Tata Steel Kolkata 25K
An unusual distance, in a city with a deep athletics tradition.
Dates, entry fees and routes change every year. This page deliberately does not publish a date — a wrong one costs somebody a race they trained six months for. Confirm the current year's date, entry window, fee and course on the official organiser's website before you plan anything around it.
What kind of race it is
The 25 km distance is rare and it is the point — long enough to be a real endurance test, short enough that you can race it hard without a marathon's recovery cost. Kolkata's own running culture is old and knowledgeable, and the December date puts it in the best weather the city gets.
The course
Flat, through central Kolkata past the Maidan and the Victoria Memorial — some of the most photogenic road running in the country.
Conditions
December in Kolkata is cool and dry, which for a city that spends nine months of the year humid is a considerable gift. This is the reason the race is fast.
How to approach it
Do not treat 25 km as a long training run. It is a distance you can race, and the pacing that works is closer to half-marathon effort than marathon effort — plan fuelling for roughly two hours of work.
Distances offered
Category names and cut-off times vary between editions. Official information: Procam International.
Training for the Kolkata 25K
Free, complete, week-by-week plans — pick the one that matches what you can currently do, not what you would like to be able to do.
Training in Kolkata
05:00–07:00 almost all year. In winter the Maidan at first light is one of the best running scenes in India.
Questions
When is the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K?
It has traditionally been held in December. This site does not publish a specific date because race dates move every year — check the Procam International website for the current year's date and entry window.
What distances does the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K offer?
Typically 25 km, Ananda Run (~10 km), Senior Citizens' Run, Champions with Disability. The exact category list can change between editions, so confirm with the organiser.
Is the Kolkata 25K course hard?
Flat, through central Kolkata past the Maidan and the Victoria Memorial — some of the most photogenic road running in the country.
What are conditions like at the Kolkata 25K?
December in Kolkata is cool and dry, which for a city that spends nine months of the year humid is a considerable gift. This is the reason the race is fast.
How should I train for it?
Do not treat 25 km as a long training run. It is a distance you can race, and the pacing that works is closer to half-marathon effort than marathon effort — plan fuelling for roughly two hours of work.
Around the same time of year
Race characteristics are described from the event's established, published character; no date, fee or course guarantee is made here. Every time, pace and physiological figure on this site is computed from a published formula, and the formula is named and shown on the method page. Nothing here is predicted by a model you cannot check. Race details change — always confirm dates, routes and entry with the official organiser. Training guidance is general information, not individual coaching or medical advice.