NEW DELHI: Kenya's Charles Matata shattered the course record to win the men's elite race at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, while Ethiopia's Wudinesh Alemu took the women's crown as nearly 40,000 people turned up on the streets of the national capital on Sunday morning.
Matata clocked 58 minutes and 52 seconds to complete the 21.097 km distance at the iconic Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and better the previous course record of 58:53, set by Ethiopia's Amedework Walelegn in 2020, by one second.
It was also Matata's personal best in the half marathon, bettering his earlier PB of 59:15 recorded in May this year.
"I came to Delhi well prepared, having maintained my fitness," an elated Matata said.
"I was hoping to run in the 59-minute range, but the excellent weather and my familiarity with the course from 2023 helped me deliver an even stronger performance and set a course record. I believe no human is limited, and I am ready to push myself further."
The 29-year-old Matata's feat of setting a new course record was noteworthy as the humidity was high at around 90 per cent and the temperature of around 21 degrees Celsius was not ideal for long-distance running.
He finished second here in the 2023 edition with a time of 1:00:05.
He will pocket an additional USD 12,000 (Rs 11,39,586) for breaking the event record of one of Asia's premier road races, besides the winner's purse of USD 27,000 (Rs 25,64,068).
Matata's twin brother, Alex, had won the 2025 edition with a time of 59 minutes and 50 seconds. Earlier in May, Charles won the title at the Riga Half Marathon in Latvia with a time of 59:15.
Before that, in April, he finished second at the Istanbul Half Marathon after being edged out by Alex in a photo finish, with both being credited with a time of 60:01. He won the Beijing Half Marathon last year.
Kenyans swept the top three positions in the men's elite race, with Samwel Nyamai Mailu (59:24) and Stanley Waithaka Mburu (59:33) finishing second and third, respectively.
In the women's elite race, Alemu clocked one hour, six minutes and 35 seconds to win the title. Kenyans Selah Businei (1:07:01) and Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony (1:07:32) finished second and third, respectively.
"I am very happy with my performance. I ran a strong race from the start and maintained my pace throughout. This is only my second international half marathon, and I have improved my personal best by almost two minutes, which makes me very happy," Alemu said.
"I have been running for only two years, so I am still learning and developing as an athlete. I hope to continue improving, gain more experience and build a strong career in distance running."
Shailesh Kushwaha won the men's Indian elite race with a time of one hour, five minutes and five seconds, while Gaurav Mathur (1:05:11) and Hemant Kumar (1:05:37) finished second and third, respectively.
"I wasn't happy with how I did at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026, so I was eager to give this run my absolute best. It's tough to find the confidence to break early and lead for most of the race, but today I was able to do it. I definitely felt the pressure because Gaurav was right behind me all the way to the end," said Kushwaha.
Among Indian elite women, Ankita Dhyani took the top spot with a time of one hour, 12 minutes and 46 seconds, while Soniya (1:14:56) and Bhagirathi (1:15:51) finished second and third, respectively.
I've been training well, and to be honest, the way my training has been going, I think I could have done a little bit better. If Indian women focus more on the half marathon, we'll soon see the national record broken.
"I'm very happy that all three of us on the podium are from Uttarakhand. The state supports us a lot, and we are happy with the achievement," said Dhyani.
The 2026 edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, offered a total prize purse of USD 275,732, with the men's and women's winners each receiving USD 27,000.
The race is also certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).
The top three finishers in the Indian elite men's and women's categories will receive Rs 3,50,000, Rs 2,50,000 and Rs 1,50,000, respectively.
Nearly 40,000 Delhiites turned up Just days after the streets of central Delhi witnessed protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a large number of people turned up for the half marathon, one of the most iconic sporting events in the national capital.
On Friday, Procam International, the Delhi Half Marathon organisers, announced that runners would not pass through Rail Bhawan, Sansad Marg and Patel Chowk and unveiled a revised route amid the ongoing protests against Kumar.
The protests had led to heavy police barricading around the three landmarks, which were part of the traditional route in previous editions.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Chief of Defence Staff General N S Raja Subramani and World Athletics Vice President Adille Sumariwalla were also present on the occasion.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta flagged off the Great Delhi Run. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ran in the half marathon event.
Two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas is the International Event Ambassador of the event.
