The capitol unites for a cause and celebration

Thousands of people turned up for the 19th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2024.

Several themes came to the fore during the marathon.

‘RunForZeroHunger’ was the prominent theme for the run. Similarly, several senior citizens turned up to demonstrate the fitness had no age constraints.

Also, multiple specially abled participants were visible, a clear indication of inclusivity.

With stellar organization, the marathon drew praise from international athletes.

“Thank you, Vedanta Delhi Half, for a wonderful race. This has been a special race that tested my mind,” said Olympian Joshua Cheptegei, who won the men’s crown.

Similarly, Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, who won the women’s race was thrilled with the experience.

“The atmosphere was electric, with people lining the streets and cheering us. It’s heartwarming to see how the city comes together. This experience has been truly special; the support from the spectators, their enthusiasm, and the overall energy of the event have made this return to Delhi unforgettable.”

While thousands ran for a cause and to soak in the experience, the half-marathon itself was serious business.

Joshua Cheptegei emerges victorious

Olympian Joshua Cheptegei lived up to his billing to take home the men’s crown, while Alemaddis Eyayu pushed pre-race favourite Cynthia Limo behind for a surprise win in the women’s race in today’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, at the Indian capital.

Kenya’s Alex Matata (27) led a major part of the race with his teammate Nicholas Kipkorir, who ran his maiden half marathon internationally. Kipkorir was a bronze medalist in the 5 km World Championships last year.

Matata keeps the lead until the runners turn toward the finish line in the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, where the race commenced less than an hour earlier to decide the 2024 title. Cheptegei, running seconds behind the Kenyan, realized the now-or-never situation and came from behind to snatch the lead from Matata to win in 59 minutes 46 seconds.

Matata (59:53) and Kipkorir (59:59) complete the podium with the Ugandan.

Eyayu win the women’s title

Alemaddis Eyayu extended the Ethiopian winning streak in Delhi. Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the pre-race favourite, led the field right from the beginning while Scotland’s Commonwealth Champion Eilish McColgan trailed behind all the time.

McColgan had the fastest and only sub-66 minute timing among the elite women who took the starting lineup today. However, two Ethiopians, Eyayu and Tiruye Mesfin, stuck with Limo for the entire part.

Eyayu and Limo passed the 10K mark together and remained the sole leaders in the women’s race.

However, the Ethiopian runner pulled ahead in the second phase of the race, leaving Limo 10-15 seconds behind. It was a crucial deciding factor at the end as Eyayu crossed the finish line 68:17 for the top spot, while Limo did so 10 seconds later.

Mesfin clocked 69:42 for third and McColgan 69:55 to finish fourth and outside the podium.

Indian winners

Sawan Barwal will go home with the gold medal this time around after finishing on the podium for the Indian runners of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon for a second straight edition.

With a timing of 1:02:46, Barwal finished ahead of Puneet Yadav, bettering his personal best in the process.

Kiran Matre grabbed the third spot to complete the podium for the Indian Elite Men’s event.

In the Indian Elite Women’s category, Lili Das was miles ahead of her competitors, securing the gold with a timing of 1:18:12.

Coming in second was last year’s winner Kavita Yadav, who clocked 1:19:44 as she finished in the top 3 for a second straight edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

In third place was 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who crossed the finish line at the 1:20:21 mark.

The total prize purse for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is USD 260,000.

The podium finishers both men and women will take home USD 27,000, USD 20,000 & USD 13,000 respectively.