New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS): Olympians Shiva Thapa, K.T. Irfan and M.R. Poovamma would be running as volunteers with visually-impaired school children at the Coca-Cola Salwan Cross Country Run Nov 10 at the Army Equestrian Centre, Brar Square, Delhi Cantt.

All the three sportspersons have had the distinction of representing India at the Olympics and are taking part in the event under the aegis of Anglian Medal Hunt Company, a venture that seeks to nurture talent in the arena of Olympic sports and beyond.

This year’s edition of the Salwan Cross Country Run would witness participation by more than 1,700 visually-impaired and differently-abled school children, all of whom would be running with a volunteer each to aid them during the race.

The Salwan Marathon, a one-of-its-kind initiative in India that aims to inspire children through the power of running, has drawn support from UNICEF and the British Council who have pledged their help to the cause.

From an humble beginning on a budget of Rs.2,500 with 300 students running in the year 1995, the marathon race saw participation of 48,000 students from 800 schools across India along with over 1800 visually-impaired and close to 200 intellectually-challenged children running in 2012.