Lucknow: Rajneesh Kumar clocked 1:20:08 to clinch gold in the Male 18–30 category, while Saurabh Baluni clocked 0:40:35 to bag the top spot in the Open Male category at the Eldeco Times Half Marathon. Pranav Wadhwa (2:08:00) and Vikas (2:08:38) finished second and third, respectively, in the Male 18–30 category of the marathon, which was organised by The Times of India and NBT, to promote health and an active lifestyle, on Sunday. The marathon saw intense competition across age categories, with runners delivering strong performances and close finishes. In the Male 31–40 category, Jayadeep Bhivaji Handi clinched first place with a timing of 1:44:09, narrowly edging past Sandeep Nayan Singh, who clocked 1:44:14. Aman Kumar secured third position at 1:46:44. Wg Cdr SP Khan dominated the Male 41–50 category, finishing in an impressive 1:28:12, followed by Mayank Awasthi (1:34:26) and Dr Om Prakash Yadav (1:41:05). In the Female 41–50 category, ZA KAP Engineer topped the chart with 2:00:59, ahead of Anjali Chaurasia (2:08:42) and Parul Verma (2:16:06). Anil Kapoor led the Male 51–60 group, while Rajendra Hardaha finished first in the 61+ category. The 10 km race in the female category was won by Lucky, who clocked 0:47:20. Deputy CMBrajesh Pathak gave away the prizes to the winners. Sharing his experience, retired Col Rajeev Kumar, who finished second in the 61+ male category, said, “Running is always a pleasure. At 63, I still feel young. I urge all Lucknowites to join.”
