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.
Delhi Half Marathon 2009 Registration (varcos@flickr)
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!
Running Events in India
Marathons are now held all over India. Ranging from 5-10 k runs, we have plenty of marathons and even ultra marathons in India- We have large running events in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Auroville.
Delhi has in Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. In 2008, it was held on Nov 9. There are 5 events-the half marathon, the dream run, the senior citizens event, the veterans run and the wheelchair event.
Mumbai has the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.
NishitShah@flickr
Chennai also has a running culture. Check out more on the Chennai Marathon
Hyderabad has its share of running culture with 10k mini marathon and half marathon events. More at Hyderabad10K website
Bangalore has an ultra marathon (52 km)! Its the only one that we know of in India. They’ve already done 2 ultra marathons in 2007 and 2008.
Pune has its Pune International Marathon
Kolkata has the Airtel Kolkata Marathon. They have 3 events- Marathon (42 km), Ladies Run (10.2 km) and a Fun Run (4.2 km). Here are routes for 2007- Marathon, Ladies Run, SAIL Celebrity Fun Run. Apparently, there was one in 2008, but no central website for it.
Auroville started its marathon in 2008. Check out the Auroville Marathon site here.
Last but not the least, in the Great Tibetian Marathon. This marathon every year in the summer, on the plateau of Leh Ladakh. With the low oxygen levels, we rate this as the toughest marathon in India, and the coolest marathon in India, in more ways than one 
Running in the Himalayas would be such a unique experience!
Kudos to all these people making efforts to growing a running culture to India! Are there any others that we’ve missed? Any runs in your city? Please comment to let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
For the running uninitiated, here is a distance definition of various runs:
Marathon- Its a total distance of 26.2 miles (approx 42 kms)
Half Marathon- Very intuitively, it is 13.1 milees (approx 21 kms)
Ultra Marathon- Anything covering a distance of more than a marathon is an ultra marathon.
For tips to start running, or to run better, check out our series of articles on running tips
Running in your city
Do you want to start running? But don’t know how. Maybe you need motivation, maybe you need company, maybe you just need the right information! We have information to get you started- Tips to Run Better- Part 1, Tips to Run Better- Part 2, Tips to Run Better- Part 3. If you need a proper running plan to get you started, call Fitho.
Studies have shown that people who workout with partners, have a higher probability of sticking to their workouts and produce better fitness results. Both the competitiveness and company help with motivation. If you want to start running and are looking for company, ‘Running and Living’ is here to help you. They’ve helped to organize running clubs in your vicinity. Check with them for one or more of these running clubs in your vicinity and get in touch, plan runs together, get solutions to your running problems and stay in touch. If you are a running regular, but don’t have a club near you, then email them if you want to set one up and they’ll help to get it going.
Photo: Local Run in Gurgaon
Running and Living also organizes runs in Delhi. So, spread the word, and get your friends, colleagues and neighbours to join in- to run or to cheer.
Jahanpanah City Forest- Running route South Delhi
Jahanpanah City Forest at Chirag Delhi has a 6.7 km running trail in the middle of the south Delhi. Its a great running location, considering that the forest is surrounded by really crowded, high traffic areas- Alakhnanda, Chirag Delhi, Lado Sarai, Greater Kailash-2, GK-3, GK-4, Tughlakabad Extension, Saket, etc.
Running Trail Jahanpanah City Forest, New Delhi (raveningumarov@flickr)
Its a completely paved trail, with markers every 200 meters. The main entrance of the Jahanpanah City Forest park is opposite Don Bosco school in Alakhnanda. There is a small parking lot too.
A lot of the trail is covered in thick foliage- provides a good respite from the heat. The track has some inclines and declines also. Delhi has mostly flat running tracks. Uphill parts of the track really help to build those calf muscles. And we all love running down hill
Most of the trail is quite desolate, and it runs by a number of areas in the city, so its best to have some company when running there. The park also have benches throughout the trail, and well as playing areas for kids. The forest timings are 6 a.m. to about 7.30 p.m.
Its a good place to for training for Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Have you started training?! .. Not from Delhi- then start training anyway and make that trip to Delhi for the Airtel Half Marathon. Its an experience you won’t want to miss!
Besides running, you can cycle there as well. Along with playing in the little parks all over Jahanpanah forest
Want to know where Jahanpanah forest is- Here is a the Map location of Jahanpanah Forest, New Delhi.
Jog to live longer, in Delhi (Hauz Khas)
Researchers have found that regular jogging or any constant aerobic exercise may reduce people’s risk of disabilities and help them live longer and healthier. Read this article by Time magazine for more detail: Joggers live longer
For jogging/running in Delhi, a great place is in Hauz Khas park. There is a large man made lake built in the 14 century by the Tughlaqs. It has a running track all around it. Its a beautiful place to run. There are many buildings of the 14 century Tughlaq dynasty, lots of birds, plenty of greenery and the company of other runners/walkers. Part of the lake track in soft, while some of it has stone tiles. Early mornings and evenings are a great time in this park.
There is also an unpaved trail around the deer park, that is good for trail running. Well shaded trail, so it protects from the sun and the heat. Both trails are about 1.6 kms long, and a visual as well as physical respite from the hustle and bustle of Delhi.
If you need to lose weight, get on a healthy weight loss plan, with a balanced diet and an effective exercise routine.
Running at Lodhi Garden- Stay fit in Delhi
If you’re a runner, one of the biggest challenges in most Indian cities is where do you run? Treadmill running is an option, but if you’ve run outside in a nice park, on a trail, on a hill- you know its a feeling that a treadmill will never get to. The open feeling, the breeze and the nature around you- it is exhilarating.
We’ve come across a few running trails in Delhi. One of them is at Lodhi Garden. Lodhi Garden is a nice park spread over 90 acres in the middle of the city, area called of Lutyens’ Delhi. It contains architectural work from the Lodhi dynasty, back in the 16th century.
The running trail is about 2 km long. The trail is a mix of soft and hard. Parts of it are paved. A good part of it is shaded under the huge trees at Lodhi Garden, which really helps in the Delhi heat. Also, you get some spectacular views of the architecture, of the rich foliage of the park- can be very rejuvenating.
Plenty of parking around the area. There are also toilets in the park, so in case you feel the need to go
Its packed in the mornings and evenings – Lodhi Garden is a popular walking destination.
Need a place to run in Delhi? Here’s a list- Siri Fort Sports Complex, Jahanpanah Forest, Hauz Khas Deer Park. These are all running trails in South Delhi and Central Delhi.
