Council for Leather Exports Organises 3rd Edition of ‘Soles for Souls’ Marathon Against Drugs
Chennai:
Port Wings News Network:
The Council for Leather Exports (CLE), an Apex Export Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt of India, and CLE Employees Charitable Trust are organizing the third edition of “Soles for Souls” Marathon – ‘Run for Drug-Free Society’ on 20 September 2026 in Chennai, with a primary focus on raising awareness about drug free society besides promoting the brand image of footwear and leather industry.
Addressing the media about the event, M. Abdul Wahab, Regional Chairman, CLE, Southern Region, said, “The Marathon is organized with the support of State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT), Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), Greater Chennai Police, and many educational and training institutions.”
Gokulakrishnan, Deputy Director, CLE – Southern Region, said, “Council for Leather Exports (CLE) has organized the two editions of the “Soles for Souls” Marathon – ‘Run for Drug-Free Society’ at Chennai during September 2024 and September 2025, with a primary focus on raising awareness about drug free society. The 2024 edition of Marathon had over 4,500 participants, including runners, students, youth, NGOs, workers and corporates, to support a noble cause of preventing drug abuse. The 2025 edition of the event had over 8,000 participants.”
“Considering the overwhelming success of the previous two editions, CLE is organizing the 3rd edition of the “Soles for Souls” Marathon – ‘Run for Drug-Free Society’ in Chennai (Island Grounds) on 20 September, 2026. We are expecting more than 10,000 participants in 10 km, 5km, and 3 km categories,” added Gokulakrishnan.
The Indian leather & footwear sector is a labour-intensive sector, providing employment to 4.42 million people (40% of whom are women) and thereby empowering economically weaker sections of the society.
The Leather and Footwear Industry in the State of Tamil Nadu has transformed itself into a vibrant manufacturing industry thereby providing huge employment opportunities to lakhs of people including women workforce.
The export from the sector presently stands at Rs.14,862 crore accounting for nearly 35.5% share in India’s total export of Rs.41,901 crore.
M. Abdul Wahab stated: “By organizing this Marathon event, the Council will be supporting a noble cause of drug free society. The Marathon will help creating awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and its impact on society. Besides, it will promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage physical activity among runners, and to foster a sense of community and camaraderie among participants.”
For registration, please visit https://solesforsouls.in/
About The Author
