An idea that was “alien” to the city has grown both in numbers and spirit in the last 10 years.

Over 23,000 runners have registered for the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata 2025 partnered by The Telegraph.

Scheduled on Sunday, the registration had to close much in advance owing to the overwhelming response, the organisers said.

“This one event has brought running from an esoteric realm down to the masses, the streets, and the people,” Vivek Singh, joint managing director, Procam International, the organisers.

Singh said in the first couple of years, getting 700 runners for the 25K used to be a “challenge.” In 2025, about 7000 runners registered for the same category.

“Running 25K is not a small feat. It means people are training for three, four, five, or six months to be on the start line. That is the real social and running revolution,” said Singh.

For the 10th edition, all five race categories will start and finish at Red Road.

With Vidyasagar Setu closed on most Sundays due to ongoing work, the course has been “reimagined,” and runners will discover fresh stretches of the city running past new landmarks like Rabindra Sarobar.

“This time, the course is different and more demanding, offering a mix of challenges for the participants. However, good weather and an early start will give all runners a tactical advantage,” said Hugh Jones, race director.

The Elite(25K) will start at 5.45 am, the amateur and Vijay Diwas Trophy(for defence forces), also 25K will start at 5.49am.

The Open and Police Cup(for police personnel), a 10K category race, will start at 6.50am. The senior citizens’ run and the champions with disability, both 2.3K, will start at 8.20 am. The 4.5k Ananda Run will start at 8.55am.

Sanjukta Dutta, emergency head, Fortis Hospitals and medical director of the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata 2025, said the marathon is a collaborative effort, and the responsibility rests with everyone, including the runners and not just the doctors and the medical team.

“My advice to all the runners would be to take adequate rest, a light breakfast on the race day, warm up before running and cool down after running,” said Dutta.