SKF India renews its partnership with Goa River Marathon

Panaji (Goa) [India], June 19: SKF India, the leading technology and solutions provider of bearings and services, extends its partnership with Vasco Sports Club for the third consecutive year for the Goa River Marathon (GRM) to be held at Chicalim, Vasco-da-Gama on Sunday, December 10, 2023. The highly anticipated 13th edition of the SKF Goa River Marathon, will feature an addition to its race categories – the inaugural “20-Miler” (32 km) race. This marks the first time this distance will be introduced, making it one of the few marathons in the country to include this race category. Also making its debut will be the 10 km “Corporate Challenge” race being organised in association with the Verna Industries Association (VIA).

The event will continue to feature the full marathon (42 km), half marathon (21 km), 10 km, the 5 km race for school teams and a 5 km fun walk-run for first timers, as it has in its previous editions.

To build up the excitement, the inaugural run will take place at the Verna Industrial estate, in association with the Verna Industries Association and GIDC (Goa Industries Development Corporation) on Sunday, June 18, at 6:00 am. The run is expected to witness the participation of over 1000 running enthusiasts from all over Goa.

Nitin Bandekar, President of Vasco Sports Club (VSC), the promoters of the event, said, “We are honoured to collaborate once again with SKF as our title sponsor. The “20-Miler” race has been introduced to encourage half marathoners to make the transition to the full marathon gradually. This is the perfect distance for those not yet ready for the full marathon, as jumping straight to a full Marathon from a half marathon is a huge decision both mentally and physically. We could also be the only marathon in the country making this offering.”

Manish Bhatnagar, Managing Director, SKF India Ltd. said, “We are proud to renew our partnership as the title sponsors of Goa River Marathon. Both organizations share a commitment to celebrating the joy of running and the power of the human spirit, and our collaboration is another way for us to empower participants to stay strong in spirit, mind, and body. The SKF Goa River Marathon is one of the country’s most anticipated marathons, attracting diverse runners of all backgrounds and ages from all around the country, and the “20-Miler” is a very novel idea to reach more and more people and promote health and overall well-being.”

Rakesh Unny, Secretary, Vasco Sports Club said, “By announcing the event six months in advance, we want to welcome a record number of runners not just from India but from across the world. The SKF GRM is an event that always focuses on providing a remarkable participant experience and adding the 20-Miler race is another way to celebrate all the runners. We look forward to continuing this partnership with SKF and are working with all our partners to deliver an exciting experience for runners in the inaugural run and in the main event.”

Registrations are now open, and runners can sign up on the official website:

Participants can register now to enjoy early bird and group discounts and best offers.

The GRM is one of the few AIMS (Association of International Marathons) recognised marathons listed on the AIMS and Ahotu International Calendar. This year onwards, GRM will be listed as an Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Rankings Qualifying Event. The fastest runners in their age group from all their 350+ qualifying events, including the 6 Abbott World Marathon Major races, get a place at the Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Championships.

SKF India Limited is India’s leading technology and solutions provider of bearings and services across the industrial and automotive sectors. SKF established its first factory in Pune in 1964. Today, we develop solutions that help in friction reduction, energy efficiency, and equipment longevity and reliability. SKF has a pan India footprint consisting of 6 manufacturing facilities, 12 offices, a strong supplier network, over 300 distributors and more than 2600 dedicated employees.

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