The 18th edition of the Salwan Marathon will be held at the Army Equestrian Centre, Brar Square in the capital on Sunday and organisers are expecting up to 48,000 kids this year, against 300 who participated in the inaugural run in 1995.
The Salwan Marathon has a separate category for visually impaired children most of whom will be the national capital region while some will also be travelling from Gujarat to participate in the event.
“It is a moment of pride for us and we feel empowered by participating in an event of this stature,” says Praveen Kumar, a visually impaired child studying at Kendriya Vidyalaya, JNU, in the capital
“I am 16 years old have been participating for the last five years and will continue to do so. I enjoy sports and like running, last year I stood at 18th rank and I am aiming for the 1st position this time around,” adds Kumar.
Annapurna, a student of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, who stood sixth last year says, “We are all equal and we run to prove just that. We are in no way different than others.”
Both stay at the National Association for the Blind in the capital.