Srinagar, Oct 6: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday reviewed preparations for the third edition of the Kashmir Marathon, which is scheduled to be held on October 25.

The event will feature full and half marathon races along with a three-day Marathon Expo. A total prize purse of Rs 3.17 crore has been announced for the event, while a separate J&K Local category has been introduced to encourage and recognise runners from the region.

During the review meeting, the Chief Minister directed the Tourism Department to ensure effective coordination among all concerned departments and make comprehensive arrangements for participants. He also called for extensive publicity to attract runners from different parts of the country as well as international participants.

Omar Abdullah further suggested introducing an untimed fun run and virtual races in future editions of the marathon to enable wider participation.