THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The month of October is being observed as the breast cancer awareness month. To encourage woman empowerment and with a goal of health and fitness in each household, the country’s biggest run ‘Pinkathon’ was hosted in the city on Sunday from Kanakakkunnu Palace which saw a participation of about 300 women.
According to the organisers, Pinkathon is more than a marathon. It is a seed of change. Launched in 2012, Pinkathon witnesses mass participation from women where ever the event is organised. In at least six countries and six cities, more than 10,000 women participated in a five-km run to showcase solidarity for the cause. In Thiruvananthapuram too, the run was conducted as a launch event in the city. There was no age limit for the event.
‘Pinkathon Day’ was the brainchild of supermodel Milind Soman who wanted to emphasize the importance of women and their space. ‘The message of Pinkathon is clear. Women, we need you. Your families need you, and not just your children, but your society, your country needs you’ is the punch line.
Using community running as a tool, Pinkathon and its ambassadors have empowered and enabled thousands of women across India to bring positive change into their lives by understanding and prioritising that they can bring about change in physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. “Pinkathon is usually organised in metro cities and this year, we decided to spread awareness on the importance of health and fitness to more cities. In Thiruvananthapuram, we organised it as a launch event for awareness as we wanted more women, especially homemakers to come out and participate in the run,” said Aakash Nambiar, brand ambassador of South India.
Participants
Kerala’s first women Enfield club- the Dauntless Royal Explorers became the pilot vehicles who led the way for the runners. Sobha Viswananth, the brand ambassador of Thiruvananthapuram and a frequent participant during the past seven editions of Pinkathon said, “The focus of Pinkathon was to encourage an active lifestyle and overall fitness amongst women, while creating a much needed awareness about breast cancer and encourage thousands of women to take up running.”The run which started at 5.30 am was organised with the support of Trivandrum Runners Club. The participants were given medals and certificates at the end of the event.