NASHIK, Dec 2: The first-ever marathon race, jointly organised by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Nashik District Amateur Athletics Association on Sunday, turned into a nightmare for the participants, who had to contend with thirst and traffic on the city roads. The event, which cost the city exchequer Rs 12 lakh, was flagged off by local Shiv Sena MP Rajabhau Godse and mayor Vasant Gite and covered stretches of 21 km for seniors and 15 km for juniors.

However, the participants running the race for seniors found that there were only three points where they could get water. Moreover, the last three kilometres stretch was not cleared for the race, resulting in vehicles getting in the way. One participant, Ashok Shirke, was knocked down by a speeding auto-rickshaw. Bhausaheb Jagtap, who claimed to have been the runner-up, alleged that he was knocked down within metres of the finishing line and taken to hospital on grounds of being sick.

The juniors mainly comprised of school student who discovered, to their misfortune, that they could get water at only two points. The lack of a basic facility like water led to three girls, Anita Genu Jagtap, Mangala Kachru Sonawane and Omdevi Chandalik, collapsing from exhaustion, as a result.

The event concluded with allegations and counter-allegations between contestants over their winning positions.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.