Nestle powers SLA Centenary half marathon

Vice-President Nestle Lanka Limited Bandula Egodage (right) handing over the sponsorship package to SLA President Major General (Retired) Palitha Fernando in the presence of Nestle and SLA officials     (Pic by Waruna Wanniarachchi)   

By Susil Premalal

Nestle Lanka Limited will sponsor the half marathon and the health run, which will be held to mark the Centenary celebrations (1922-2022) of Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) on January 22 in Colombo.This will be the first event to be conducted under the SLA Centenary programme with 16 athletes from the South Asian region and over 250 local competitors (Men and Women) set to participate in the 21km half marathon.       

SLA President Major General (Retired) Palitha Fernando said that competitors from Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Nepal will participate at this meet.   

The winners of the half marathon (men and women) will receive a cash award of Rs 200,000 each, second place Rs 150,000 each, third place Rs 100,000 each, fourth place Rs. 75,000 each and the fifth place Rs 50,000 each.
The two events will be sponsored by Nestle Nestomalt - a brand that has been a sponsor and organizer of Sr Lanka’s biggest Marathon for 35 years. Staying true to the brand’s purpose of powering progress and helping Sri Lanka’s achieve their ambitions, Nestle Nestomalt has made a difference in the careers of many Sri Lankan athletes by creating platforms for wider exposure. Having partnered Sri Lanka Athletics many times in its remarkable journey , Nestle Nestomalt will provide a positive start to its Centenary Anniversary Celebrations, said Bandula Egodage Vice President Nestle Lanka PLC.

Meanwhile, the closing date of entries for the half marathon and health run has been extended until January 20.
The half marathon will start from Diyatha Uyana on January 22 at 6:00 a.m. and the competitors will proceed to Pannipitiya via Borella Road, Battaramulla and will return to Diyatha Uyana.The 5km health run will start from Diyatha Uyana and the competitors will proceed to Battaramulla before returning to the starting point.   

The awards presentation of the half marathon will take place under the patronage of former President of SLA and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.