Will try to push myself as much as I can: Runner Gulveer ahead of VDHM

New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) Double Asian championships gold medallist Gulveer Singh will try to give his best shot in his maiden Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM) appearance but will not put any undue pressure on his body in a bid to break the 60-minute mark.

VDHM, scheduled on Sunday, will see several top athletes from the country compete in the 'Indian Elite' men's category, with Gulveer, the 5000m and 10,000m gold medallist at the Asian Championships, one of the favourites.

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 Avinash Sable.

"It has been a demanding year of continuous training. I have been competing with a lot with elite athletes, and it is about how well your body responds on the day. I will try to push myself as much as I can, but I don't think about records," said the Hangzhou Asian Games 10,000m bronze medallist at a VDHM event on Friday.

"My aim is simply to perform well. There have been many legends who have competed here, so I am looking forward to it," said the 27-year-old Gulveer.

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.

"With Gulveer in the race, we hope to come very close to the 60-minute mark and push each other to get there. We have had a long season, so it will be tough. But the weather conditions should help with the speed," said Pal.

"I am feeling good and will aim for a win. It is a challenging line-up, and I am confident the timings will reflect the quality of the competition.

"Road races are a great way to test our endurance, and it always helps us assess our fitness going into a season," he said.

Kiran Matre said his focus would be on maintaining pace with the leading group, adding that the presence of several international elite runners with sub-60 records would serve as a strong motivation.

"My focus will be on staying close to the leading group. The presence of the some of the world's fastest will be a strong motivator, I will aim to match them as best as possible and even try to beat them," he said.

In the 'Indian Elite' women's field, defending champion Lily Das (1:18:12 seconds) expects the competitive line-up to result in strong performances.

Also making her debut at the event, Ankita Dhyani spoke about the importance of mental and emotional preparation at this level.

The 2000m national record holder in steeplechase said, "Training is as mental and emotional as physical. That is one of the key lessons I have learned from competing in major events.

"Indian running is progressing well, and I believe we are closing the gap with international athletes. Nowadays we have lot of training and competition abroad and events like this give us a lot of exposure in India as well," said Ankita. PTI AM AM SSC SSC