Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar backs Guwahati International Marathon with Rs 1.25 crore prize purse

The inaugural Guwahati International Marathon has been formally announced, with organisers positioning the event as a major addition to Assam’s sporting calendar and an effort to establish Guwahati as a destination for sports and sports tourism.

The marathon will offer a total prize purse of Rs 1.25 crore, making it one of the major prize-money road races in the country. The event will feature five race categories: the 42.195 km full marathon, 21.097 km half marathon, 10 km run, 5 km run, and 1.5 km run.

The marathon route will start from Guwahati’s iconic Judges Field and will lead towards places like Gauhati University, Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, and IIT Guwahati before finally returning to Judges Field. 

The marathon course has been measured by Kim Vivian of Australia, who is a Grade A Certified Road Race Course measurer of World Athletics.

The highly experienced Richard Hunter from the UK will be the Race Director, while Ian Ladbrooke will be the International Elite Athlete Coordinator. Former Asian Marathon Champion Sunita Godara will be the India Elite Athlete Coordinator.

The full marathon is expected to feature around 30 leading male and female long-distance runners from across the world, alongside India’s top long-distance athletes. The half marathon will also include Indian elite runners.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has extended his support to the initiative. Gavaskar said running has the power to bring people together across communities, cultures, and generations.

“Running a unique power to bring people together across communities, cultures, and every walk of life”, Gavaskar said. About the state and CM’s vision, Gavaskar said, “Having travelled to Assam over the years for cricket, I’ve experienced its extraordinary beauty and witnessed the transformative beauty and witnessed the transformative vision of CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to position Assam as the Gateway of the Northeast”.

Indian badminton champion PV Sindhu will serve as the marathon’s Brand Ambassador, with her participation expected to promote fitness and youth engagement.

According to the organisers, registrations will open on September 11, 2026, through the event’s official website. The marathon aims to combine elite competition with mass participation and build an annual sporting event showcasing Assam’s culture and hospitality.

With this major marathon event, Guwahati will join the league of prominent global destinations where the marathon has been conceived as a powerful platform for sports, fitness, tourism, causes, community participation, and city image branding. Guwahati is aiming to make this marathon an annual event.