Having started on Wednesday from their base at PDC Jaurian, about 30 km from Jammu, an officer, a JCO and 16 soldiers of the battalion will run 1,426 km, spanning five states and a Union territory, and reach India Gate on October 27, the Infantry Day.

It was during Trikuta mountaineering expedition done by the battalion in May this year that the idea of a run to Delhi came from Subedar Fateh Singh, a veteran athlete. And the Unit Commanding Officer, A K R Tripathi, decided to make it a record run going through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi from where the Jat Regiment draws most of its manpower.

A series of endurance tests were conducted in the battalion and 18 soldiers finallyselected for the run. The major impediment in the initial stages was the cost which was estimated at Rs 4.5 lakh. However, with assistance promised by Army units along the way, it was brought down to Rs 3 lakh. Sponsorship by Hero Honda Motors and Adidas also helped meet a large portion of the budget.

The starting time and distance to be covered each day by the runners and their place of halt have all been meticulously worked out. The run will be received and flagged off by senior Army officers at various stations with a gala function planned at Panipat on September 30, the 35th Raising Day of the battalion. The 42-day schedule also includes rest and buffer days to make up for any contingency.

To guard against the marauding traffic on the national highway, military trucks and motorcycles will form a protective shield round the 18 runners running in two lanes. While Major Vivek Sharma, a unit officer, will do all the liaisoning and coordination on the way, medical assistance will also be at hand. Therunners are being accompanied by a team of unit cyclists till Jalandhar.

Officers of the unit feel it is the greatest run ever undertaken and call it `beating the unbeatable'. Marathon, says Lt Col Rajesh Anand, part of the organising team, is repeat of the 42-km run by a Greek soldier from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC to bring the news of Greek victory over Persians. ``It is the ultimate challenge in running and is the last event in Olympics. Our team would be doing it 30 times in as many days with a few days of rest interspersed,'' he says proudly. The battalion will prepare a detailed log book and send it both to the Limca Book of Records and Guinness authorities.

It is both the involvement of their unit and a sense of achievement that is keeping the runners' morale high. Lt Sumeet Rawat, 22, who is leading the team, is not too worried about the heat on the smoke-laden highways. ``It's a challenge'', he says. Many of his teammates are expecting to see their families en route. ``They willbe there with a bucket of milk,'' says sepoy Hardeena Ram hailing from Rajasthan.