The Kantipur Half Marathon kicked off on Saturday morning, drawing a record number of participants to its 14th edition.

Record-holding runner Baikuntha Manandhar, a three-time South Asian Games gold medallist and four-time Olympian, inaugurated the race in front of the Kantipur office at Tinkune.

Chairman of Kantipur Media Group Kailash Sirohiya, Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Swar, and Global IME Bank CEO Surendra Raj Regmi jointly hoisted the flag to mark the start.

This year’s event has attracted around 4,000 runners, the highest participation so far. The race is being held under the slogan “Run for Nepal.” The previous highest turnout was 2,560 runners in 2018.

Organised annually by Kantipur Media Group, the event features four categories: half marathon, corporate and influencer run (5km), extreme college run (7km), and wheelchair race (3km).

Presented by Global IME Bank, the marathon has Xtreme Energy Drink as its powered-by partner. Swar said timing chips have been introduced for runners in the half-marathon category this year to ensure accurate results.

The half-marathon covers a distance of 21.1km. Winners in both men’s and women’s categories will receive Rs 150,000 each, with prize money awarded up to sixth place.

Winners of the wheelchair race will receive Rs 35,000, with Rs 25,000 for second place and Rs 15,000 for third, with technical support from the Nepal Athletics Association.

Top three male and female finishers in the corporate influencer and college runs will receive prizes and gift hampers. From this year, all participants completing the race will receive finisher medals.

Winners in the college category will also get an opportunity to watch the Indian Premier League final, with travel and accommodation arranged by Xtreme Energy.

The half-marathon route runs from Tinkune through Koteshwor, Jadibuti, Lokanthali, Gatthaghar, Thimi, Sallaghari and Jagati before returning via Koteshwor to Tinkune. Other categories follow shorter routes along the same corridor.

KFC and Pizza Hut are the event’s celebration partners, while the Nepal Athletics Association is the technical partner. Frontline Hospital and the Food Management and Trading Company are supporting as hospital and food partners, respectively.

In last year’s edition, Khadga Bahadur Khadka of Tribhuvan Army Club won the men’s title, while Santoshi Shrestha claimed the women’s crown. Kanchhi Maya Koju holds the record for most women’s titles with five wins, while Hari Kumar Rimal has won the men’s title four times.