Bangalore city will Run as One on Sunday, May 27, 2012 in the TCS World 10K Bangalore

For four years, the World 10K Bangalore, the World’s Premier 10K Run has mobilised the health and fitness conscious citizenry of Bangalore City to come together and run as one. In its fifth edition, and the second under the title sponsorship of Tata Consultancy Services, the TCS World 10K Bangalore, to be run on May 27, 2012, promises to be the biggest and best as yet.

The world’s leading track and long distance athletes will once again descend into the Garden City, where they will be joined by India’s best running talent and thousands from Bangalore’s running fraternity to help Bangalore live up to its reputation as the host city of a major international running event. 

After a hiatus of two years, the Nation’s Challenge makes a comeback, offering a far wider canvas to the country’s leading track and long distance athletes as they run for personal glory, the honour of their state or institution, as well as sizeable prize money.

Giving a further fillip to the event will be Superstar Puneet Rajkumar as the new ‘Face of the Event’, who has committed all his support and efforts to help promote the event and propagate the running movement across the length and breadth of Karnataka state.

The People’s Green Award, a platform to admire and acknowledge people who share the dream to make the earth a greener and better place to live in, exciting initiatives to give every participant an unforgettable experience on Race Day and a commitment from the Official Charity Partner, Bangalore Cares, to aim for a significant increase in the monies raised towards charity are some of the other features heralding the arrival of the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2012.

This was announced by N G Subramaniam, President Tata Consultancy Services Financial Solutions at a grand launch press conference held at Regency I in the ITC, Windsor Bengaluru, the Hospitality Partner to the event on Tuesday. The favourite of Karnataka’s masses, Superstar Puneet Rajkumar was also present as the ‘Face of the Event’, along with dignitaries from the Government, representatives of the event partners and celebrities.

The occasion was also used to announce the three-day Health & Style Expo 2012 to be organized and marketed by Radio Mirchi Activations at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium from May 18 to 20, 2012, which will present an unique opportunity for health, fitness and wellbeing enthusiasts to come together under one roof. The Expo will also be the venue where all the runners converge to mandatorily pick up their Running Bibs, Running Kits, Timing Chips & other related paraphernalia.

Welcoming new partners: An event of the scale of the TCS World 10K Bangalore would not be possible without the critical contributions from the partners to the event, each of which fulfills a function critical to the success of the event. Procam International takes pleasure in welcoming three new partners to the family. BMW will be the Official Car to the event, Gatorade will be the Official Sports Nutrition Partner, while Star Plus will be the Channel Partner.

Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW Group India said, “Perfectly combining sporty performance with the highly efficient use of energy, every BMW incorporates the great spirit of the long distance race. BMW India is proud to be associated with the spectacular event to celebrate the unstoppable and indomitable spirit of Bangalore.”

Deepika Warrier, Executive Director - Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages, India said, “Gatorade is the catalyst for athletic achievement. Born in the field of play, Gatorade is scientifically formulated and athletically tested to Rehydrate, Replenish and Refuel every endurance athlete’s hydration needs. We see great synergies for the World’s No. 1 Sports Drink to associate with the TCS World 10K Bangalore as the Official Sports Nutrition Partner.”

After the great response received for the Mumbai Marathon, Star Plus brings to its viewers the TCS World 10K Bangalore. The event will be telecast on Star Plus Live ensuring that people across the country be part of the spirit of this event. Star Plus’ GM, Nitin Vaidya said, “Through live telecasts of popular distance running events we want to bring the spirit and philosophy of the event direct into people’s living rooms. Our endeavour is to spread the message of health and wellness to each and every Indian. Walking and running are two easy activities which every Indian can indulge in, irrespective of who they are and where they are, to become healthier thus contributing to the country’s progress.”

The Garden City of Bangalore first experienced the magic of running in 2008 when its citizens welcomed the first edition of the World 10K with great enthusiasm. Since then the number of participants has swelled to around 23,000 amid serious efforts from promoters Procam International, along with support from the partners to the event, to convert fun runners into serious fitness and running enthusiasts and has led to over 8,000 amateurs attempting the full distance.

Now, five years down the road, the event has also carved a niche for itself in the realm of distance running with some superlative performances from the elite runners from all over the world. That, along with adherence to other world class organisational criteria, has prompted the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to honour the event with the ‘Gold Label’ for the third year running.

The last four editions saw some of the world’s best long distance runners descend into Bangalore to participate in this prestigious event and this year should be no different.  A 10K road race demands a high octane combination of endurance and speed and the TCS World 10K Bangalore, 2012 is once again expected to attract the world’s best long distance runners and track & field stars.

Mr. N Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD of Tata Consultancy Services, who could not be present at the launch of the event due to prior commitments, had this to say, “We are extremely delighted to sponsor the World 10 K Bangalore for the second consecutive year. It’s been our constant endeavor to promote an active lifestyle among our young workforce and the communities we operate in. We urge the people of Bangalore to enthusiastically participate and promote health and wellness in the city.”

Showcasing Bangalore’s giving side: The charity drive associated with the TCS World 10K Bangalore, spearheaded by Bangalore Cares, the Charity Partner to the event, is poised for a quantum leap this year. In 2011, the TCS World 10K Bangalore helped raise Rs 1.83 crore towards charity and in the last four years the World 10K Bangalore has helped generate over Rs 4.96 crore towards charity, propelling this event to amongst the largest charity raising events in the state of Karnataka. 

People’s Green Awards: The TCS World 10K Bangalore believes in a cleaner and greener world to live in and works to achieve the same. During the last edition of the run we successfully created a World 10K Urban Forest wherein corporate and runners came together for the Green Initiative. In the course of this initiative more trees were planted in 2.25 acres of land along the periphery of Madivala Lake.

The new Green Initiative this year is the People’s Green Award, to recognise and honour the people who take an extra effort in creating environmental awareness and will include awards in two categories, namely, the Green Star and the Corporate Green Star.

The Green Star is open only to individuals/groups and/or NGO’s which incur no monetary profit from their Green services and should strictly be “Not for Profit”, while the Corporate Green Star is is open only to companies/corporate foundations which lead Green Initiatives without seeking out any monetary gains from the initiative.

Details for the same can be got from the website www.procamrunning.in

The TCS World 10K Bangalore, an event certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) is being held under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India and is supported by the Karnataka Athletics Association, the Government of Karnataka and the Department of Youth Services and Sports. Around 24,000 people are expected to be a part of this momentous event on May 27, participating in the seven events of the day.

Title Sponsor: Tata Consultancy Services

Under the Aegis of: Athletics Federation of India

Supported by: Karnataka Athletics Association, Government of Karnataka, Department of Youth Services & Sports, BBMP and Bangalore Police

Promoted by: Procam International