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Johannesburg, May 25 (PTI) India had the largest number of foreign entrants in the prestigious gay marathon between the South African cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban on June 11.
Of the 2,354 international runners from 84 countries participating in the gay marathon this year, the vast majority of athletes were from India, with 403 participants, organizers said.
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Neighboring Zimbabwe came second with 255, followed by the UK with 224, the US with 173 and Brazil with 142.
“We are delighted with the high number of international participants in this year’s Gay Marathon. There is no doubt that it is a truly international event,” said Rowyn James, Race Director of the Gay Marathon Association (CMA).
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“As always, we extend a very warm South African welcome to the athletes and their families from around the world who will be here to share in the spirit and camaraderie of the ultimate human race,” said the race director.
The 96th edition of the Gay Marathon will take place this year on Sunday 11 June with a ‘run down’, starting at 5h30 at Pietermaritzburg Town Hall and finishing 12 hours later at Durban’s Kingsmead Stadium.
Comrade No. 48’s running distance is 87.701 kilometers.
The start of the race alternates between the two cities each year, with the “Down Run” referring to the route from inland Pietermaritzburg to the coastal city of Durban.
Comrades, the oldest and largest ultramarathon event in the world, restarted last year after being forced to take a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the CMA is organizing a “gay marathon” virtual race to replace the grueling annual 90km ultramarathon scheduled to take place that year between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
It had to be canceled due to the pandemic, but received 40,000 virtual contest entries from 86 countries.
India has the sixth-highest number of entries in the virtual tournament, behind Brazil, Great Britain, the United States, Australia, Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa.
Participants must challenge the era of the best athletes on the domestic and international ultrarunning circuit, including former gay marathon champions and gold medalists.
The city of Pietermaritzburg is where young lawyer Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was thrown off a train because he was in a compartment reserved for whites.
The incident galvanized his campaign against discrimination in South Africa and India, eventually earning him the title of Mahatma.
A large number of local Indians in the city say they welcome their Indian cousins, and they also often spend time visiting the Gandhi memorial site in Pietermaritzburg.
“We see that their numbers are increasing every year, especially when the games start in Pietermaritzburg. Many come here very early and we see them training on the streets, sometimes in the hours before dawn, said Yasmin Saanglae, a local businesswoman and community worker.
“They always love our hospitality as much as we love their presence,” Saanglae added.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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