New Delhi, India – Uganda’s Olympic track champion Joshua Cheptegei headlines an elite field of runners in Sunday’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, despite concerns over rising air pollution levels in the national capital.
Cheptegei, who won the 10,000m gold medal at the Paris Olympics, is making his transition to road racing. He will face stiff competition from Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris, a two-time 5000m world champion.
The women’s field features Eilish McColgan, the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion. She will be challenged by Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the 2016 world half marathon silver medalist.
A total of 36,320 runners have registered for the event, including 12,006 in the half marathon, 13,327 in the Great Delhi Run, 865 in the Senior Citizens’ Run, and 258 in the Champions with Disability run.
However, the worsening air quality in Delhi has raised concerns among runners. The air quality has deteriorated to the ‘poor’ zone, and is expected to become ‘very poor’ on Sunday.
The race organizers have acknowledged the pollution challenge and are taking steps to mitigate its impact. Anti-smog guns will be deployed along the race route to suppress dust and particulate matter. The race route and venue have also been given an anti-smog spray to limit dust dispersion.
Despite the air pollution concerns, the Delhi Half Marathon remains a prestigious event with a prize purse of $260,000. It is a World Athletics Gold Label road race, attracting top runners from around the world.
