Ew! Delhi Half-Marathon held in “very unhealthy” smoggy conditions
The Airtel Delhi Half-Marathon in the Indian capital went off as planned in "very unhealthy" air conditions
Great to see the spirit of #Delhi come alive with energy, positivity and zeal, despite dangerous level of #AirPollution during #Airtel #DelhiHalfMarathon . #DelhiSmog @runadhm pic.twitter.com/Mk5jm3BfvH
— Mohit Burman (@imohitburman) November 21, 2017
An estimated 35,000 people ran the Airtel Delhi Half-Marathon in smog and poor air conditions. The most committed of the pack even wore air pollution masks.
Photos from Sunday’s race in India’s capital, which is ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, show the severity of the conditions, some of which resemble dense fog. According to the Associated Press, the Indian Medical Association pushed at the “last-minute” to postpone the race amid health concerns. The High Court ruled that the event would go on.
RELATED: Facts all runners need to know about air quality.
The U.S. Embassy in India rated the air quality the day of the race as 203 (measured as micrograms per cubic metre of air), which the department categorizes as “very unhealthy” adding “the entire population is more likely to be affected.”
In a pre-race announcement, race organizers said that two measures would be implemented to combat the poor air quality. “Through the entire 21K course of the race, we are sprinkling salt-treated effluent water to effectively settle the dust on the roads,” they said. “Traffic will also be completely suspended on the said route, for almost eight hours. These measures will greatly reduce the impact of an adverse environment, for the benefit of participants.”
“It’s obviously much harder to breathe, so you’re not doing your best here, and you can’t take it off,” one runner wearing a pollution mask told AFP. “Makes you think whether you want to do this again or not.”
Runners compete in Delhi half marathon amid heavy pollution: https://t.co/uclfwx92Xr pic.twitter.com/33ZJK0Crln
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 20, 2017
Photo from the race in 2016
Berhanu Legese of Ethiopia broke one-hour in the half-marathon winning in 59:46. Women’s 10,000m world record holder Almaz Ayana won in New Delhi, in what was her debut half-marathon, clocking 1:07:11. The reigning IAAF World Championships marathon gold medallist and 2017 Boston Marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui was sixth in the men’s race.
The event is one of the most prestigious half-marathons in the world in regards to prize money. For the men’s and women’s race, $362,700 (US$284,000) were up for grabs.
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