Over 40,000 runners set to compete in Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday

New Delhi: A throng of professional runners from around the globe, elite long-distance athletes from India, sports enthusiasts from all walks of life and a myriad group of celebrities, including the great Carl Lewis will be in attendance when the 20th Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is held here on Sunday.

The half-marathon will see more than 40,000 runners celebrate the spirit of running with legendary runners from Ethiopia and Kenya set to dominate the 'International' event.

The Indians on the other hand, including celebrated men's middle-distance runners Gulveer Singh and Abhishek Pal, will aim to overcome the 60-minute hurdle in the 'Indian Elite" section of the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.

With a prize purse of USD 260,000 at stake, Ethiopia's Birhanu Legase Gurmesa in the men's category will be the top contender as he returns to compete in the event for the 10th time, having won it in 2015 and 2017.

He will be joined by Kenya's Benard Biwott, who won the Paris Marathon, and compatriot Isaac Kipkemboi, currently ranked 41st in the world with a personal best of 59.17:00 seconds.

To add more competitiveness to the race will be another Kenyan runner Alex Matata, who won the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, in China earlier this year with a time of 59:28:00 seconds.

In the women's section, defending champion Alemaddis Eyayu is set for a battle with the multiple world cross-country medallist Lilian Rengeruk.

Rengeruk, who won the Bengaluru World 10K last year, would be eyeing the women's course record in Delhi, having clocked 1:03:32 in Valencia last year and being in a strong form after winning the Prague half-marathon earlier this year.

The course record for this race, of 1:04:46, has belonged to Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw since 2020.

Another Kenyan long-distance runner Loibach Nawowuna, a gold medallist in the 2023 World Cross Country Championships, will add more heft to the competition.

The champions in both categories will take home USD 27,000, while the second and third-place finishers will earn USD 20,000 and USD 13,000, respectively. Additionally, a bonus of USD 12,000 awaits any athlete who sets a new benchmark.

For the country's elite distance runners, the event is significant as it not only comes with good prize money but also provides them with a big opportunity to breach the 60-minute barrier by an Indian.

No Indian has officially broken the elusive 60-minute mark in half marathon and the current national record of 1:00:30 seconds is held by Olympian Avinash Sable.

Gulveer Singh, who will be competing in his maiden Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM), is a proven 5000m and 10,000m runner having won the Asian Championships gold in both the categories besides taking a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games and coming close to a historic 5000m final berth at the World Championships in Tokyo this year.

Another top Indian and 2023 edition winner, Abhishek Pal is hopeful of notching up a competitive time and is confident the pleasant Delhi weather will help him achieve his goal.

The 'Indian Elite' women's section too has some top achievers, including defending champion Lily Das (1:18:12 seconds), who expects the competitive line-up to result in a strong showing.

Ankita Dhyani, the 2000m national record holder in steeplechase, is set to make her debut at the event, and is confident that her training in the "mental" and "emotional" aspects of running over the years has made her more competitive.

With the all-time track & field great and nine-time Olympics gold medallist Carl Lewis, who is the VDHM international event ambassador, in attendance, the Indians would like to showcase their skills before the legend.