NE YOUTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, SEPT 4
What if every step taken on September 20 could become a step away from drugs? That is the powerful message behind Chennai’s “Soles for Souls” Marathon – Run for Drug-Free Society, which is returning for its third edition with an ambitious mission: to turn a run into a movement and a sporting event into a loud community statement against drug abuse.
The Council for Leather Exports (CLE), an apex export promotion body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, in association with the CLE Employees Charitable Trust, will organise the marathon on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Island Grounds, Chennai.
- CLE’s third ‘Soles for Souls’ Marathon on September 20 turns every kilometre into a message for a drug-free society
- 8,000 runners joined the 2025 edition; organisers aim to take the awareness campaign to an even larger community this year
- 3 km, 5 km and 10 km runs at Island Grounds invite citizens to run, sweat and speak out against drug abuse
- CLE pledges full backing of leather and footwear stakeholders as Chennai gets ready for a mass movement for healthy living and fitness
After drawing 4,500 participants in 2024 and 8,000 in 2025, the organisers are seeking to build an even bigger wave of public participation this year—because the battle against substance abuse, they emphasise, cannot be left to institutions alone.
Every kilometre, a message
The marathon will offer three categories—3 km, 5 km and 10 km—making it possible for children, youngsters, families, fitness enthusiasts and serious runners to join the campaign at a level suited to them.
And there is more than a finishing line waiting at the other end.
Every registered participant will receive a T-shirt, breakfast and finisher medal, turning the event into a celebration of fitness while keeping its central message firmly in sight: choose health, choose life, choose to stay away from drugs.
Online registrations are now open through the event portal.
The organisers are positioning the run as a community-awareness initiative designed to encourage healthy living, physical fitness and collective action against drug abuse.
‘Run for drug-free society’
Addressing the media in Chennai on September 2, CLE Regional Chairman M. Abdul Wahab said the initiative reflects the commitment of the leather and footwear industry to a wider social cause.
“The footwear and leather industry in Tamil Nadu stands fully committed to supporting this social initiative and driving meaningful impact toward building a drug-free society,” he said.
The message carries particular resonance in Tamil Nadu, which occupies a major position in India’s leather and footwear ecosystem.
Abdul Wahab pointed out that the Indian leather and footwear sector is a labour-intensive industry employing 4.42 million people, with women accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the workforce.
Tamil Nadu is a major contributor to this sector, accounting for ₹14,862 crore of exports, or 35.5 per cent of India’s total leather and footwear exports of ₹41,901 crore, according to the figures shared by CLE.
Thus, the marathon seeks to put the industry’s social footprint alongside its economic contribution—demonstrating that an industry can create jobs and exports while also putting its collective energy behind a public cause.
From 4,500 to 8,000—and beyond
The growth of the event itself tells a story.
The first edition in 2024 brought together 4,500 participants. That number rose sharply to 8,000 in 2025.
The 2026 edition now seeks to build on that momentum and take the message deeper into Chennai’s communities.
The choice of three distances is deliberate: the event is not intended only for accomplished runners. It is an invitation to walk, jog or run for a cause.
For youngsters in particular, the organisers hope that the visibility of thousands of people choosing fitness over harmful habits will create a positive counter-narrative to substance abuse.
Chennai, put on your running shoes
The real strength of “Soles for Souls” may ultimately lie not in the number of medals handed out, but in the number of people who carry its message beyond Island Grounds.
A marathon lasts a morning.
A movement can last a generation
That is why the September 20 run is being positioned as more than another entry on Chennai’s sporting calendar. It is an opportunity for families, students, professionals, athletes, industry members and ordinary citizens to stand together and send one unmistakable message:
Drugs destroy futures. Fitness builds them
And on September 20, Chennai has been invited to lace up, step out and run for a drug-free society.
Registration: The event portal is solesforsouls.in
