Suryaa Sports Desk: The stage is set for the prestigious 21st Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026. The World Athletics Gold Label to be held on Sunday, October 18... The stage is set for the prestigious 21st Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026. Top international and Indian runners participated in a press conference held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday regarding preparations for the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race to be held on Sunday, October 18. World-class international runners Birhanu Legese, Charles Mbatha Matata, Irene Cheptai, Lona Chemtai Salpeter along with Indian elite runners Kiran Matre, Lily Das and others spoke to the reporters. Birhanu Legese eyeing third title: Ethiopia's two-time Delhi Half Marathon champion Birhanu Legese said he is determined to win the race to be held on Sunday and win the title for the third time. Legese is confident that he is fully fit, trained well and will show his best on Sunday. He said that Delhi is like his second home and he likes the hospitality of the people and management here.
He explained that despite missing out on a podium finish last year, he is stepping into the ring with a clear goal. Charles Matata, another Meti runner working in the Kenya Police Department, is also ready to fight for the title. He won this year's Riga Half Marathon in Latvia in 59 minutes and 15 seconds. He said that he loves participating in half marathons and that his consistency is due to his hard work with strong teams. On the other hand, last year's winner Irene Cheptoy will again be in the title hunt as the defending champion. Lona Chemtai Salpeter, who is training in Kenya's Iten and representing the country of Israel, made her first appearance in India. She said that she is recovering from a thigh muscle injury suffered in May and will try to give her best performance on race day. Kiran Matre, Lily Das hopes in India's elite category: Athletes in India's elite category are gearing up to record their best times.
Last year's runner-up in the men's category, Kiran Mathre hopes to go further with the experience of representing the Indian team. Matre explains that he focuses on steady progress rather than perfection in running, and that the half marathon is his favorite distance. In the women's category, Indian runner Lily Das will face stiff competition from fellow runner Ankita Dhyani. Lily Das is confident that the competition in the women's category is increasing and the two will compete against each other to finish strong. HUGE PRIZE MONEY AND SPECIAL INCENTIVES: With a total prize money of US$ 2,60,000 in this mega event, the runner who breaks the event course record will get an additional bonus of US$ 12,000. Cash prizes of Rs 3,50,000, Rs 2,50,000 and Rs 1,50,000 will be awarded to the top three winners in the Indian elite men's and women's categories respectively. Besides, the organizers have announced that the runner who sets a new Indian elite record will be given an additional special incentive of Rs. With the enthusiastic participation of more than 41 thousand runners in the national capital, the running races of various categories will begin from Sunday morning at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.