Roshni finishes the run at Pedong on Sunday; and (above) students join the runners at Pedong. Pictures by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, May 2: A 50km “friendly group long run” through a part of Jelep-la has evoked enthusiastic response from the local people along the stretch between Suntaley and Pedong, a small village that falls on the ancient trade route — now closed — to Tibet.

Yesterday’s run was organised with the twin purposes of appreciating the achievement of Roshni Rai, a runner with roots in Pedong, as well as encouraging youngsters to take to marathons.

It took seven-eight hours for Roshni and four others to complete the gruelling marathon on the steep mountain road.

The other runners were Vishwas Bhamburkar, the 37-year-old entrepreneur from Ahmedabad, Amit Joshi, 35, a funds manager with an insurance company in Mumbai, 28-year-old Brijesh Gajera, a software engineer from Bangalore, and Asha Arora, a technical officer in the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation in Chandigarh.

“Roshni has been running marathon throughout India. She could be an inspiration for our youths. We all came together to organise this event to show our appreciation to Roshni as well as to inspire others in the hills to follow in her footsteps,” said Samten Kabo, a former footballer and a member of the Kalimpong Veterans’ Club.

The event was jointly conducted by the Veterans’ Club, the Kalimpong Press Club and the Pedong Youth Sports Association. Roshni is at present a legal executive with a Mumbai-based multinational firm.

Roshni said she and her fellow runners were overwhelmed by the response of the local people to the event. “The climb from the Teesta was very difficult, but we could do it because of your support,” she said at the end of the run.

Vishwas, who ran an additional 15km, said the even was a good practice for the Comrades Marathon he plans to take part in South Africa later this year. “The Comrades Marathon is an 89-km ultra marathon which is also known as the Ultimate Human Race,” he said.

The runners started from Suntaley at 6am and all of them reached the destination between 1pm and 2pm. When the first runners were half-a-kilometre short of Kalimpong, a group of senior citizens jogged with them till Thanadara. From Thanadara, 25 students joined the run right up to Pedong, which is a distance of about 22km.

“Running is a hobby for all us. It has become part of our life. We get a definite high after a run,” said Roshni. She said she was hoping that youngsters from the hills would take to running in a big way by seeing people like her group run just for fun.

The youngsters, she said, could pursue long-distance running as a career if they practice seriously right from their early days.