Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon: Schedule, Elite Athletes, Prize Money

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The 20th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, is set for Sunday, October 12, in New Delhi, featuring a thrilling showdown between defending women's champion Alemaddis Eyayu and multiple World cross-country medalist Lilian Rengeruk.

Lilian, who won the Bengaluru World 10K last year and clocked a fast 1:03:32 in Valencia, is aiming to break the women's course record of 1:04:46 set by Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2020.

Speaking on her challenges with injuries, Lilian said, "Injuries remind you how much you love sport... Now I focus on staying strong and consistent - I want to be at my best without crossing that line again." Trained by Italian coach Claudio Berardelli with an eye on the 2028 Olympics, Lilian comes in strong after winning the Prague half-marathon earlier this year.

Ethiopian Alemaddis Eyayu, who started her 2025 season with a win in Hong Kong and clocked 1:07:12 at the Berlin Half Marathon this year, is ready to defend her Delhi crown. "Every season teaches you something new... I come to Delhi stronger, not just physically but mentally too - ready to run with heart," she said.

In the men's race, 31-year-old Ethiopian Birhanu Legase Gurmesa, a two-time Delhi winner and winner of back-to-back Tokyo Marathons (2019-2020), returns for his tenth Delhi Half. Birhanu aims to challenge the men's course record (58:53) and said, "India has always been special for me... The warmth and respect we get here make it easy to run freely." Kenya's Benard Biwott, fresh from his Paris Marathon victory, plans to push hard after the halfway mark, focusing on endurance when "the legs start to tire."

Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon Prize Money

The event offers a total prize purse of USD 260,000, with the men's and women's champions each set to win USD 27,000. Second and third places earn USD 20,000 and USD 13,000 respectively, with a USD 12,000 bonus for any record-breaker. Since its inception in 2005, the Delhi Half Marathon has become Asia's premier half marathon, attracting top global talent and inspiring runners across India.