Bekele named event ambassador of Delhi Half Marathon

World and Olympic record holder in 5,000 and 10,000 metres, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia was on Wednesday named the event ambassador of the 8th Airtel Delhi Half Marathon to be held here on November 29.

Bekele, two-time Olympic and four-time world champion in 10,000 metres, will grace the occasion at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium that will see the participation of 34,000 runners.

The Half Marathon has received 13,200 entries, the DHL Corporate Champions have 200 teams (600 runners), while the Great Delhi Run has 19,000 entries. The Senior Citizens' Run will have 800 participants, and the Champions with Disability event will have 400 participants. A total of 34,000 runners from different corners of the world are participating.

Among other announcements, the Half Marathon for elite men will start at 6.40 a.m. followed by the Half Marathon for elite women at 6.50 a.m. The new 10K, 5K and 3K for Indian athletes will be flagged off at 6.54 a.m. The DHL Corporate Champions race will start at 6.55 a.m., followed by the amateur marathon at 7.10 a.m.

These will be followed by the Champions with Disability at 7.35am, the Senior Citizens' Run at 8.00 a.m and the Great Delhi Run at 9.35 a.m.

The officials have also roped in Puma as the sportswear partner and Nestle India as the nutrition partner.