‘Neerathon’: Punekars to run for water conservation on February 26

Last year the Rotary Club of Pune Amanora provided water wheels and water ATMs in the remote villages of Pilosari in Raigarh district, Maharashtra, to address water-related issues.

“Sustainability and green are not only buzzwords but the need of the hour. To realise this fact, one has to visit any remote villages in India which are still struggling to get the basic necessity of drinking water. Last year we installed a Water ATM at Pilosari village from the fund raised through the event. This year we want to cover a nearby village. Please come and run with us to support our cause. See you at the start line on 26th February 2023,” said Abhishek Rathi, the programme manager of Neerathon.

There are exciting prizes and medals for the winners. The expo drive on February 25 at the Billabong Amanora School from 9 am will have stalls from Café Dil (NIBM, Pune), Anubhuti Social Empowerment (Mulshi, Pune), and Aarambh NGO (Mumbai).

“RCPA is expecting around over 1,000 participants. Amanora is our venue partner while Fern Hotels and Clubs remains our hospitality partner,” said Venkat.

Athlete and Ironman Triathlon finisher Rashmi Satav is the ambassador and pacer for the marathon. “Proud to be associated with Neerathon as it is a well-organised race held in beautiful locales and held for a good cause of water conservation,” she said. Thirty-eight-year-old Rashmi is the mother of an eight-year-old boy and runs a small business. An endurance athlete by passion, Satav is the finisher of the Ironman Triathlon, involving a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycling, and 42-km marathon. She has also qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Goa. The Ironman Triathlon is widely considered one of the toughest one-day sporting events in the world.

Satav also had podium finishes in several triathlons across various distance categories such as Sprint, Olympic, and Half Iron distance. She is also a Swimathon 5-km podium winner and has finished cycling expeditions such as Pune to Pandharpur and Pune to Goa, and has trekked most of the trails and forts in the Sahyadri region like Lingana, Sinhgad-Rajgad-Torna, and Katraj to Sinhgad.

Rotary also welcomes donations and sponsorships to propagate the message of water conservation. Those interested to participate in Neerathon 2023 can book their registrations on http://www.rcpaevents.com.

Maersk Global Services, Pune, is supporting the project through their CSR activities. The club members are also helping over 50 underprivileged students with free training and registration, Venkat said.