• Friday, March 29, 2024

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Illinois Sikh community hosts run/walk event to boost harmony

Representational Image (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

THE Sikh Religious Society in Palatine, Illinois, the United States, organised a five-kilometre run/walk event at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve on August 7 to boost communal harmony. More than 300 people registered for the ‘Oneness 5K Run/Walk 2021’ event and around 200 men and women took part physically. The rest, including families in Canada and one family vacationing in Kosovo, watched it virtually. This was the body’s fourth annual run/walk event.

The running event aimed to bring together neighborhood communities and different faiths together. Members from the local community also took part to express solidarity with the Sikh-American community.

Illinois Democratic senator Ann Gillespie was present as the guest of honour and he addressed the participants and kicked off the race besides distributing medals to the participants who finished the race and special awards to those who won it.

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Gursharan Singh Sohni finished as the top runner taking 23.08 minutes to complete the run while Dr Sutpal Singh was the second with 23.14 minutes. Johann Akre finished third with a time record of 23.25 minutes.

The registered participants also received a special T-shirt and a healthy snack bag. Water and Gatorade stations were set up on the route.

The organisers encouraged fully vaccinated participants to take part physically and stressed on practising hand hygiene, social distancing and wearing face-covers when close to each other, keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hand sanitizers were made available at the event where the participants were also given food packets. Dr Amit Singh Anand and Dr Avnit Singh Kapoor arranged for emergency medical services. Bhupinder Singh Dhaliwal, Malvinder Singh Virdi and Achhar Singh provided refreshments.

Prempal Singh, member of the society’s board and also director of the race, led the organising committee. Lakhwinder Singh was the race manager, Jasmeet Singh Kahlon and Dhaliwal the route planners, Aman Singh took care of the information technology services, Sanover Kaur Sohi looked after the food arrangements, Jasvir Kaur Singh was the site décor and Rajinder Singh Mago was in charge of the VIP guest arrangements and media.

The program day emcee was Supreeta Kapoor. Youth volunteers also chipped in for help and Indermohan Singh Mokha was the volunteer photographer.

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