The Coimbatore Vizha Duathlon, a celebration of fitness and community, took place on Saturday with 200 participants at Jenney’s Residency.

Held as a part of the 17th edition of Coimbatore Vizha, this event was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Dr. Stalin IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore, in the presence of Arun Senthilnathan, Chair, and Saumya Gayathri, Co-Chair of Coimbatore Vizha.

The duathlon is a combination of running and cycling. It was held in 2 categories - Beginner and Pro. The Beginner category (20 km cycling and 2 km running) had 120 participants, while the Pro category (40 km cycling and 7.5 km running) had 80 participants. This is the city’s first such event.

Dr.Stalin IPS addressed the participants before flagging off the event. In his address, he opined that people give more importance to social media and entertainment than to physical fitness.

He emphasized that participating in events like the duathlon allows individuals to assess their fitness levels and take steps to improve them. He encouraged participants to maintain their engagement in physical activities like running and cycling beyond the event.

The organizing team prioritized participant and public safety, working closely with traffic police to manage vehicular flow. Volunteers were stationed along the route to guide participants and manage the crowd effectively. The event coordinator Sureshkumar and others took care of the smooth flow of the event.