The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026 featured its first Inclusive Run, bringing together 300 differently abled participants at HITEX for a celebration of fitness, equality and barrier-free sport.
Hyderabad: More than 6,500 runners participated in the Hyderabad 5K Run and Inclusive Run at HITEX on Saturday as part of the 15th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026, powered by IDFC FIRST Bank.
A major highlight of this year’s event was the first-ever Inclusive Run, which welcomed 300 differently abled participants, including wheelchair users, visually challenged runners and people with other disabilities.
Dr M. Ramesh, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, and Dr G. Srijana, IAS, Commissioner, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, flagged off the event. Wheelchair runners began first, followed by participants representing NGOs and charitable organisations and runners in the regular 5K category.
Both officials also joined the run, encouraging Inclusive Run participants alongside representatives from NMDC.
Over 6,800 runners registered
According to Rajesh Vetcha, Founder of Hyderabad Runners Society and Race Director of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2026, more than 6,800 runners registered for the 5K event.
Around 6,200 regular runners and 300 Inclusive Run participants took part on Saturday.
The flag-off ceremony was attended by Hyderabad Runners Society President Arun Kumar Kaliappan, IDFC FIRST Bank Zonal Head Prashant Shinde and senior NMDC officials, including Krishna Kumar Thakur, Vivek Nishant Nath, Neelkanth Reddy and Anurag Kapil.
Running without barriers
Dr M. Ramesh described the Inclusive Run as an encouraging step towards making sport accessible to everyone. He said the participation of nearly 300 differently abled runners demonstrated that physical limitations need not become barriers to fitness and sport.
Dr G. Srijana praised the initiative for bringing people together and celebrating determination, equality and participation.
Krishna Kumar Thakur, Director (Personnel), NMDC, encouraged 5K runners to continue their fitness journeys and aim to participate in the 10K category next year.
Prashant Shinde said the event reflected tremendous enthusiasm and celebrated fitness and inclusion.
Diverse participation in the Inclusive Run
The Inclusive Run was organised in association with the Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation. It was introduced to expand participation in distance running and reinforce the message that everyone deserves an opportunity to experience sport.
The 300 participants included 205 persons with disabilities, 37 wheelchair runners from the Telangana and Bengaluru wheelchair cricket teams and 14 participants with dwarfism from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Visually challenged runners and people with other disabilities also took part.
Among the participants was Divyanshu Ganatra from Pune, a visually challenged corporate speaker, psychologist and disability-rights advocate. Ganatra is recognised as the first blind Indian to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.
Shwetha from SheRACES also participated. The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon has received SheRACES accreditation for its efforts to offer women runners safer spaces, equal opportunities and better support.
Main marathon events scheduled for Sunday
The main marathon events, including the 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon, are scheduled for Sunday.
The Full Marathon will begin at 4:30 a.m., followed by the Half Marathon at 5:30 a.m. from People’s Plaza on Necklace Road. The 10K Run will start at 7 a.m. from HITEX in Madhapur.
Marathon strengthens green initiatives
Sustainability was another major focus of the event. The HMDA Urban Forestry Wing distributed saplings and plants to participants.
Organisers aim to make the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon carbon-neutral within the next three years. As part of this effort, 35 per cent of registered runners opted out of receiving event T-shirts. The organisers also reduced the use of flex cut-outs and served breakfast largely through plastic-free alternatives.
The previous edition became India’s first marathon to receive the World Athletics Silver Sustainability Award, placing it among a select group of sustainable athletics events worldwide.
