Tata Steel World 25k Kolkata 2025

With Procam’s success in seeding the sport of distance running across North, South, and West India, the City of Joy was a natural next step to spread the magic of this participative sport in the East.

Traditionally, Kolkata has been a sports-crazy city, with football, hockey, tennis, and cricket dominating the landscape and earning the city a place in the record books. The voracious nature of consuming sports was as thick as the gumption for art, culture, and music. However, participative sport remained a distant thought.

That began to change in 2014, when the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata was launched. In its first three years (2014–2016), the event focused on harnessing Indian running talent, providing both professional and amateur runners a credible platform to showcase their abilities. Soon, running began to capture the imagination of the people.

The event became an agent of change, with inclusive race categories such as the 25K, Open 10K, Ananda Run (approximately 4.5 km), Champions with Disability, and the Senior Citizens’ Run (2.3 km) offering a platform for all, regardless of age or ability.

In 2017, Procam took the event international, bringing world-class distance running action to the East and offering Indian athletes the chance to compete alongside global elites. That same year, the race became the world’s first AIMS & World Athletics Silver Label 25K, with global icon Kenenisa Bekele winning the title.

Since then, the race has seen some of the biggest names in distance running, Leonard Barsoton, Daniel Ebenyo, Sutume Kebede, Guteni Shone, and Degitu Azimeraw, leave their mark on the course. Indian stars such as Sudha Singh, Avinash Sable, Srinu Bughata, and Abhishek Pal have also leveraged this platform to elevate their careers.

Today, the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata stands as a symbol of health, fitness, inclusion, sustainability, and giving in West Bengal. The sport of running is now firmly rooted as the fastest-growing participative sport in the city, and has helped nurture a broader running ecosystem in the Northeast region.

The event has also had a profound social impact, raising over INR 4.68 crores for philanthropic causes with the help of corporates, NGOs, and runners. It continues to strengthen the bond with civil society. It encapsulates the spirit and energy of Kolkata, encouraging citizens to come together, get involved, and make a positive change in their community.

In 2023, fans witnessed history as Daniel Simiu Ebenyo shattered the men’s stand-alone world best for the 25K with a time of 1:11:13. The 2024 edition marked another milestone, becoming the world’s first Gold Label 25K, with over 20,500 runners registering, and every race category oversubscribed.

Now, in its landmark 10th year, the world’s richest 25K returns on Sunday, December 21st, 2025, as the world’s fastest elites and everyday amateurs once again line up on Red Road, making it Kolkata’s greatest participative sporting celebration.