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The 21st edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, will be flagged off by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, as over 41,000 participants join Asias premier road race.
Also in attendance will be Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, and Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs. The race will start and finish at Delhis iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday, October 18, 2026, as per a press release. The 2026 edition will offer a total prize purse of USD 275,732, with the mens and womens winners each receiving USD 27,000. An additional event-record bonus of USD 12,000 will be awarded to any athlete who breaks the course record. The top three finishers in the Indian Elite Mens and Womens categories will receive INR 3,50,000, INR 2,50,000 and INR 1,50,000 respectively, while an additional Rs 1,00,000 incentive is up for grabs for setting a new Indian Elite record at VDHM. *Notable ParticipantsIn a special honour for the event, the Chief of Defence Staff, General N.S. Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, will grace the 21st edition with his presence. Continuing the events strong association with the nations security forces, senior leadership from across the Armed Forces and paramilitary will run the Half Marathon this year. They include Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff; Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Chief of the Naval Staff; Virendra Vats, Director General of the National Cadet Corps; and Shri Praveen Kumar, IPS, Director General of the Border Security Force. Air Marshal Tejpal Singh, AVSM, VM, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, will run the Open 10K as well. They will be joined by a large contingent of defence personnel taking part across race categories. Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will also return to run the Half Marathon. Adding to the occasion, two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the International Event Ambassador, will cheer on runners from the sidelines and inspire participants on race day. *Elite Athletes to Give Their Best The international elite field once again promises a high-quality contest. In the mens race, Ethiopias Birhanu Legese will headline the line-up, alongside Kenyas Samwel Masai and Charles Matata. The womens field is led by VDHM 2022 winner and World Athletics Platinum Label athlete Irine Cheptai of Kenya. She will be challenged by Kenyas Cynthia Limo and Israels Lonah Chemtai Salpeter. Among the leading Indian challengers, Kiran Matre, who finished second among the Indian Elite men last year, will line up alongside Dr Kartik Karkera, Panchanan Bera and Mukesh Kumar. The Indian Elite womens field features former champions Lili Das and Kavita Yadav, along with Neeta Rani and world champion steeplechaser Ankita Dhyani, setting up a keenly fought battle for national honours. *Race DetailsBeyond the elite competition, the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon continues to embody the spirit of togetherness and community participation, with runners across the Half Marathon, Open 10K, Great Delhi Run, Corporate Run, Senior Citizens Run and the Champions with Disability (with Buddy) Run. Race day will begin early, with the Elite Mens and Womens Half Marathon, featuring over 80 athletes, flagging off at 5:18 a.m. and 5:20 a.m. respectively. The Amateur Half Marathon and the Police Cup will follow at 5:30 a.m., bringing together over 13,400 runners. The Champions with Disability Run and the Senior Citizens Run, with more than 1,100 participants, will begin at 6:30 a.m., followed by the Open 10K at 7:35 a.m., where over 10,000 runners will be in action. The morning will conclude with the Corporate Run and Great Delhi Run at 9:00 a.m. and 9:05 a.m respectively, which are expected to draw over 13,300 participants. *RACE TIMINGS --------------------------------------Race Category Time --------------------------------------Half Marathon - Elite Men 5:18 amHalf Marathon - Elite Women 5:20 amHalf Marathon & Police Cup 5:30 amChampions with Disability & Senior Citizens Run 6:30 amOpen 10K Run 7:35 amCorporate Run 9:00 amGreat Delhi Run 9:05 am-------------------------------------- *INTERNATIONAL ELITE ATHLETES: MEN --------------------------------------No. Athlete Country--------------------------------------1 Samwel Masai Kenya 2 Birhanu Legese Ethiopia3 Charles Mbatha Matata Kenya 4 Samwel Mailu Kenya 5 Jamal Kiprono Kenya 6 Tesfaye Deriba Ethiopia7 Stanley Waithaka Kenya 8 Dennis Kipruto Kenya 9 Daniel Sinda Tanzania10 Melaku Belachew Ethiopia11 Charles Rotich Kenya 12 Kasu Tsegaye Ethiopia13 Bereket Zeleke Ethiopia14 Negasa Dekeba Ethiopia15 Benson Kiplangat Kenya 16 Daniel Zewudu Bekel Ethiopia17 Amanuel Teshome Kenya -- PACERS ----------------------------1 Ayana Geneti Ethiopia2 Shadrack Kibiwot Kenya -------------------------------------- *INTERNATIONAL ELITE ATHLETES: WOMEN --------------------------------------No. Athlete Country--------------------------------------1 Catherine Chepet Cheptai Kenya 2 Cynthia Jerotich Limo Kenya 3 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter Israel 4 Cynthia Chelangat Chepkw. Kenya 5 Asmarech Anley Ethiopia6 Wudinesh Alemu Ethiopia7 Kiros Muaz Ethiopia8 Caren Chebet Kenya 9 Selah Businei Kenya 10 Abera Hulageresh Ethiopia11 Meselech Alemayehu Ethiopia12 Maryam Lufti Njoki Kenya 13 Sewareg Makenoen Ethiopia14 Silnat Bitwe Ethiopia15 Wubrist Aschal Ethiopia16 Worknesh Yehualaw Ethiopia-- PACERS ----------------------------1 Emmanuel Kibet Kenya 2 Shadrack Kipkemboi Kenya -------------------------------------- *INDIAN ELITE ATHLETES: MEN ```--------------------------------------No. Name --------------------------------------1 Kiran Matre 2 Dr Kartik Karkera 3 Mukesh Kumar 4 Shubham Sindhu 5 Kalidas Hirave 6 Pradeep Singh Chaudhary 7 Panchanan Bera 8 Rohit Rama 9 Hemant Singh 10 Sunil Kumar 11 Dharmender 12 Lovepreet Singh 13 Rizwan Khan 14 Prince Kumar 15 Ajay Kumar 16 Khundom Romajit Singh 17 Gaurav Mathur 18 Kresstarjune Pathaw 19 Harendra Kumar 20 Balkishan 21 Shailesh Kushwaha -------------------------------------- *INDIAN ELITE ATHLETES: WOMEN --------------------------------------No. Name --------------------------------------1 Neeta Rani 2 Lili Das 3 Bharti 4 Kavita Yadav 5 Rima Patel 6 Ankita Dhyani 7 Aarti Pawara 8 Anshika Lodhi 9 Priti Lamba 10 Bhagirathi 11 Chatru 12 Ekta 13 Saroj 14 Sonam 15 Ravina Gayakwad 16 Nirmaben Thakor 17 Sonika 18 Soniya 19 Shampa Gain 20 Uma Maripally. (ANI)
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