New Delhi:Indian Elite athletes, G Lakshmanan, M D Yunus, and Man Singh in the Men’s category, and Swati Gadhave, Sanjeevani Jadhav, and Monika Athare in the Women’s field are aiming for a podium finish during the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2016 which will be held on Sunday.
The marathon will feature some of the biggest track & field and distance runners, with a total of 25 men and 18 women athletes from India participating in the 9th edition Marathon.
Roadrunner to national champion, G Lakshmanan, was bubbling with confidence as he boasted about winning all the big Indian marathons held in 2013. After a gap of 2 years, he is back again at ADHM and this time his coach has focused on training him for the half marathon.
He will participate along with compatriot, MD Yunus, who won the Kolkata Marathon 2016 with a timing of 2:30:37 and stood third at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2015 with a timing of 01:04:47. This time he is all geared up to claim his place at the top. When asked about his competitors, he took few names like G. Lakshmanan, Man Singh, and Gopi who might give him a tough challenge tomorrow. He confidently said, “I will aim for a course record. And I’m sure one from the three of us will take the podium.”
Man Singh thanked ADHM for organising such a magnificent event as it has become a great platform to run and increase their endurance. The marathon will also offer high monetary value to the athletes, which motivates them further.
The women athletes present at the meet were also charged up at the opportunity to compete at ADHM. Swati Gadhave, who won the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2016 with a timing of 34:45, and the 10000m Federation Cup 2016, is targeting a timing of 1:18 for this marathon.
The youngest and most promising athlete, Sanjeevani Jadhav from Nashik, was the runner-up at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2016 with a timing of 35:48:78. She will make her debut in half marathons through ADHM 2016. Motivated by former Olympian, Kavita Raut, the first-time runner is all set to make a course record of 1:16. Monika Athare, who also encouraged Sanjeevani, will be competing in the run. She said, “All credit goes to the coach who trains us with utmost dedication as ADHM is a very big platform for us. We hope to give our best.”
Prize Money: The ninth edition of the event offers an overall prize money of USD 2,70,000.
An additional incentive for elite runners breaking the course record is, INR 1,50,000 for Indian elites and overall course record jackpot of USD 8,000 for men and women. Another exciting introduction to the category is a bonus of USD 9,000 for the man and woman beating the fastest half marathon time of the year 2016 as on ADHM race day, 20th November 2016.
