Race Report | Half Marathon at the Apollo Tyres New Delhi Marathon 2024
Completing a year of running half marathons!
Race Date: Sunday, 25th February 2024
Start Time: 06:15 am
Start Location: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Distance: Half Marathon
Finish Location: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Running Shoes: ASICS Magic Speed
Official Route Map:
A Year of Running Half Marathons- Some Context
I’d been wanting to run a half-marathon for a really long time. After signing up a couple of times and never showing up years ago, I finally prepared for and ran last year’s edition of the Apollo Tyres New Delhi Marathon (Half) after a little nudge from a friend.
So this year’s (2024) edition was like completing a full circle to a year of running half-marathon races and constantly getting better. I’d ran the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Tata Mumbai Marathon (Half), and the TCS W10K Bengaluru in the year leading up to this.
Since I had missed achieving the sub-6 min/km overall pace by a couple of minutes at TMM, I knew that the relatively flat Delhi route could assist me in achieving it. However, little did I know that I would run my first sub-2-hour half-marathon in this race. This achievement fulfilled a personal milestone I had set to accomplish by the end of 2024!
Training
First things first; and you’ll see me recommending this all the time (especially to first-time runners, as I was one last year): The guided training programs led by Coach Bennett are a gold mine (and free) on the Nike Running Club (NRC) app. The half marathon training lasts for 14 weeks and consists of a great combination of recovery runs, different types of speed runs, and long runs.
After training with the NRC 14-week plan and adding basic strength training to my routine, I ran the Tata Mumbai Marathon (Half) on 21st January. After this race, I managed only a couple of easy recovery runs before heading out for a high-altitude trek to Sandakphu-Phalut on the India-Nepal border in West Bengal (more on that in my next post).
After I got back, I did some easy and long recovery runs, even a 13.1K in Nehru Park on the Sunday before race day. But, I had no idea that the chicken roll I ate that Sunday night would make me really sick for the whole week.
I had to take antibiotics and just hope that my prior training had prepared me enough. I could only manage one 1.5K run and a couple of mindful walks during this tapering week. The rest was left to fate and how I felt on race day morning.
Pre-Race
I decided to collect the bib early this time (on the 23rd) and not leave it to the day prior (as I was still recovering).
After deciding on a fueling strategy and visualising the route before going to bed early, I did manage to get some better shut-eye on the night before this race (unlike all the other races before this). And I think it really helped!
Race Day- Getting to Start Line
I got up around 4 am on race day morning. After getting ready, I ate a couple of bananas and a slice of bread with peanut butter, and made myself a black coffee before leaving for the venue at around 5 am on a pre-booked Uber.
It’s still the last phase of Delhi winters, and walking a couple of kilometers (due to road blockades for the marathon) to the stadium was rather cold.
After some warm-up, clearing my stomach one last time, and reminding myself of the work put in already in the months leading up to this race, it was time to start moving towards the start line.
Race
As I started moving with the crowd towards the start line, it reminded me of all the races before this. This moment is always special for me. Here, one can truly observe a plethora of emotions among people - the enthusiasm, the laughter, the best of lucks, and high fives, but also a lot of silence amidst all the noise. Personally, I cherish that silence.
As I started moving with the crowd crossing the start line, I almost crashed into someone who suddenly stopped to take a selfie near the stage. Bizarre! However, I didn’t let that hamper my spirits and kept moving forward, navigating through the crowd (and some people walking).
Moving forward a few meters, the full-marathon runners who were completing the first loop (having started their race at 04:15 am) started joining in. As someone who runs more on effort than pace or timing for now, I quickly realised that I felt quite clear-headed and my body comfortable with the current pace - averaging 05:31 minutes per kilometer in the first 5-6 kilometers of the race.
By this time, the city started to brighten up from the darkness. I was constantly pacing with unknown people who were matching my pace or better. I love this aspect of these races. This was now a mixed crowd of both full marathoners (in their second loop) and half marathon runners.
One great thing about this marathon was the water and aid stations placed at every kilometer distance. I hydrated with water/electrolytes as and when I felt the need to (and before I felt thirsty). I also had my first fuel gel around the 7 km mark.
The 7-10 kilometers was my least favourite segment (towards Mathura road) as it gets slightly boring compared to other parts of the route. So, I got my sunglasses out to help me focus on the run and not be distracted.
As I approached the 11-kilometer mark and joined the India Gate-Kartavya Path segment, I noticed I was here under an hour and immediately knew I had a fair chance at completing this race under two hours. The only thing I needed was to maintain focus and not hit the wall later in the race (which I did last year).
The next five kilometers of running on this segment were like a dream run for anyone participating in this race. It was absolutely flat, full of history, and the sun started coming up over India Gate. At a certain point towards Janpath, a group of monkeys were running along (maybe chasing?) some runners, which was both scary and funny at the same time.
The run back approaching India Gate at 15 kilometers was beautiful, and I couldn’t help but capture this moment.
This was also where I had my second gel and was running at an average pace of 05:30 minutes per kilometer. By this moment, I knew that if nothing drastic happened, I would complete this under two hours.
My least favorite part of the race (the Mathura road segment) was re-approaching, and I decided to run comfortably and not hit the wall this time around no matter what. Somewhere around 18 kilometers, I crossed the two-hour official pacer (would have started a minute earlier than me) who was constantly cheering runners around him, which got me really motivated to complete this race strong. Approaching the finish line, I kept reminding myself of how amazing this run was and moved forward to the crowd cheering the runners from the sidelines.
I finished the race with a couple of minutes to spare before those two hours and had really outdone myself with a final finish time of 01:57:37 at an overall pace of 05:35 minutes per kilometer.
Post- Race
After collecting the medal, I hydrated myself with water, electrolytes, and a bonus ice pack (thank you volunteer!). I did a brief cooldown stretch, took a few pictures with the medal, and sent my run screenshots to friends and family. Since the crowd was still building up, I headed to the refreshments section to avoid the queues, but I didn’t find the food options too appealing, so I decided to skip it. Instead, I settled for a coffee and some sweet potato right outside the stadium later.
Final Result
Finished Time: 01:57:37
Chip Pace: 05:35 (min/km)
Overall Experience
I felt overwhelmed but also extremely happy with this performance and kept reflecting on what an individual can achieve in a year. We often underestimate ourselves and what our bodies are capable of. With this race, I shaved off close to 35 minutes (yess!!!!!) from my first half marathon last year and about 11 minutes from the Tata Mumbai Marathon (Half) just a month ago.
However, I also feel that while this race was well-organised, it lacked the crowds that Mumbai brings in making TMM a true running festival - for both runners and spectators cheering on the streets. It makes me wonder why, especially since Delhi has more open spaces and offers a beautiful race route. I hope that changes in the future.
The running journey continues this year, and I aim to keep improving and sharing this journey here. Thank you for reading.
Awesome! 👍