The steel city woke up to a 5km mini-marathon, the concluding event of XLRI's Valhalla 2015, on Sunday.

Fresh from her World Games triumph, ace pugilist Aruna Mishra flagged off the seventh annual Jamshedpur run, organised by the XLRI chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry-Young Indians (CII Yi) at 6am, in which over 500 people took part.

Though Aruna only jogged a few steps, students, teachers, professionals and industry experts went for the whole haul.

One of the foremost events of Valhalla, the annual sports and cultural festival of XLRI, the run was originally scheduled on July 26, but the Mango violence and Section 144 imposed between July 21 and 25 delayed it by three weeks.

But, the delay and its cause were forgotten amid cheers.

Starting from XLRI football grounds, the run covered some of the city's most scenic spots. Medical stations were also put up along the route.

Winners - Pooja and Sandhya Kumari (Under-18 female), Sangeeta Sarwa and Poonam Doshi (senior female), Khela Soren and Shankar Soren (Under-18 male) and Arjun Tudu and Chandan Sahu (senior male) - were later felicitated by Father James Santhanam, XLRI associate dean (student affairs), and chief guest Aruna.

"The mini-marathon ended on a high note with folks expressing a strong desire to participate again next year, " said Sarthak Gupta, secretary, XLRI external linkages.

On Aruna, he said: "She is an inspiration. She symbolises the realisation of the potential that exists within us."