Hyderabad 5K Run sees strong turnout with 300 differently abled participants

More than 6,500 runners participated in the Hyderabad 5K and Inclusive Run at HITEX on Saturday as part of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026. The event featured 300 differently abled participants and promoted fitness, inclusion and barrier-free participation

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad 5K Run drew a huge response, with over 6,500 runners, including 300 differently abled participants, taking part in the 5K Run and Inclusive Run held at HITEX on Saturday as part of the 15th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026, powered by IDFC FIRST Bank.

Dr M. Ramesh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, and Dr G. Srijana, IAS, Commissioner, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, flagged off the runs. Wheelchair runners were flagged off first, followed by runners representing NGOs and charities and participants in the regular 5K Run.

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The flag-off ceremony was attended by Arun Kumar Kaliappan, President, Hyderabad Runners Society (HRS); Rajesh Vetcha, Founder, HRS and Race Director, NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026; Prashant Shinde, Zonal Head of IDFC FIRST Bank; Shri Krishna Kumar Thakur, Director (Personnel), NMDC; Vivek Nishant Nath, Director (Commercial), NMDC; Neelkanth Reddy, Chief Vigilance Officer, NMDC; and Anurag Kapil, Director (Finance), NMDC.

Dr Ramesh and Dr Srijana not only flagged off the runs but also participated in the event, running alongside and encouraging Inclusive Run participants, along with officials from NMDC.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr M. Ramesh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, said, “This is the first time the Hyderabad Marathon is organising an Inclusive Run, and I am extremely happy to be part of it. I am equally delighted to run alongside the participants and encourage them. It is heartening to see around 300 differently abled participants, including wheelchair users and visually challenged runners, taking part. Events like this demonstrate that running truly has no barriers.”

Dr G. Srijana, IAS, Commissioner, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, said, “The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon is one of the most prestigious marathons, and every participant should be proud to be a part of it. The Inclusive Run is a wonderful initiative that brings people together and celebrates participation, determination and equality.”

Shri Krishna Kumar Thakur, Director (Personnel), NMDC, encouraged the 5K participants to take their running journey forward and expressed the hope that many of them would progress to the 10K category in the next edition.

Prashant Shinde, Zonal Head, described the event as a wonderful celebration of fitness, inclusion and enthusiasm, saying that the “josh” among the participants was truly infectious.

According to Rajesh Vetcha, Founder of Hyderabad Runners Society and Race Director of NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026, more than 6,800 runners had registered for the 5K Run. On Saturday, around 6,200 regular 5K runners and 300 Inclusive Run participants took part in the two runs.

The main event — featuring the 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon — will be held on Sunday. The Full Marathon will be flagged off at 4:30 a.m., the Half Marathon at 5:30 a.m. from People Plaza, Necklace Road, and the 10K Run at 7 a.m. from HITEX, Madhapur.

The Inclusive Run, introduced for the first time at the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon, was organised in association with the Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF). The initiative seeks to promote inclusive participation in distance running and reinforces the belief that running has no barriers and everyone deserves an opportunity to experience the joy of sport.

The 300 differently abled participants included 205 persons with disabilities, 37 wheelchair runners from the Telangana Wheelchair Cricket Team and Bengaluru Wheelchair Cricket Team, 14 dwarf participants from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, visually challenged runners and other participants with disabilities.

The Inclusive Run also featured Divyanshu Ganatra from Pune, a visually challenged corporate speaker, psychologist and disability rights advocate. He is the first blind Indian to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, having undertaken the challenging expedition as part of an inclusion expedition.

Shwetha of SheRACES also participated in the marathon. The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon has now been officially accredited by SheRACES, recognising its commitment to safer spaces, equal opportunity, better support and a more inclusive race experience for women runners.

Green initiatives at the marathon

The HMDA Urban Forestry Wing distributed saplings and plants to participants in the runs as part of the marathon’s environmental initiatives.

The organisers have set a goal of making the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon carbon-neutral within the next three years. As part of the sustainability measures, 35 per cent of registered runners opted out of receiving T-shirts, while the use of flex cut-outs has also been reduced. Breakfast was served largely using plastic-free alternatives.

The previous edition of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon became India’s first marathon to earn the World Athletics Silver Sustainability Award, placing it among a select group of sustainable athletics events globally.