Running, jogging or walking for over 8km in Salt Lake, more than 2,000 people participated in TCS Fit4life — Corporate Challenge, partnered by t2, on Sunday morning.

Representatives of several companies showed up at 6am at the starting point — Salt Lake Stadium. After a brief warm-up session they set off towards Central Park, which they had to encircle and then run back to the stadium.

For some, the event was a substitute for their daily workout while for others it was an opportunity to finally kick-start their New Year resolution of getting into shape. More than 1,600 runners completed the Challenge within two hours and got medals to show for it.

Those like former footballers P.K. Banerjee and Moidul Islam, athletes Sanjay Kumar Rai, Satpati Pal and Soma Biswas, chess champion Dibyendu Barua and former police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti had come to encourage the participants.

“We have always encouraged fitness within our organisation and with this event, extended the same to other companies. We have been organising this Challenge in other parts of India and will now try to make this an annual event in Calcutta,” said Sridhar Bakshi, vice president and regional head (east), Tata Consultancy Services.

The proceeds from the Challenge will be forwarded to the Tata Medical Center in New Town. V.R. Ramanan, deputy director (medical), Tata Medical Center, said: “The incidence of cancer is so high that we get 600 to 700 patients a day, including those from countries like Bhutan and Bangladesh. Not all can afford treatment and such charity events help us support them.”