Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2009- Register & Training

Registrations for Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2009 event have opened. The Delhi Half Marathon is going to be held on Nov 1, 2009, in New Delhi.

This year, you can register online as well. Registrations are open till October 4, 2009 or as soon as all the places are filled, whichever is earlier. You can register for 1 of the 4 events at the Delhi Half Marathon 2009 detailed below: Half Marathon, Great Delhi Run, Senior Citizen’s Event and Wheelchair Event.

Half Marathon
Distance: 21.09 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 31.10.1991
Registration Fees: Rs 300 for Indian citizens (see this for foreign marathon registrants)
If you would like chip timing, that’s an extra Rs 200.
Route details do not seem updated. The current marathon route details map shows a date of 2008.

Great Delhi Run
Distance: 7 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 31.10.1997
Registration Fees: Rs 300 for Indian citizens.
Route details do not seem updated. The current Great Delhi Run route details map shows a date of 2008.

Senior Citizens Run
Distance: 4.3 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 31.10.1949
Registration Fees: Rs 200 for Indian citizens.
Route details do not seem updated. The current Senior Citizens Run route details map shows a date of 2008.

Wheelchair Event
Distance: 3.5 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 31.10.1997
Registration Fees: Rs 200 for Indian citizens.
Route details do not seem updated. The current Wheelchiar Event route details map shows a date of 2008.

For more information on registration,  click here.

Specials
- For early registrants (between Aug 28, 2009 and Sep 19, 2009), there is an early bird prize. Click here for details.
- Much like personalized car number plates, you can even bid for special numbers, here.

Marathon Updates
To stay updated on the 2009 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, sign up with our Marathon Updates newsletter – updates, training, nutrition, routes, fees, etc! Sign up with our newsletter and we’ll keep you updated!

 

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2009- Official Date

We have the official date for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon! The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is going to be held on November 1, 2009 in New Delhi.

Other details are still pending, but we’ll keep you updated! To be the first to know, sign up for our Marathon Updates

Read below on how to start running and preparing for a marathon…

If you’re not a runner, now is the time to start preparing.

You have enough time to prepare your self for the half marathon- that is 21 kms. If you’re not up for that, try the Dream Run at about 6-7 km.

To stay updated on how to participate in the 2009 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, sign up with our Marathon Updates newsletter – registration, dates, routes, fees, age eligibility criteria, etc! Sign up with our newsletter and we’ll keep you updated!

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2008 Results- Why East African athletes dominate

This year Ethiopian runners won the event, for both men and women. The top 10 finishers for both men and women were dominated by international runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. Wonder why they produce the best long distance runners in the world? Read on to find out.

1. Deriba Merga (ETH) 59:15 (new event record)
2. Wilson Kipsang (Ken) 59:16
3. Wilson Chebet (KEN) 59:34
4. Regassa Tilahun (Jr/ETH) 1:00:28
5. Tadesse Tola (ETH) 1:00:45
6. Dieudonne Disi (RWA) 1:00:47
7. Kiplimo Kimutai (KEN) 1:00:58
8. Joseph Maregu (KEN) 1:01:03
9. Eshetu Wondimu (ETH) 1:01:04
10. William Chebon Chebor (KEN) 1:01:17

Overall Women:
1. Asefelech Mergia (ETH) 1:08:17
2. Genet Getanah (ETH) 1:08:18
3. Peninah Arusei (KEN) 1:08:20
4. Atsede Habtamu (ETH) 1:09:37
5. Ashim Kasim (ETH) 1:10:19
6. Tiki Gelana (ETH) 1:10:22
7. Pauline Njeri (KEN) 1:10:23
8. Mare Dibaba (ETH) 1:10:28
9. Pauline Wangui (KEN) 1:10:36
10. Tigist Tufa (ETH) 1:10:41

Best Indians runners:

Men:
1. Sandeep Kumar 1:04:48
2. Kashinath Aswale 1:04:52
3. Deep Chand 1:04:56
4. Irrappa Akki 1:05:07
5. Surendra Singh 1:05:28
6. Lengoi Binning 1:05:28

Women:
1. Kavita Raut 1:17: 12
2. Preethi L Rao 1:17:20
3. Sudha Singh 1:17:39
4. Vivek Suba 1:18:02
5. Kiran Tiwari 1:21:51
6. Manjusha C. A. 1:23:21

World over, Kenyan runners have dominated the long distance running scene. Wonder why? There are a number of theories on this. The vast majority of Kenya’s brightest running stars were born and raised at high altitude. Running at higher elevations builds greater lung capacity, because athletes grow accustomed to the thinner air. Many of the finest runners, for example, hail from the hilly region surrounding Eldoret, about 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. This area also possesses a fairly mild climate that allows for year-round running. If altitude alone determined distance-running success, of course, then Nepalese marathoners would dominate. So, perhaps a more important factor is the nation’s running culture, particularly among the Kalenjin tribe. Though Kalenjins represent just 12 percent of Kenya’s population, they comprise about three-quarters of the nation’s elite runners.

Besides the culture of this particular tribe, there is another factor- there are two kinds of muscle fibers in the body- fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch muscles are the ones that are used for short bursts of powerful movements. Slow twitch muscles are the ones that are used for exertion over long sustained time periods. East Africans are born with a 70-75 percent of slow twitch muscle fibers.

At the end of the day, victory goes beyond your genes. Its a lot of hard work and training that goes into it. But when you reach the level of elite athletes, genetic differences can give you the edge.

Either way, we need to find those genes that can help Indians excel in sport

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2008- Information, Registration and Motivation :)

The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2008 is here! This international marathon is going to be help on November 9, 2008. Registration starts on September 10, 2008 and end on October 15, 2008
Race information about events and prizes are below:

There are four events:

Half Marathon –
Distance: 21.09 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 08.11.1990
Registration Fees: Rs 300 for Indian citizens
Route for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

Dream Run –
Distance: 6 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 08.11.1996
Registration Fees: Rs 300 for Indian citizens.
Route for Great Delhi Run

Senior Citizens Run –
Distance: 4.3 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 08.11.1948
Registration Fees: Rs 200 for Indian citizens. Route is here.

Wheelchair Event –
Distance: 2.5 km; Age eligibility: born on or before 08.11.1996
Registration Fees: Rs 200 for Indian citizens. Route is here.

Need motivation to participate? Total prize money is USD $210,000 !!

Prize categories include Top 10 runners- men and women, Top 10 Indian runner- men and women, Top veteran finisheers- men and women, Sr. Veterans and Super Sr. Veterans ( I didn’t know that category even existed!)

If the money doesn’t matter, then you get bragging rights! Suddenly, all of Delhi’s running community holds you with R-E-S-P-E-C-T

And you get your photo splashed all over the newspaper. We’ll even feature you on Fitho if you ask us
For more motivation, here’s a little info on one of our team members:

He started running in late 2003. In Feb 2004, he forced myself to register for a 5k. He hated running when he started it. After training for two months for the first 5k in May 2004 (Heart Mini Marathon), he timed in at 22 min, 45 sec. That is 4 min, 50 sec per km.
Later that year, he ran a 10 k in 5 degree celsius weather, in 48.5 minutes. And then the running didn’t stop.  The first half marathon was the US Air Force Marathon at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton. Timed in at 1 hour, 42 minutes (4 min, 50 sec per km).  It was a tough run, but it was a phenomenal experience. The excitement of running with thousands of people. The rush of accomplishing a personal feat. And the glory of beating your fear of running or the distance. Its something to experience.

Running is great way to burn fat and lose those love handles and show that elusive six pack! Besides this, running has many health benefits.

The half marathon is a great event. Register and start training now. The Dream Run is a great way to start running for non runners.

At Fitho, we’ll create running programs customized to your needs. If you have any questions

To participate/register, go here