President Droupadi Murmu flags off PBG soldierathon (Photo: Rastrapati Bhawan)
New Delhi: The president, Droupadi Murmu, on Sunday flagged off the first President’s Bodyguard (PBG) Soldierathon at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, launching a nationwide fitness initiative designed to bring ordinary citizens closer to the country’s soldiers.
The governor of Mizoram, General (Dr) VK Singh (Retd), patron of the Soldierathon, attended the ceremony. Singh, who headed the Army as its chief from 2010 to 2012, went on to serve as a Union minister of state for external affairs, road transport and highways and civil aviation, before his appointment as governor in December 2024.
Built around the theme “Supporting Real Heroes – the Armed Forces of India” and the tagline “Run for Soldiers, Run with Soldiers”, the event marked two anniversaries at once: 253 years since the PBG was raised in 1773, and 27 years since the Kargil War, commemorated annually on July 26 as Kargil Vijay Diwas.
While Murmu’s flag-off took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the run itself unfolded at Delhi Cantonment, where thousands of participants – serving personnel, veterans, defence families, students and members of the public – gathered for the race.
Organizers structured the event to be inclusive, with 10km, 5km and 3km competitive categories alongside a non-competitive Cheer Buddy segment for children and families. A separate 10km Team Championship invited corporate houses and institutions to enter teams, adding a competitive element aimed at organisations rather than individuals.
According to the organizers, proceeds from the Soldierathon will go towards the welfare of the PBG’s troops and horses, and towards the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, which cares for soldiers left with spinal injuries and other severe disabilities from active service.
The President’s Bodyguard, the Army’s senior-most regiment, serves as the ceremonial household cavalry of the president while retaining an active military role. It is the world’s only airborne cavalry regiment and the oldest risala, or cavalry troop, in the country, with its soldiers trained as both paratroopers and tank crew.
Beyond its ceremonial duties at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the regiment has been posted to some of the country's most demanding terrain, including annual deployments to the Siachen Glacier.
The Soldierathon was organized by the sports and fitness events company Fitistan, with Wonder Cement as principal partner and Bhutani Infra as powered-by partner.
Organizers said the inaugural Delhi edition is meant to become an annual fixture staged across different military stations, spanning both metropolitan cities and smaller towns, with the broader aim of introducing younger generations to the history and values of the Armed Forces.
Officials associated with the event described it as part of a wider effort to deepen ties between civilians and the military, bringing together citizens, veterans, serving personnel and defence families on a common platform, and reinforcing the message that national security remains a shared responsibility between the country’s soldiers and the public they serve.
