Bengaluru: Norway’s Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, and a high-level Norwegian delegation Wednesday participated in a 6.5km run through Bengaluru’s streets and footpaths.The run, led by Arun Pai of Project Walkaluru, aimed to showcase Bengaluru through its walkable streets and to demonstrate the importance of continuous, obstruction-free footpaths.The delegation began the run at 7.45am from Trinity Circle and ran through Halasuru lake-front, St John’s Road, Commercial Street, Shivajinagar, Cubbon Park, before ending it at Vidhana Soudha at 9am. The route was chosen to highlight a continuous stretch of usable footpaths while also offering the visitors a glimpse of the city’s heritage and neighbourhoods.Ambassador May-Elin Stener said she enjoyed the experience and appreciated Bengaluru’s pleasant weather. “This is the third time I am running in Bengaluru and I have really enjoyed it every time. Particularly with the heat of Delhi now, it is so nice to run in this temperature,” she said.Sharing her feedback on the city’s pedestrian infrastructure, Stener said, “It feels safe, but work still needs to be done in some places.”Pai said, “The delegation loved it. We had covered the same stretch during the Rajyotsava walk last year. It’s a good thing that the stretch has been maintained well. This demonstrates that it is possible to have continuous stretches without encroachments or obstacles.”Pai said the group also ran along the newly developed jogging track at Halasuru Lake.He added the organisers deliberately avoided Bengaluru’s popular running routes. “Normally, people run on Cubbon Road and other well-maintained roads. We deliberately skipped those and chose inner roads instead. This also gave the delegation a cultural experience, passing temples and mosques along the way,” he said.Pai said the Bengaluru Central City Corporation extended full support for the event and described it as the first time a senior international delegation visiting India had undertaken a sightseeing run on city footpaths.The delegation included Bård Vegar Solhjell, chief executive officer and former Norwegian minister of environment; Jens Frølich Holte, director of Energy Systems and Analysis and former Norwegian deputy minister of foreign affairs; and Sindre Sættem, strategic adviser to the CEO.
