Delhi Half Marathon 2026: Over 41,000 To Run For USD 275,732 Prize

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

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 Asia's 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 Delhi's 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 men's and women's 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 Men's and Women's 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 Participants

In 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 event's strong association with the nation's 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 men's race, Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese will headline the line-up, alongside Kenya's Samwel Masai and Charles Matata. The women's field is led by VDHM 2022 winner and World Athletics Platinum Label athlete Irine Cheptai of Kenya. She will be challenged by Kenya's Cynthia Limo and Israel's 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 women's 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 Details

Beyond 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 Men's and Women's 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 Kenya2 Birhanu Legese Ethiopia3 Charles Mbatha Matata Kenya4 Samwel Mailu Kenya5 Jamal Kiprono Kenya6 Tesfaye Deriba Ethiopia7 Stanley Waithaka Kenya8 Dennis Kipruto Kenya9 Daniel Sinda Tanzania10 Melaku Belachew Ethiopia11 Charles Rotich Kenya12 Kasu Tsegaye Ethiopia13 Bereket Zeleke Ethiopia14 Negasa Dekeba Ethiopia15 Benson Kiplangat Kenya16 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 Kenya2 Cynthia Jerotich Limo Kenya3 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter Israel4 Cynthia Chelangat Chepkw. Kenya5 Asmarech Anley Ethiopia6 Wudinesh Alemu Ethiopia7 Kiros Muaz Ethiopia8 Caren Chebet Kenya9 Selah Businei Kenya10 Abera Hulageresh Ethiopia11 Meselech Alemayehu Ethiopia12 Maryam Lufti Njoki Kenya13 Sewareg Makenoen Ethiopia14 Silnat Bitwe Ethiopia15 Wubrist Aschal Ethiopia16 Worknesh Yehualaw Ethiopia-- PACERS----------------------------1 Emmanuel Kibet Kenya2 Shadrack Kipkemboi Kenya--------------------------------------

Indian Elite Athletes: Men

--------------------------------------No. Name--------------------------------------1 Kiran Matre2 Dr Kartik Karkera3 Mukesh Kumar4 Shubham Sindhu5 Kalidas Hirave6 Pradeep Singh Chaudhary7 Panchanan Bera8 Rohit Rama9 Hemant Singh10 Sunil Kumar11 Dharmender12 Lovepreet Singh13 Rizwan Khan14 Prince Kumar15 Ajay Kumar16 Khundom Romajit Singh17 Gaurav Mathur18 Kresstarjune Pathaw19 Harendra Kumar20 Balkishan21 Shailesh Kushwaha--------------------------------------

Indian Elite Athletes: Women

--------------------------------------No. Name--------------------------------------1 Neeta Rani2 Lili Das3 Bharti4 Kavita Yadav5 Rima Patel6 Ankita Dhyani7 Aarti Pawara8 Anshika Lodhi9 Priti Lamba10 Bhagirathi11 Chatru12 Ekta13 Saroj14 Sonam15 Ravina Gayakwad16 Nirmaben Thakor17 Sonika18 Soniya19 Shampa Gain20 Uma Maripally. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

MENAFN17102026007385015968ID1111824430