National record holder Avinash Sable and Sanjivani Jadhav will spearhead Indian men and Women's challange in the USD 268,000 prize money 17th Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon slated to be held here on 16th October.

This prestigious World Athletics Elite Label Road Race, to be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will see tens of thousands of amateurs join the world’s best elites in a race that has stood as a pinnacle of sporting glory.

A very strong Indian line-up will be led by Avinash Sable, who returns to the venue of his heroics in the 2020 edition that saw him become the first Indian to complete the half marathon in under 61 minutes — finishing in a sensational 60:30 for the Indian crown and 10th place overall.

 

Sable hogged the limelight in the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham where he broke the Kenyan Monoply in 3000mt Steeplechase winning a Silver medal with a  new national record timing of 8:11.20. He became the first runner outside Kenya to win a medal in this event at Commonwealth Games since 1994   

Winner of the 2018 edition Abhishek Pal wlll further strengthen the Indian challange in this  Half Marathon in which top runners of the World are going to take part. Abhishek  is part of the Elite Distance Running Program driven by Procam International and was also the winner of the TCS World 10K this year in the Indian elite category. Not just that, Pal was newly crowned champion in 5,000m with a time of 14:07.25 and clinched the Silver medal in 10,000m with a time of 28:54.98 at the ongoing National Games in Gujarat.

The women's field will be headed by Sanjivani Jadhav, a former champion as well as the 2020 edition’s silver medallist. Sanjivani, who won 10,000 m gold at the 2022 Federation Cup athletics, will be challenged by Monika Athare, also a former champion.

The Indian elite winners in the men’s and women’s categories will take home INR 350,000 each and the prize fund includes the top 10 finishers in both. There is also a bonus of Rs 100,000 for a new course record and a similar prize amount as the jackpot.

Strengthening the association with a unique initiative, title sponsor Vedanta Limited has pledged one million meals for its #RunForZeroHunger campaign during the race. For every kilometre run, the Indian conglomerate will provide a nutritious meal to a child in need through its flagship social impact initiative — the Nand Ghar project.

Spearheading the initiative, Mrs. Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director at Vedanta Limited said, "With the marathon around the corner, I urge everyone to participate in full fervour and come together not just to run for themselves, but to run for zero hunger.”

To encourage more local participation at the amateur level, IDFC FIRST Bank on Friday committed Rs. 2100 to every participant who completes the half marathon within 1 hour and 55 minutes and Rs. 1000 for every participant who completes the 10k run within 55 minutes. The funds will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of qualifying participants, thus enabling them to contribute towards causes that are dear to them or endeavors that they believe in.

Leading  Sports Brand in the World, PUMA has been a long-standing partner of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and will present all the registered half marathon participants with an exclusive Race Day Tee.


In addition to this, as a token of appreciation and the effort put in by the 10K runners, PUMA will give the overall top 500 men and 500 women runners a specially curated Finisher Tee.

The Race Day Tee was unveiled by PUMA athlete and six-time boxing world champion MC Mary Kom earlier today.

Commenting on the occasion, Mary Kom said, “It makes me proud to unveil the PUMA Race Day Tee for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. The high-performance jersey is comfortable and will effectively support the runners during the race. I see a lot of positive change towards sports and fitness, especially running as a trend. It is wonderful to see PUMA rallying for sports and fitness culture across disciplines such as boxing, cricket, table tennis, hockey and running. I wish the runners of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon all the best. Enjoy this race with passion and fun.”

All registered participants will require to visit the Expo to collect their running bibs and can also avail of exciting offers from leading sports & lifestyle brands. The runners will also get an opportunity to meet and interact with distance running great and the race’s International Event Ambassador Haile Gebrselassie.

For the first time ever, limited on-the-spot registrations will be available at the Expo to encourage and allow for more runners to be a part of the celebration.

Vivek Singh, Jt. MD, Procam International, said: “The wait is finally over, the much-anticipated Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is back in all its glory to inspire the people of Delhi and India and encourage social transformation for a better tomorrow. With the support from all our sponsors and partners, we have left no stone unturned to create a magical experience for our running community. ”

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