Staff Reporter –
Tata Steel Kolkata 25K 2023 promoters today outlined arrangements that are in place for Sunday, 17th December, including on-course, in-stadia and medical facilities, for the benefit of the participants. TSK25K, one of the biggest running festivals in India, will witness a staggering 17,557 runners taking part in the iconic event.
Present on the occasion were Hugh Jones, Race Director; Dr Sanjukta Dutta, Medical Director and Head of Emergency, Fortis; Yeilwad Shrikant Jagannathrao IPS, DC-Traffic South Kolkata Police; Debasish Kumar MLA & MMIC-KMC; Kamal Kumar Maitra, Secretary WBAA and Vivek Singh, Jt. MD, Procam International, promoters of the meet.
Speaking about the race and the course, Hugh Jones, Race Director, said, “The people are enthusiastic and excited for this wonderful race. This has become a popular sport not only in India but also abroad. The Elite runners are getting attracted to this TSK25K event because of its easy course. The route is unchanged and is attractive and provides an extra advantage. A new course record for this year’s event is definitely on.”
Debasish Kumar MLA & MMIC-KMC feels “TSK25K is indeed a pride and joy for Kolkata. It is a moment of excitement to see over 17,500 runners taking part here. This event will surely add more colour to the city. I am eagerly waiting for Sunday, and I hope this will be a huge success,” Mr Kumar said.
Speaking about the medical facilities and the safety of the runners, Dr Sanjukta Dutta, Medical Director and Head of Emergency, Fortis, said, “I am privileged to be a part of this iconic event. We are here to make sure all runners are safe. We will be setting up base camps for the safety of all the runners. ICU ambulances, medical centers, ICU camps will be set up at the venue. Medical staff will also accompany the runners in case of any emergency. But I would request the runners to take care of themselves and not push too much in case of any discomfort, as medical staff will be here for any help.”
The traffic control during the event plays a big part and Yeilwad Shrikant Jagannathrao IPS, DC-Traffic South Kolkata Police said the authorities will take all steps needed for the smooth conduct of the event. “We will provide everything professionally to ensure the smooth conduct of the event. The traffic department is ready to provide all the support. We had meetings with the organizers and fulfilled the expectations of the stakeholders. We expect to finish this event on a high on Sunday.”
∙ Open 10K & Police Cup (10km): 5:30 am
∙ 25K Elite (25km): 6:25 am
∙ 25K Amateur + Vijay Diwas Trophy: 6:26 am
∙ Champions with Disability & Senior Citizens Run (2:3km): 8:15 am
∙ Ananda Run (4:5km): 8:45 am
LIVE TELECAST
The Tata Steel Kolkata will be telecast live on Sony Ten HD 1 and Sony Ten 1 SD from 6:00 am to 10:00 am.
17,557 RUNNERS IN ALL TO GRAB ATTENTION
In the 25K race category, a total of 4481 runners will be taking part. The Open 10K race (including Police Cup) will see a total 6328 participants while the Ananda Run will have 4931 runners. The Silvers Run will witness a total of 1602 runners while the Champions With Disability will have a total of 215 participants.
ROUTE FOR THE 25K & 10K
The route for the 25K and 10K is for the benefit of all participants and citizens of Kolkata. One of the most important aspects of the route is that it is a single-way route. This will drastically help reduce traffic congestion and will not disturb the citizens.
The course for the World Athletics Elite Label 25K race runs past iconic landmarks of the city.
TSK 25K Route
Holding Area (Rangers Ground) – Western Flank of Red road in front of Md. Sporting Ground – Red road ( Western Flank) – – Khiddirpore road (Northern Flank) – Right on Hastings Crossing – St. Georges gate road (Eastern Flank) – Strand road (Western Flank) – Right turn on Kingsway (Southern Flank) – R R Avenue (Southern Flank) – Mayo Road – Straight on Mayo Road ( Northern Flank) – Right Turn Under Park street flyover on Jawaharlal Nehru Road (western Flank) – Left Turn near Outram Road Crossing on Park street – Park Street (Southern Flank) – Turn Right on Park Circle 7 point crossing – Syed Amir Ali Ave (Western Flank) – Straight on Ashutosh Chowdary Ave (Western Flank) – Straight on Gariahat Flyover (Western Flank) – Right turn on Golpark – Right on Southern Ave (Souther Flank) – Right turn on SP Mukherjee Road (Western Flank) – Straight on SP Mukherjee Road till Hazra Crossing – Left from Hazra Crossing to Hazra road – Kalighat Bridge – Straight on Judges court road – Right turn on Hasting Park road – Right turn on Belvedere road – cross Bhawani Bhawan – Straight on Belvedere road – Cross National Library – Right on Alipore road (Western Flank) – Cross Alipore Zoo – Cross Zeerut Bridge (Western Flank) – Left on AJC Bose road towards Hastings Junction- Hastings Crossing – Turn Right on Khiddirpore road from Hasting Junction (Southern Flank) – KP Road – Right Turn on Lovers Lane (foul) – Hospital Road (Western flank) – U Turn before A.J.C. Bose Road/DL Khan Road Crossing – Hospital Road (Eastern Flank) – Right Turn on Queensway (Southern Flank) – U Turn from cathedral road crossing – Queensway (Northern Flank) – Right Turn on Casurina Avenue (foul) – KP Road (Eastern Flank) – JN Island – Red Road (Eastern Flank) – Finish on Red Road, opp. Basket Ball Court.
RACE DAY ARRANGEMENTS
Runners are TSK25K’s biggest stakeholders and Procam constantly works towards making race day a memorable experience for all participants.
Medical Arrangements by Fortis
∙ Trained medical personnel present at all stations to deal with any kind of emergencies
∙ 30 nurses and 25 doctors are on call
∙ 8 medical stations along the route
∙ 8 ambulances on the route
∙ 8 paramedics on Bikes along the race route to ensure help is made available at all times.
∙ 15 Physiotherapists
∙ 15 Medical Spotters placed every 100m during the last 2 km of the race to identify participants who need medical attention
OTHER FACILITIES ON-COURSE & IN-STADIA
∙ 15 water stations by Hydration partner Bisleri along the course + post-finish
∙ 6 Energy Drink Stations by partner FAST&UP along the course + post-finish
∙ 4 Orange and salt stations
∙ 5 Ice Stations
∙ 1 Cadbury Fuse stations
The race route water stations and Fuse station will be managed by Striders, Lake Running Squad, Salt Lake Runners, North Kolkata Runners and the Energy station will be managed by Jayanagar Jaguars. The runner groups will also motivate the participants to achieve their goals.
Live Performance by Saregama Artists
To celebrate and applaud the efforts of all participants, TSK 25K along with Saregama Artists will host a musical treat in the post-finish zone. Noted performers such as Jaan Kumar Sanu, Varsha Singh Dhanao, Raja Hasan, Pablo, Girish Chawla and DJ Swattrex will perform renditions of popular Bollywood and folk songs.
ECO-STRIDE – 100% WASTE-MANAGED RACE
The Tata Steel Kolkata 25k 2023 prides itself in being a socially inclusive and eco-conscious race. In 2016 we embarked on a journey to ensure that we manage our waste at source and abide by the local laws with the respect to environment.
Over the years, we have taken up a number of initiatives to align with the principles of sustainability, ensuring that we limit our waste footprint, limit our plastic use, promote re-use of materials, and avoid unnecessary printing of handbooks and application forms.
We are currently piloting a number of initiatives across six pillars of sustainability: Leadership, Climate Change & Carbon, Sustainable Production & Consumption, Local Environment & Air Quality, Diversity, Accessibility & Well-being and Global Equality.
Some of actions specifically for TSK25K 2023 include:
∙ A zero waste to landfill event.
∙ All participants receive digital communication to avoid paper consumption
∙ Bibs distributed without any plastic cover
∙ Runners are provided with reusable backpacks
∙ Runners are encouraged to “Bring your own bottle” that can be refilled at the venue
∙ Promotion of sustainable mobility with specific allocation of cycle docking stations
∙ Excess food donated to the needy.
∙ All branding materials upcycled as roofing and other materials
∙ In addition to this, forour commitments towards sustainability and support to green livelihood we closely work with Hasiru Dala Innovations, a social enterprise working with waste pickers to help create better livelihoods along with local partner DISHA.
∙ We are also currently monitoring travel emissions of staff members, guests, elite athletes and vendors.
∙ We have constituted a Safety Advisory Group to review the event safety plan that includes the following:
a) Event Management Plan: providing comprehensive event overview and a framework for embedding safe practices across event delivery.
b) A Risk Assessment Plan: highlighting any potential hazards that may affect the event, control measures to eliminate/ minimise risk.
c) An Emergency Action Plan: to facilitate effective and efficient response to health and safety risk(s) and/ or other emergencies that may occur.