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round 40 wheelchair athletes are set to mingle among some 5,000 participants at the BII Maybank Bali Marathon (BMBM) 2015 on Sunday.

The participants, who have a range of physical disabilities, will race for five kilometers with a total of Rp 22.5 million (US$1,595) in cash prizes at stake.

They come from several disability foundations in Bali and many of them suffer from paraplegia, namely paralysis of the legs and lower body, typically caused by spinal injury or disease.

The 5K wheelchair race has been a regular event in the Bali marathon since 2012, which also features main races of a 42-kilometer full marathon, 21-kilometer half marathon and 10K.

The inclusion of the wheelchair race this year coincides with the organizers'€™ corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, which focuses on economic empowerment among the disabled community and assistance in education.

'€œForty wheelchair runners will participate in the 5K race so that they are also able to feel the atmosphere of an international marathon,'€ Taswin Zakaria, president director of PT Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), said during a ceremony at Gianyar Cultural Center on Saturday.

He symbolically handed over financial assistance worth Rp 470 million to Nengah Latra, director of the Disability Service Center (Puspadi).

'€œThe CSR program has become part of our efforts to contribute positively to the development of the community in Gianyar. In previous years, we have also carried out CSR initiatives to support sports, public health and education,'€ Taswin said.

Of the amount, Rp 320 million is allocated for economic empowerment and the rest for education, according to Esti Nugraheni, corporate communications head.

'€œThe financial support will be used as working capital to improve their productivity in producing wheelchairs and artificial limbs, thus expected to increase production capacity and further support improving the standard of living for community members who have disabilities. In addition, the financial support was also given for the procurement of operational vehicles which will facilitate their mobility, including in distributing their products,'€ she said.

The CSR efforts also support a reforestation program through the donation of coconut seeds to Gianyar'€™s economic and development office.

The CSR program is a token of gratitude from the organizers to local people for their support in the organization of the Bali marathon, which is entering its fourth year.

Taswin said that Gianyar'€™s people showed their support by maintaining a clean environment, arranging arts performances and offering traditional attractions along the competition route.

The runners can also expect cheers of support from school children, complimented with beautiful natural scenery.

'€œThe Bali marathon with natural charm and unique cultural scenes distinguishes it from other international races,'€ Taswin said.