Delhi Half-Marathon: Well Done Delhi
The organisers of the Delhi half-marathon could not have picked a better time for the run.
The 7:30 am start on a late-autumn Sunday was perfect weather to run. Besides the chill, the air had its fair share of enthusiasm.
The runners represented a cross section of society in the Indian capital, which also has a vibrant expat population. And yes, this is Delhi so the “pushers” (the same kind who never let people alight from a Metro train before they get in) were also present. But once the runners were spread out, there was some camaraderie on the roads.
One question on people’s minds was — “Where are the Africans?” For kilometres, there was no trace of the elite runners. That was until we saw them running past the 14 km mark while most others were nearing 7. That’s when Delhi’s runners turned into cheerleaders, clapping for their elite counterparts.
I never ever thought I’d associate the word “class” with “Delhi” but I have been surprised before.
Maybe, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram’s request to the people of New Delhi to be better behaved is actually working.
Very few cities in the world can match the scenery of central Delhi. Among the highlights were crossing India Gate and running near the President’s House and what is called the North and South blocks (housing India’s home and foreign ministries respectively).
Preparing for the Delhi Half-Marathon
Running a 21-kilometre race is no joke, especially if you’re not an athlete by any stretch of imagination.
Thousands of websites offer advice on how to train, what to do and what not to. I’ve personally found most of them useless, considering that they don’t seem to understand the matrix of training in India, let alone Bangalore.
A big impediment to training, of course, is a full time job but preparing for a race in this metropolis known as “The Garden City” is an obstacle in itself.
Picture this! I’ve dealt with pothole filled sidewalks, pollution caused by endless traffic jams, hostile stray dogs, Diwali firecrackers going off in every street corner and power failures that ensure I’m dancing and not running in the dark.
Last week, I was chased by a bull! At least the threat of a stone often scares away stray dogs.
On Saturday, I was one of 1,600 people who took part in the Nike Human Race 10 k. It wasn’t an unforgiving 4:30 pm sun on what was one of the hottest October days in the city in recent memory that hurt.
A ridiculous warm-up session turned out to be aerobics promotion for a gym which left most runners tired before the race began.
it would be very kind of u if could advice about some good websites which can help me in preparing for marathon
The delhi half marathon was successful but it still had many loopholes. First of all they didnt even announce the names of the veteran winners and neither called them on stage while they should have taken special care of them. Young people in their early twenties running a half marathon is no big deal but people in their late forties and early fifties completing the race in less than 2 hours is a big deal.