Cheering for participants, actor-entrepreneur Suniel Shetty bats for Kashmir tourism

Srinagar, Nov 2: Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Suniel Shetty who flagged off the second edition of Kashmir Marathon on Sunday was impressed with the enthusiasm of youth who participated in the Kashmir Marathon 2025 saying that the lively environment in Kashmir was coming back on track.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Shetty said witnessing enthusiastic participation of youth was impressive. “Witnessing such an overwhelming participation in the event is beautiful. People are running for Kashmir and for India. I am amazed to see enthusiasm of people of all ages who were running in this event,” he told reporters here.

“I am happy to be in Kashmir for the second edition. I will try my best to come here again,” he said.

About the overall situation post Pahalgam attack which badly hit tourism, Suniel Shetty said that the has come back to life in Kashmir once again. “After my arrival here on Saturday, I visited Dal and other places. I observed that things were low-key here post Baisaran attack but normal activities are coming back to life,” Shetty said.

Shetty said he was hopeful that the upcoming winter season will see revival of leisure tourism and adventure activities in Kashmir.

“I am sure that the winter season will have a good inflow of tourists and athletes in Kashmir,” he said. He said it was quite overwhelming that over 100 international athletes participated in the Marathon.

“I was really impressed to see people from age groups participating in the Marathon,” the actor-entrepreneur said.

The second edition of the Kashmir Marathon 2025 saw participation of athletes from across India and abroad.

The race started at 6am from Polo View, Srinagar. The event was organised by the J&K Tourism Department in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council. The marathon saw participation of around 1500 runners from various states of the country and overseas nations, including Germany, Denmark, USA, Ethiopia, Kenya, Japan and Sri Lanka among others.

The marathon featured 42 km- Full Marathon and 21 km- Half Marathon categories, with a total prize pool of Rs 25 lakh for winners.

The route, circling Dal Lake and the Zabarwan Range, offered one of the most beautiful tracks in the country, leaving participants mesmerized by the Valley’s natural beauty.