Thousands gathered for a running event along a route connecting two lakes in north Bengaluru, organised by Krishna Byre Gowda, Byatarayanapura MLA and Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development, to celebrate World Environment Day.

The ‘Bengaluru Lake Run’ was organised by Mr. Gowda’s team to highlight the importance of Bengaluru’s lakes, promote environmental conservation, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide a distinctive running experience through the city’s waterfront spaces.

The route for the event connected two waterbodies: Jakkur Lake and Rachenahalli Lake. People across age groups participated in the event, which featured two categories, 5k and 10k runs, titled ‘Majaa’ and ‘Sakkath Majaa’.

Suvarna, a running enthusiast, said such events bring the city together and encourage a healthy lifestyle. “Not just that, it also promotes keeping the city clean. During the run, there was a debate over civic sense,” she said.

Preethi Rao, another participant, said the weather was pleasant, and the route was just perfect, offering the true Bengaluru experience. Such initiatives should be taken up more frequently, she added.

Along with over 1,500 runners, Mr. Gowda completed the 10-kilometre lake run in 56 minutes. Taking to social media, Mr. Gowda said, “Young to old, more than 3,000 participants. The winner finished the 10k in 39 minutes. I, on the other hand, took 56 minutes.”