One month to go to the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2018

With exactly one month to go to the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) 2018 on Sunday 21 October, race promoters Procam International have announced the elite fields for the 14th edition of this prestigious IAAF Gold Label Road Race which is now one of the world’s leading half marathons.

Leading the list is this year’s fastest man over the distance, Eric Kiptanui. The Kenyan has already notched up two impressive half marathon victories in 2018, winning the high-quality Lisbon and Berlin races earlier in the year; coming home in the German capital in a world-leading 58:42 to move up to number four on the world all-time list.

Kiptanui will be accompanied on his first trip to India by his training partner Daniel Kipchumba, who paced Kiptanui to 15km in Berlin. A few weeks later, Kipchumba stood on top of the podium himself after a win at the Verbania half marathon in Italy in 59:06.

Two-time Tata Consultancy Services World 10K winner Alex Korio – whose best of 58:51 was set in the 2017 Copenhagen Half Marathon – has been a regular participant in Procam International events in recent years and has run the ADHM twice in the past, last in 2015, but has never faced either of his two compatriots in battle so the tactics between the three Kenyans will be fascinating to watch.

Representing Ethiopia will be two men who are better known as marathon runners but who can still boast of outstanding half marathon credentials.

Leul Gebresilase was second in the Dubai Marathon at the start of the year in 2:04:02 while Feyisa Lilesa won a memorable silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, their half marathon bests are 59:18 and 59:22 respectively.

Adding to the considerable global interest in the race, USA’s Leonard Korir and New Zealand’s Zane Robertson are also in the men’s elite field. Korir just missed the North and Central American record of 59:43 when he ran his personal best of 59:52 at the ADHM last year while Robertson holds the Oceania continental record with 59:47.

All the runners, and the rest of the elite fields which were announced on Friday, will have in mind the very good course records in Delhi.