Abhijit Baruah

Jorhat, Jan. 27: Come January 30, an Assam police constable will make an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by running barefoot for 24 hours with a target to cover 190km.

Abhijeet Baruah, 22, a member of the Assam police boxing team, hailing from Atiliagaon here, will run from the Tarajan bypass-end approach in Jorhat to another approach end on the eastern outskirts 19 times.

Hectic preparations are on to make the route ready for the attempt by the organisers The Great Run Club, a body formed with Jorhat MLA Rana Goswami as president, to promote the event.

Baruah has been practising regularly by running the distance on NH 37 for over seven months.

Earlier, on May 28 last year, the cop, who is a black belt in karate and kickboxing, had attempted to enter the Limca Book of Records by covering 150km in 26 hours 31 minutes, which is still under consideration.

The youth has bagged several gold, silver and bronze medals in many national-level martial arts competitions.

Addressing reporters here today, Goswami said after having correspondence with the authorities of the global records body based in London, the organisers of the proposed new record, submitted a project report to the body a couple of months back and has recently got the clearance to organise the event.

Still photos along with videography, GPS maps (prepared by the National Highway division of public works department) were part of the project report.

Goswami said the Indian observer for the Guinness Book of World Records B.K. Tiwari Chandrasekhar, who would be present during the event, had yesterday disclosed the number (370192) given to Baruah by the global records body.

He said there were a large number of guidelines that were to be followed to organise the attempt.

Hoping that the attempt was going to bring Jorhat onto the international map, he said the existing record in the said category was held by one Todd Ragsdale of Oregon (US), who covered 164.24km in 24 hours in 2004.

He said the running route had been segmented into 100 metres with marking according to the guidelines.

Mridul Bhuyan, secretary of the organisation, said vehicular traffic would be regulated during the period by banning the entry of heavy vehicles and making it one-way for other kinds of vehicles.

An air compressor will be used to keep the road clean and free of dust from time to time during the run. He said the entire run would be recorded and still photos taken by a group of photographers on vehicles while about 100 officials will be involved from the district administration, sports field, lawyers, medical staff with an ambulance to officially assist in documenting the event.

Bhuyan said about 100 volunteers will be deployed to assist the youth to provide him water, food or clothes during the run.

He said two vehicles with shades attached to them would provide shelter from showers to Baruah if there was rain by driving the vehicles on two sides of the youth.

“I hope I will be able to create the record and make my country proud,” Abhijeet said, who has been training under a physiotherapist, dietician and a yoga expert since the past six months.

He said he had support from his department, district administration, well-wishers and Goswami.

He said the wish to run developed as he started running in the Police Training College (at Dergaon) from his home here and vice versa, during his training period.

He is now posted at PTC, Dergaon.