World record-holders face off at Sunday’s Delhi Half-Marathon

This Sunday’s Airtel Delhi Half-Marathon field is set to be one of the most competitive races of 2020. The event recently added world record-holders Brigid Kosgei (marathon) and Ababel Yeshaneh (half-marathon) to the already remarkable fields. Kosgei broke the women’s marathon world record at the 2019 Chicago Marathon, running 2:14:04. Yeshaneh ran the half-marathon world record in February of this year, hitting 1:04:31. 

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Most recently, Kosgei ran a 2:18:50 to win the London Marathon. Yeshaneh was poised to do well at the 202o Half-Marathon World Championships, but like several other competitors, she took a fall with 3K to go. She ultimately finished fifth. Other runners set to compete in Delhi are Tsehay Gemechu, defending champion, course record-holder and 1:06 half-marathoner, and Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who finished third at last month’s world champs. 

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In the men’s race, 13 of the competitors have run under 1:00:00, with several owning personal bests of 59:00. The top runners to watch will be Andamlak Belihu and Abraham Cheroben, who have run 59:10 and 58:40, respectively. 

Much like the London Marathon, Delhi organizers have also adopted the bio-secure bubble to keep athletes safe. The route itself is much more compact this year as well, to prevent local traffic disruptions. The event gets underway at 7:10 a.m. for the men’s race and 8:30 a.m. for the women local time, with prize money totalling US$233,270. 

The event is elite-only for this year, with non-elites competing through the race’s app. 

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