New Delhi, Sept 06: Kargil to Kohima (K2K) – Glory Run was Flagged-off in a ceremony today at Air HQ , (Vayu Bhavan). Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC, Chief of the Air Staff graced the occasion as chief guest.
To commemorate 20th year of Kargil Victory and to live up to the true tradition and motto of Indian Air Force – “Touch the Sky with Glory”, a unique expedition Kargil to Kohima, Ultra-Marathon- “Glory Run” is undertaken by IAF from Kargil War Memorial, Drass Jammu and Kashmir to Kohima War Cemetery, Kohima Nagaland.
Kohima and Kargil are the two forward most outposts of India in the East and in the North where two most fierce battle of modern India were fought in 1944 and 1999 respectively. K2K – Glory Run will commence on 21 Sep 19 and culminate on 06 Nov 19.
A team of 25 Air Warriors will cover the distance of more than 4500 Km in 45 days by running an average of 100 Km per day. The aim of the expedition is to promote awareness for ‘Pedestrian Safety’ and recently launched ‘Fit India Movement’ by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi along with paying tribute to brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice.
The team has been selected after regressive selection trials and is undergoing their first phase of strenuous training. This will be followed by second phase of training at Leh. The composite team consisting of officers and airmen including one woman officer Flight Lieutenant Rishab Jeet Kaur and Warrant Officer Indra Pal Singh who ages 51 years is also running this ultra-marathon.
The expedition is led by Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan who is a Su-30 aircraft pilot. The team will undertake this adventure activities involving camping and living outdoors, managing and surviving in snow, rain and extreme climate through varied terrain of Ladakh, HP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West-Bengal, Assam and Nagaland.
The IAF has been promoting adventure activities for its personnel and has achieved various feats at national and international level. Through adventure activities, IAF attempts to showcase and instill the qualities of camaraderie, team spirit and courage which are very foundation of a fighting force.