Defending champions confirm entry for Delhi Half Marathon

NEW DELHI: Defending champions among the men and women, Rwandan Dieudonne Disi and Ethiopian Deriba Alemu have confirmed their entry for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon Nov 9.

Disi, a world class half marathoner with a personal best of 59 minutes, clocked 60.43 minutes in the 2007 edition, breaking the existing record of 61.36 set by Kenyan Francis Kibiwott in 2006.

Alemu put behind a star-studded field with her strong run to come home in 70.30 minutes, also breaking the course record of 70.40 set Kenya's Lineth Chepkirui in 2006.

The Delhi Half Marathon is expected to attract a strong field of elite athletes, thanks to the stature of the event, which has been awarded the Gold Label by the International Amateur Athletics Federetion and the $50,000 increase in prize money, Ian Ladbrooke, the elite athlete coordinator, said in a statement.

Half marathon is run over a distance of 21.09 km.