Poor response mars run

VADODARA, Oct 11: Despite floating rumours about the presence of celebrities like Karisma Kapoor and Salman Khan at the inaugural session...

VADODARA, Oct 11: Despite floating rumours about the presence of celebrities like Karisma Kapoor and Salman Khan at the inaugural session of the Vadodara National Marathon organised at the Polo Ground on Sunday, the marathon organisers failed to attract city residents.

While thin attendance on Sunday morning spoke volumes of the poor response, the presence of tinsel town star Kunal Goswami came as a saving grace for the organisers. The few spectators present seemed interested only in him, as was evident by the manner in which they flocked around him for autographs. Neither the participants, nor previous years8217; marathon winners nor politicians seemed to make any difference to the gathering, who seemed to have eyes for only one person.

A cultural programme, organised to keep people engaged till the participants reached the finishing point, had few takers. Totally disinterested in the event, people had to be frequently reminded to applaud. They had to be told to applaud even when the main torch was lit.

Though the customary of lighting the lamp and inaugural speeches were over by 8 a.m, the harsh morning sun and lack of seating arrangements on the ground saw the crowd dwindling rapidly.

And with few spectators, the participants could expect little in form of cheers. While organisers claimed that there were more than 18,000 participants, the actual number did not appear to be more than 5,000.

Dignitaries from diverse walks of life right from the lone Bollywood star to Mayor Bharati Vyas, Police Commissioner Kuldip Sharma, among others, flagged off the participants, who were divided into various age groups.

While adequate arrangements were made as far as health care was concerned, the heat took its toll on the runners, many of whom collapsed much before the finishing point.

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While many complained about the timings saying it was not suitable, others said seating arrangements only for defence personnel and VIPs was unfair. Adding to the chaos, one of the groups started running even before the star of the day 8212; Kunal Goswami 8212; flagged off the race.