Top runners face COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution in Delhi half marathon

Forty-seven professional runners on Sunday participated in the Delhi Half Marathon, one of India’s first major sporting events since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

They hit the 21-kilometre route in the men’s and women’s event, while beginners raced between Wednesday and Sunday to prevent overcrowding, PTI reported.

The course was sanitised to reduce the effect of Delhi’s annual toxic smog, which blankets the national capital in the winter months due to traffic and industrial pollution, farm fires and cold temperatures.

Delhi’s air quality remained “poor” on Sunday and is likely to deteriorate further amid a drop in the mercury and the wind speed.

Doctors last week claimed that it would be “suicidal” for runners to take part in the competition given the risk factor is now double.

Ethiopia’s Amdework Walelegn won the men’s race with a course record of 58.53 minutes with last year’s champion Andamlak Belihu just a second behind.

The previous best was 59.06 set by Ethiopia’s Guye Adola in 2014.

In the women’s race, Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia won in 1.04.46, also a record, with Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich second.

Avinash Sable, who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 3000m steeplechase, was the top Indian finisher with a record national time of 1:00.30.