Delhi's smog could hamper performance of distance runners on Sunday's half marathon

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Worsening air quality in the capital and a lack of depth among the elite Indian runners are likely to result in a moderate performance at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday. The event will start and finish at Delhi's iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the morning.

Stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states like Haryana, which is common at this time of year, has significantly impacted the air quality in Delhi. "For the past week, air quality in Delhi has become poor, which is not conducive for distance running," said one of the Indian athletes competing on Sunday.

The field of elite Indian runners is also weakened by the participation of some top athletes in the Asian Cross Country Championships, scheduled for the same day in Hong Kong. This has thinned the domestic field in both the men's and women's categories at the 2024 Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

"Another big prize-money marathon and half-marathon event in Jammu and Kashmir, also scheduled for October 20, has attracted a good number of distance runners from across the country," said KC Ramu, the Army's marathon coach.

Without elite Indian distance runners like Asian Games medalists Gulveer Singh and Kartik Kumar, both of whom will be competing at the Asian Cross Country in Hong Kong, the chances of an Indian runner breaking the course record seem slim.

Army international distance runners Sawan Barwal and Kalidas Hirve are the top contenders in the men's category, but they have been competing in multiple road races recently and may not be in top form.

Olympian and steeplechase specialist Avinash Sable set a course record of 1 hour and 30 seconds over 21 km in 2020, becoming the first Indian to break the 61-minute barrier for the half marathon. However, when he returned to compete in 2022, he was not at his best. After a disappointing 11th-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the 29-year-old Army runner from Maharashtra has not shown interest in competing this year.

The Indian women's field is also depleted. Asian Games bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase, Priti Lamba, and defending champion Kavita Yadav have not posted impressive times over 21 km in recent months. "I will try my best to win the title in the Indian women's category," Priti said.

Parul Chaudhary, an Asian Games medalist in the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase, won the Delhi Half Marathon in 2020 with a time of 1:12:18, the best performance in the elite Indian category over the last four editions. However, Parul will also be skipping the 2024 edition.