Leave Your Mark: Noida's Nitin, Japan's Sho Ueda clinch top honours in 21k & 10k runs - Tuffman Gurugram Run 

The hindrance-free DLF Golf Course Road in Gurgaon, usually bustling with speeding vehicles 24x7, transformed on Sunday morning as thousands of eager feet participated in the Tuffman Gurugram Half-Marathon, embracing the tagline 'Leave Your Mark'. 

Over 8000 runners from across the country, including over 100 foreign nationals, took part in the half-marathon (21.0975 km) as well as the 10km timed run, and 5km and 3km fun runs.

Noida's Nitin Yadav clinched the half-marathon title in the men's open category with a timing of one hour and 20 minutes (01:20:04), closely followed by Delhi's Sujeet Kumar, finishing just five seconds behind (01:20:09). Japanese national Takafumi Tada, based in Gurgaon, secured third place (01:24:14).

Sho Ueda, also from Japan and a member of the Japanese Run Club in India, achieved a podium finish in the men's 10km open category, completing the race in 41 minutes and a second. 

The men's 10km witnessed intense competition, with all three podium finishers completing the race in sub-42 minutes. Baljinder Singh from Dera Baba Nanak, Punjab, secured second place (00:41:21), while Madhya Pradesh's Shalabh Khare came third (00:41:51).

In the women's half-marathon, Komal Chandela from Ghaziabad secured the first position (01:51:43), followed by Sushma Singh from Gurgaon (01:55:32) and Manpreet Kaur from Karnal (01:57:46).

Seema Antil Punia, a four-time Olympian discus thrower and Arjuna awardee, flagged off the half-marathon and joined the 3km runners as a gesture of respect for fitness enthusiasts.

Gurgaon's Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav also participated in the half-marathon and completed the distance in under 2 hours.

In the women's 10km run, Neha from Ghaziabad secured the first position with a time of 43 minutes and 24 seconds (00:43:24). Delhi's Aakanksha Chaudhary finished second (00:44:35), while Gurgaon's Nupur, secured third place (00:50:53).

"This is the fourth edition of our Gurgaon run, and with each passing year, its popularity is increasing. In 2019, there were 2000 runners. I am confident that next year we will cross the 10,000 mark," says Sanjay Mangla, founder of Tuffman, an endurance sports company.