Athletics Federation of India grants status of National Marathon
Haile Gebrselassie to grace IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon 2017
New Delhi, 22 February 2017: The second edition of the iconic IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon will see a stellar line-up of top Indian athletes this year. The likes of Olympian Gopi T and Kheta Ram will be seen running in the capital city on Sunday, 26th February 2017, the race will flag off from the iconic Jawaharlal Stadium.
Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has granted IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon once again the status of National Marathon which will continue for the next few years.
Olympian Gopi T will be eyeing the full marathon title this year. At Rio, Thanackal Gopi registered his personal best timing of 2:15:25s, while Kheta Ram was just a second behind his compatriot, clocking 2:15:26s to complete the race. They closed the race at the 25th and 26th position respectively at Rio Olympics. At the International Half Marathon at Baghdad he completed the race in 1:04:55 and finished it in 5th position. An experienced runner, Gopi T will be looking to better his time in Delhi this year and take home the title.
Setting the pace in the Half Marathon category is Olympian Kheta Ram who won a Full Marathon in Mumbai last month by completing the race in 2:19:51.
Also competing for the title is G. Lakshmanan, who won the Half Marathon title in Mumbai last month, completing the race in 1:05:05. Man Singh and MD Yunush will also be looking to better their timings and give their best in this edition of the race.
Women elite is represented by Jyothi Gawate with a timing of 2:50:37 for full marathon and Monika Athare with a timing of 1:15:38 for half marathon.
A matter of pride and prestige for the running community, IDBI Feral Life Insurance is pleased to inform that Adidas is our running partner for the event. Ethiopian long-distance track and road runner, Haile Gebrselassie will be present at the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon 2017 to cheer on and encourage participants.
We also have Indraprastha Apollo hospitals as the wellness partner.
With 1000 participants registered for the 42k run; 6,000 for the 21k; 2000 for the 10k and 4000 for the 5k run, the marathon will witness more than 13000 participants at the start-line. The prize money for the race is Rs 27 lakhs spread across various categories. Sachin Tendulkar is the face of the event and will flag off the race from the iconic Jawaharlal Stadium in New Delhi, on Sunday, 26th February 2017.
Also present will be honourable Minister for sports - Shri Vijay Goel.
Race Director Nagaraj Adiga from NEB Sports says "The good weather and the flat course should help many elite and amateur runners achieve their personal best"