Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon: Limo expected to challenge McColgan in the women’s race

2022 Commonwealth Games champion in the 10,000m, Eilish McColgan and Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the 2016 World Half Marathon silver medalist will headline the women’s race at Sunday’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in Delhi, India.

Having worked hard on her fitness ahead of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, McColgan is confident she can run a good race on Sunday.

‘Being out of the sport for so long makes it tough. It takes about six months to return and then more time to rebuild fitness.

‘I’m not quite in British record or my personal best form yet, but things have come together well. I recently did two half marathons on consecutive weekends, which I usually wouldn’t do. It’s hard to do one, let alone two, but it’s given me confidence that my body is holding up and recovering well,’ she said at the pre-race press conference on Friday.

The Briton will be returning to India for a competition for the first time since 2008 and was looking forward to participating in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

‘My first international competition was at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in India, so I’m excited to race here again.

‘The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is more of a confidence booster, marking my return to professional running. I may not hit my PB, but I’m happy with my progress leading up to this event.’

While talking about the tough times in her career when she had to deal with the loss of her first child, Limo said, ‘You have to encourage yourself and focus on things.

‘Despite the things that have happened, it has been hard for me, but I always still encouraged myself. I had that spirit inside of me and that’s what helped me to push and keep this strength in everything.’

Limo returns to Delhi for the first time since 2015, having won the race back then. Sharing her thoughts on the road race, and praising her time here.

‘I’m truly honoured that the organizers have invited me back to India for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

‘This is my second time participating; I ran in 2015 when I was transitioning to marathons, and it was an excellent year for me. I performed well then.

‘Returning to run again fills me with a sense of privilege. My hope for Sunday is to perform as well as I did nine years ago in 2015. That’s my goal.’

‘I have a deep affection for this country… I’m extremely grateful to the fans. The people here are wonderful, and I appreciate everything about this experience,’ she added.

The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, set to kick off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 20th October 2024, also boasts a prize purse of USD 260,000.