The 13th edition of the Delhi Half Marathon was organised in the city on Sunday, despite warnings by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that the high levels of pollution were not fit for organising such an event as the air quality could have adverse effect on the runners.
Although organisers did not have an exact figure on how many people took part in the race, 35,000 participants had registered for the marathon — a big jump from numbers seen in 2016.
After the race, most participants felt that the air quality had improved and they did not feel any discomfort while running.
The Air Quality Index on Sunday morning was 292, which is classified as ‘poor’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) — a major improvement compared to an AQI of above 400 that was prevalent the previous week.
Anti-pollution measures
In fact, the AQI on Sunday was the best score that Delhi has seen in over a month.
The MeT Department said that a steady breeze, due to the effect of a western disturbance that even brought a slight drizzle in some parts of the city on November 18, had improved the quality of air.
The ‘poor’ quality of air can still trigger breathing discomfort in most people upon prolonged exposure, but is a marked improvement from the ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ days that the Capital had been dealing with when the IMA move a plea with the Delhi High Court to cancel the event.
Before the start of the race, athletes were briefed about a number of measures that had been taken to keep pollution levels down such as washing down the course with treated water mixed with salt the night before as well as intermittent spraying of water on the route during the course of the race at potential dust hot-spots.
Event organisers also set up mist fans at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the holding area for the participants.
Participants who were not happy with the air quality and did not want to take part in the event were offered a refund of their registration fee.
Winner of the 2015 Delhi Half Marathon Berhanu Legese repeated his feat on Sunday winning the Men’s Elite Category.
“The weather conditions were perfect to go for the kill. The weather was great, there was no issue at all. In fact the weather was favourable for a run like this. I would love to come back to Delhi to participate in the event again,” Mr. Legese said.
