Half Marathon gets richer by $50k http://howrah.org/sports/28884.html
The Delhi Half Marathon's new title sponsors, Bharti Airtel, have increased the prize money for the event, after an overwhelming response last year, by a whopping $50,000 to now stand at $210,000, according to Manoj Kohli, CEO and joint MD, Airtel, here on Tuesday. The fourth edition of the Delhi Half Marathon will be held on November 9 this year. "The whole city converging on a road to run is a celebration of the human spirit overcoming barriers, which is also the philosophy behind Airtel, so we got associated with it," said Kohli. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon winners stand to gain $25,000 each (men and women) with the prize money percolating down to the first ten places. There will also be a separate prize fund for Indian athletes, through which the winners will gain $4,000 each. The sponsors believe that there will be a significant increase in the money raised towards charity this year. Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, who was also present at the launch function, said, "In the past three years the Delhi Half Marathon has been a perfect build up event to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This year, the marathon will be bigger and better and will prove to the world that Delhi is more than capable of hosting events that are among the best in the world." The launch saw mesmerising performances by dancers from India and abroad shaking a leg to a medley of tunes by A.R. Rahman, who has also prepared an exclusive soundtrack for the marathon. The 21-km race is expected to have 30,000 runners overall participating in the open, senior citizen and wheelchair categories, giving every Delhiite above the age of 12 years an opportunity to emerge winners and re-ignite the joy of running. Registration for the marathon is at various Airtel and Reebok outlets or online on or before October 15. -- regards, Vithur ARR in the heart; His Music in my blood
