Chennai, July 26 (Representative) Chennai Runners on Tuesday announced that global software service firm Freshworks Inc, is the new official title sponsor of the annual ‘Chennai Marathon’ for the next five years. The Chennai Marathon will now be called the Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2023, powered by Chennai Runners and is set to take place on Sunday January 8, 2023. A prize money event, the Marathon will comprise of four events for men and women including a Full Marathon (42.195 km) – the flagship race of the event, the Perfect 20 miler (32.186 km) – introduced for the first time in 2019, the Half Marathon (21.097 km) and the 10 km Run. The Marathon seeks to increase awareness of diabetes. It is the primary charity cause of the marathon for 2023. Celebrating 100 years of insulin and Type-1 diabetic runners, the marathon intends to raise funds for children with insulin needs. Sridhar Rajmohan, Chennai Runner’s type 1 diabetes ambassador, strives to inspire many more people with diabetes to take up physical activity.
Over the years, the Chennai Marathon has grown to be the largest running event in Tamil Nadu and the second largest in India. The marathon has increased in scale, importance and popularity and now regularly attracts participation from international athletes. For the past many years, marathon runners from across the world have been regularly participating and competing with the best of Indian runners for the top prize, a press release from Chennai Runners said. Chennai Runners, driven by their credo, “For the runners and by the runners”, is putting in a lot of efforts to ensure sizable participation from the ever-supportive running community to make this edition a success. Freshworks started in a small warehouse in Chennai in 2010 and has grown with 5,000 employees around the world. Sponsoring the Chennai Marathon is a way to give back to the community where the company started and exemplifies Freshworks’ commitment to health and wellness for its global employees. “At Freshworks, we’ve always believed that building a company is like running a marathon, it takes grit and resilience and the community spirit where everybody is a winner. We have a lot in common with the iconic Chennai Marathon which also started a little over a decade ago.
With a shared passion for all things Chennai, its people, art, culture, and vibe, we are thrilled to be associated with the largest marathon in South India,” said Suman Gopalan, Chief HR Officer of Freshworks. V P Senthil Kumar, Race Director, Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2023 said “This marathon is now in its 11th edition and continues to raise the benchmark for running events in the country. This Marathon now ranks among the most popular sporting events in India.” “With every marathon, we have been introducing new features both from a fitness and safety perspective. The facilities we provide are comparable with global standards. With the support of the Greater Chennai Police, Chennai Corporation, and other support partners, we are expecting to deliver a power packed event this year too. Our primary goal, that of giving the best experience of running an international caliber marathon to the participants is what drives us”, he added. Dr. K.Jayanth Murali, Director General of Police, IWCID, Chennai and Author, said “I have been running in the Chennai Marathon for the last 10 years. What attracts me to this marathon is the focus of the Chennai Runners in ensuring that the event takes care of every aspect from a Runners perspective. The facilities and safety features followed during the event are unmatched and this is a marathon I always look forward to”, he added.