Delhi CM Rekha Gupta to flag off Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026

• Chief of Defence Staff, General N. S. Raja Subramani to grace the event; Service Chiefs and J&K Chief Minister  Omar Abdullah among notable runners
• Over 41,000 participants, including a world-class international and Indian elite field, set to run in the capital on 18 October

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi, October 17:The 21st edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, will be flagged off by the Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. 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.

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 INR 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 Shri 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 am

Half Marathon – Elite Women 5:20 am

Half Marathon & Police Cup 5:30 am

Champions with Disability & Senior Citizens’ Run 6:30 am

Open 10K Run 7:35 am

Corporate Run 9:00 am

Great Delhi Run 9:05 am

————————————–

INTERNATIONAL ELITE ATHLETES: MEN

 

————————————–

No.    Athlete                   Country 

————————————–

1 Samwel Masai Kenya

2 Birhanu Legese Ethiopia

3 Charles Mbatha Matata Kenya

4 Samwel Mailu Kenya

5 Jamal Kiprono Kenya

6 Tesfaye Deriba Ethiopia

7 Stanley Waithaka Kenya

8 Dennis Kipruto Kenya

9 Daniel Sinda Tanzania

10 Melaku Belachew Ethiopia

11 Charles Rotich Kenya

12 Kasu Tsegaye Ethiopia

13 Bereket Zeleke Ethiopia

14 Negasa Dekeba Ethiopia

15 Benson Kiplangat Kenya

16 Daniel Zewudu Bekel Ethiopia

17 Amanuel Teshome Kenya

— PACERS —————————-

1 Ayana Geneti Ethiopia

2 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 Ethiopia

6 Wudinesh Alemu Ethiopia

7 Kiros Muaz Ethiopia

8 Caren Chebet Kenya

9 Selah Businei Kenya

10 Abera Hulageresh Ethiopia

11 Meselech Alemayehu Ethiopia

12 Maryam Lufti Njoki Kenya

13 Sewareg Makenoen Ethiopia

14 Silnat Bitwe Ethiopia

15 Wubrist Aschal Ethiopia

16 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

————————————–

LIVE TELECAST

Race Day proceedings will be live on youtube.com/@ProcamInternational from 5:00 am onwards. The world feed will also be streamed live on the official World Athletics YouTube channel: youtube.com/@WorldAthletics.