The 13th edition of the race witnessed participation from elite runners, both Indian and foreigners, who claimed that they were unaffected by the dangerously polluted environment
Amid rising alarm over the hazardous pollution levels in the Capital, thousands of Delhiites turned up for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, even as the clamour to cancel the race continued till the very last minute.
The 13th edition of the race witnessed participation from elite runners, both Indian and foreigners, who claimed that they were unaffected by the dangerously polluted environment.
"I have not felt anything due to pollution. The conditions were good and the course was good as well. The only thing I was worried about was the wind speed," said Berhanu Legese, who won the men's international elite race by finishing it in 59 minutes and 46 seconds.
Leonard Korir, who came in third at 59:52, in fact, went on to term the prevalent weather conditions as perfect. "It was perfect.
Before the race, we were briefed about the pollution and the measures taken by the organisers," he said.
Meanwhile, for women's international race winner Almaz Ayana, it was the morning nip that was bothersome.
"The course was very good. Only the chilly weather created some problems, nothing else," she said.
National runner Senguttuvan Tdevarajan, a scientist by profession, who was running his fourth half-marathon, said: "I could have done better. I'll try to complete this race in less time next year."
Regarding the air pollution, he said: "The sky is clean and a little downpour on Saturday cleared the air a bit. I did not face any difficulty while running. This was my fourth half-marathon, which I completed in 2 hours 40 minutes."
Another runner Abhinav Raj, who works with a law firm, said: "I completed the race in less time than expected. There was no influence of bad air on the running. I am glad that I participated and clocked a good timing. "
Kartikeya Mishra, an engineer, said: "The weather was just fine today. It had rained yesterday so the air was not that bad. The organisers made sure that we had proper medical assistance, when needed. I'll participate in this event next year as well."
As many as 30,000 people ran for the ADHM in 2015 and this year, the numbers touched 35,000, according to the race organisers, Procam International.
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 "Airtel Delhi Half Marathon")
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