New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese is targeting a sub-59-minute finish at the Delhi Half Marathon, while India’s Kartik Karkera is aiming for a personal best as elite runners gear up for Sunday’s race.
Legese, a two-time winner of the Delhi Half Marathon, said he was in better physical condition this year after struggling with injuries last season.
“This year, I have prepared well with good training and am in good shape. I am ready to compete on Sunday. The Delhi Half Marathon is a very good race for me, and I always like running here,” Legese said.
“Last year, I was struggling with injuries, but I feel physically much better now. If the weather is favourable and the pace is good, I can run around 58 minutes or close to that.”
Asked
whether he would consider challenging the men’s half-marathon world record held by fellow Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, Legese said he could pursue the target in the future but was currently focusing more on marathon running.
“Yomif holds the world record, and it is very nice. Maybe I can try to break it, but for now I am focusing more on marathons. Perhaps I will try in the future,” he said.
Kenya’s Charles Mbatha Matata, who finished runner-up at the Delhi Half Marathon in 2023, is also confident of breaking the one-hour barrier and believes favourable conditions could help him challenge the course record.
“I am confident in myself and believe I can run under 60 minutes. If the weather is good on Sunday, I trust myself to break my personal best and the course record too, because no human is limited,” Matata said.
For the Kenyan, the race had played a significant role in his career and helped improve his family’s circumstances.
“This was my second half marathon after I started running, and the prize money changed my life and my family’s life. Since then, I have continued to focus on this race,” he said.
In the Indian men’s elite field, Karkera is targeting a sub-1:05 finish after clocking 01:05:16 last year. He said his preparations had been affected by his participation in the Asian Games marathon, leaving him with around 10 days of focused training for the half marathon.
“I feel the super-compensation effect after the Asian Games marathon will help me run a very good race. I will definitely try to achieve a personal best and end my season on a high note,” Karkera said.
He added that the half marathon would be mentally easier than the full marathon and expected a closely-contested race.
“I think everyone is pretty much in the same range, so there will be a bunch of athletes running together. It will be the survival of the fittest, but everyone will have a chance of finishing on the podium,” he said.
Kiran Matre is targeting a time of one hour and three minutes as he looks to improve on his previous performance. He said injuries had delayed the start of his season until June but had given him more time to prepare for the Delhi race.
“My preparations are better than last time and I am hoping to improve my timing. I have also been training at high altitude, so I should be able to break 1:03,” Matre said.
“If my body supports me and the race goes according to plan, I believe I can finish among the top three.”
In the women’s field, Kenya’s Irine Cheptai, the 2022 Delhi Half Marathon winner, is targeting a sub-68 minute finish despite admitting she is not at her peak following the recently concluded Sydney Marathon, where she finished second.
“I am happy to come to New Delhi again. I hope I will run well. I am not in my top shape right now because I have just come from the Sydney Marathon, but I hope to do my best. I needed two weeks of recovery, so I did not have much time to prepare.”
India’s Lili Das is aiming to run faster than 1:16 despite limited preparation for the race. She said she had not been able to devote much time to long-distance training but remained confident of delivering a strong performance.
“I will try to run faster than 1:16 this time. I am not focusing too much on the podium, but I am confident that if I clock my best time, I can finish on the podium,” Das said. PTI AS AM AM
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