First Ever 5-K Walkathon Held at MTS to Celebrate Tamil New Year
Participants and organizers at the MTS 5k Walkathon.
PEARLAND: The first ever 5-K Walkathon event took place at Sri Meenakshi temple on Saturday April 13, 2013 and it turned out to be on Tamil New Year’s day. Around 200 people participated in this fund raiser event arranged to benefit the Ganesh temple renovation project.
The entire walking track was prepared within the MTS premises which included both paved and non-paved areas in the field. Despite the heavy rain few days ago, the ground was mostly dry on that day and the organizers did a tremendous job getting the track ready. It was a feast to the eyes to see the cheerful participants starting to come from around 7 am on a Saturday morning with their active sporting gear and walking shoes.
The weather was perfect with sunshine and breeze and the event started off with a pooja and aarthi for Lord Ganesh, performed by the temple priest, Kalyanasundra Bhattar.
The kids ranging from the agesg of 5-12 years participated in a shorter version of 2-K walk followed by creative craft work, whereas the adults completed the full 5-K which comprised of three full rounds on the track.
It was a serene atmosphere at the temple with the morning raga music playing in the back ground which made the walk even more enjoyable. Several volunteers distributed water, breakfast bars and fruits to the participants and free hats were given out by the event coordinators. The event concluded with a hot sumptuous breakfast sponsored by Madras Pavilion and Sri Meenakshi temple.
The fund raiser was a grand success, and Dr. Al. Alagappan, the coordinator of the event, thanks the corporate and individual sponsors who supported this event. There was lot of enthusiasm among the participants to continue having similar health focused events at the temple more often.