Vadodara Marathon organized the 12th edition on Sunday, 2nd February 2025, with Title Sponsor MG Motor India and Powered by Joy E-bike. Announcement for registration for 12th edition of Vadodara Marathon was done on 5th June 2024, to celebrate Global Running Day.
This edition’s vision is to bring awareness regarding the sustainable development goals to 1 lakh school children across Vadodara. Promoting sustainability education through formation of SDG clubs in schools, in line with The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and engage with them by means of awareness programs, activities, guest lectures, field trips etc. To foster sustainability at the individual level, to adopt sustainable lifestyle and sustainable human behaviour, through habit building and lifestyle changes.
The 12th edition set new records, with over 1,23,900 (1,23,921) registrations, and with 80,000+ runners on the ground on Marathon morning. Vadodara Marathon is honoured to have set a new record, for largest number of people (80,000) taking the Road Safety pledge, by World Book of Records. The Certificate was awarded on stage to team VM for organizing the event, which was then handed to Vadodara Police as it belongs to the people of Vadodara.
The slogan for this edition “Har Kadam Mein Hai Dum” aptly demonstrated the spirit of the runners and supporters of Vadodara Marathon, with the 12th edition being a resounding success yet again.
The lead-up to the Marathon was filled with meticulous planning and trials, with VM team working in close collaboration with Vadodara administration (Collectorate, Municipal Corporation and Police), and volunteer teams at venue and routes, to ensure a safe and good experience for all. The venue of Navlakhi ground, for flag-off and finish line of the Marathon, was once again graciously provided by the Gaekwad royal family, whose unstinted support and generosity to Vadodara Marathon has been monumental to VM success each year.
The Kit Expo was held over three days, on 29-30-31st January, at Bhailal Amin General Hospital, where runners collected their kits, got information regarding the routes and also availed medical checkups and health-related information from medical professionals, to stay healthy and fit during and after the race. The runners also met with their select Pacers, aiming to run their PBs (Personal Best) timings and have a safe marathon. A unique and fun Meet & Greet with the Pacers was also held on 28th January, with 3KM Fun Run at Decathlon, Vadodara. International runners and outstation runners could collect their kits and bibs on 1st February, and they were shown the routes in detail by VM team.
Two Press Conferences were held on 31st January and earlier on 16th January 2025, at Hotel Grand Mercure Surya Palace, where details of the 12th edition were shared with invited guests, sponsors, partners and the media fraternity.
This was followed by a meeting with the principals and heads of all schools, colleges and universities, and educational trusts, whose students, teachers/faculty and staff members are actively associated with and participate in each edition of Vadodara Marathon in large numbers. A meeting with all the Divyang associations was also held, to explain the categories of 1KM Divyang Paralympic Run and ensure their Divyang participants have a safe experience at the Marathon.
A special session on CPR training was conducted for all Front runners and VM team members on 25th January, by the doctors and medical team of Bhailal Amin General Hospital (BAGH) at their hospital premises. This is an annual feature to ensure all VM team members on ground duty are trained with life-saving skills, and can respond effectively if needed at any time.
A special pre-event to the Marathon was the Queen’s Run, held on 15th December 2024, and flagged off by our Chief Guest and patron Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad, along with dignitaries, sponsors, partners and police force. This highly anticipated run featured over 2,000 female participants, who ran/walked a distance of 4km, along a well-planned route, celebrating safety for women at night and the spirit of women empowerment. Wearing the VM pink tshirts, the female participants began the evening with Zumba before the Queen’s Run, and ended with dancing to the DJ’s tunes till late night.
Marathon morning saw the entire city bearing a festive look, with signages and route markings displayed along all routes, and large hoardings all over the city. Stages were set up along all routes, with performances by schools, colleges, organizations and performance troupes to motivate the runners. People lined up along the routes, to cheer the runners, enhancing to the festivities. Water, refreshment and energy drinks points were set up at appropriate intervals, and were manned along all routes, to ensure the runners remained well hydrated. Medical units, ambulances and care stations were also set up at throughout each route, manned by medical professionals, to provide care and support as needed. At the finish point, a large hospital set-up with many beds was in place with medical professionals and physiotherapists available for tending to the runners. Musical performances at the flag off venue, performances along the route, and DJ with a party at the finish point – all set the stage for a big celebration for the Marathon participants.
The flag off for the timed runs began sharp on time from 4.30AM onwards for Full, Half, 10KM and 5KM marathons, to avail of the cooler temperature in the early morning for a better run experience. The Jawan Run, sponsored by Access Computech, saw defence forces’ jawans from EME, Air Force, Air Defence, CISF, NCC, Police cadets participate in all the runs. The international runners and Indian elite runners lead the pack of runners as always, aiming for their PBT (personal best time). For the safety of the runners, the police had ensured the routes were free of traffic. The timed runners were escorted by two groups of cyclists- The Cyclists Club of Baroda (TCCB) and Pedaling for Fitness (P4F), while the timed runners also availed the services of pacers from Baroda Road Runners (BRR) for all timed runs.
Upon arrival of Hon Chief Minister of Gujarat and other dignitaries, the stage was buzzing with excitement. The Road Safety Pledge was taken by 80,000 participants, setting a World Record, adjudicated and certified by World Book of Records.
The fun runs – 5KM Swachhata Run sponsored by Ami LifeSciences, and the 5KM NGO Pledge Run sponsored by KYB Conmat, along with the competitive categories of 1KM Divyang Paralympic Run sponsored by VVN Garba, were flagged off one after another from 7.30AM onwards, by the Chief Guest, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Hon. Chief Minister and Shri Balkrishna Shukla, Hon. MLA, with the religious leaders, VM Brand Ambassadors, along with other dignitaries.
The 1KM Divyang Paralympic Run with 1,500 Divyang, included 6 categories:
At the Finish Lines, VM teams received the timed runners with participation medals. Winners of each run were noted, and data tallied as recorded by the electronic chip in their shoes. Stalls with refreshments, snacks, fruits and hydration were available for all runners. Photobooths and selfie points added to the festive mood. All the runners congregated at the DJ’s stage, dancing and celebrating their success with other runners and the VM team.
Felicitation for the winners of each category – timed runs and Divyang run categories- was held, with VM Chairperson Tejal Amin, Co-Chairperson Sameer Khera, dignitaries, sponsors and partners. All participants could download their certificates from VM website.
Post Marathon, in line with VM’s commitment to community service, the 2nd edition of VM Connect 2025 was held on 12th March 2025. VM Connect is a bespoke initiative by Vadodara Marathon, with the motto – Empowering impactful collaborations for a sustainable future.
VM Connect brings together NGOs and corporate organizations, giving a platform for select NGOs to share details of their projects for CSR funding from organizations. The event includes distinguished speakers from the industry and CSR foundations, who share insights on topics related to both ends of the spectrum. The NGOs present their projects and have discussions with the corporates, setting up the building blocks for collaboration ahead.
This 2nd edition of VM Connect had sessions on CSR – including CSR investment, Capitalizing CSR, Corporate commitment to CSR, What makes a good CSR proposal, panel discussion on CSR- An underutilized opportunity, followed by presentations on CDG club and from select NGOs for corporate support.
The 2nd edition of VM Connect was focused and extremely beneficial to participating NGOs and corporates, along with all stakeholders.
