities: Team will undertake adventure activities such as camping and living outdoors, managing and surviving in snow, rain and extreme climate through varied terrain of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West-Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam and Nagaland.

NOTE: ‘Operation Vijay’ was India”s limited war against Pakistan in Kargil in 1999

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019