Athletes to run in Delhi ‘12-Hour Stadium Ultramarathon’

Twenty-one top endurance runners of the country, led by seasoned athlete Arun Bhardwaj, will take part in the Delhi 12-Hour Stadium Ultramarathon Run, the capital city’s first of its kind event, here on Sunday.

The ultramarathon race will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from 7am to 7pm on Sunday. 

The athletes will have to complete at least 65km within this 12-hour period while running at the 400m track of the stadium. An ultramarathon is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance and events that take place during specified time like 12-hour, 24-hour, 3-day or 6-day. The most common distances are 50km, 100km, 50 miles and 100 miles. The 100km race is recognised as an official world record event by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the world governing body of athletics. 

Bhardwaj, who is the only Indian to have participated in the World Cup ultramarathon in 2003, hoped that the event would spread more awareness among the people of the country and Delhi in particular about ultramarathon.