The Carnival 2026 Marathon took place on 26th January 2026. The event was organised by the Students Association Christian Medical College Vellore, in collaboration with the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; accordingly, this year’s theme was: Saving Limbs from Amputation in Patients with Diabetes. The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) estimates that every 20 seconds somewhere in the world someone loses a leg due to diabetes-related foot diseases & complications. The loss of a lower limb can have a devastating impact on an individual’s livelihood and quality of life. Collectively, the management of Diabetes and its complications, including lower limb amputations (LLAs), is a colossal Public Health and Healthcare undertaking, which requires a multidisciplinary team of Physicians, Specialists, Surgeons, Diabetes Educators, Prosthetic & Orthotic personnel and Physiotherapists.

Prevention is always better than cure. To raise further awareness about this issue, a concomitant Logo Design Competition on the theme was also conducted; with enthusiastic participation from staff and students. The winning logo submitted by Sruthik Roy was featured on the Marathon T-shirts. Gayathri V and Sameer Maaz S secured the 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.

The marathon events on 26th January kicked off at 5:30 am with the College Hill Climb inaugurated by Dr. Tripti Meriel Jacob, Professor & Head, Anatomy. The marathon itself was conducted across several categories, including 2K and 5K mixed walk and separate run for Men and Women and a 10K Mixed Run. By 8:00 am the Start Line & Registration Desk were abuzz with activity; there were over 500 online and on-spot registrations. Informative banners, posters and multilingual short videos, curated by the Department of Endocrinology, on various aspects of Diabetes Management and specifically Diabetes Foot care, were displayed at strategic locations at the venue.

Dr. H.S. Asha, Professor & Head, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, delivered the Welcome Address, highlighting the theme and the importance of the occasion. Dr. Henry Prakash, Professor & HOU, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, & Associate Medical Superintendent presented an invigorating Opening Speech, which had the runners amped up and ready to give their best performance; he then performed the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, joined at the Start line by the Physical Director Dr. R. Balaganesan, to mark the commencement of the races. The races for different distances began in a staggered manner; flagged off by the Principal, Dr. Solomon Sathiskumar. The participants made their way along a winding path, running laps through the scenic Bagayam Campus; the thunderous beat of their footsteps breaking the quiet stillness of a chilly Monday morning.

Dr. Suceena Alexander, Professor and Head of Unit-3, Nephrology, and Dr. H.S. Asha distributed the prizes to the winners of the 2K and 5K races. In the 2K race, Ignatious George and Hallel Reba took the top spots in the Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively. Dinesh M and Caren Mercy Sujith emerged victorious in the Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively, in the 5K Race. Venkatesan A. claimed a hard-fought victory in the Mixed 10K Race; he was felicitated by Dr. Tarun John Jacob, Associate Professor, Pediatric Surgery, who also distributed prizes to the winners of the Logo Design Competition. The first prize winners in each race category were awarded cash prizes and the top 5 finishers were recognised with special prizes; all participants who completed the race received completion Certificates.