Delhi Half Marathon 2026: Everest summiteer among 25 pace setters to guide runners
Synopsis
The Delhi Half Marathon 2026 pacing squad reads more like an adventure roster than a race-day crew — an Everest summiteer, a CFO who has run 15 editions, and a man who has run every single day for over 2,850 days. The 25-member team, covering buses from 1:50 to 2:40, brings together elite endurance credentials and professional achievement in one of India's biggest mass-participation running events.
Key Takeaways
The Delhi Half Marathon 2026 will feature 25 pace setters , split across the half marathon and the 10K events.
The Half Marathon has 17 pacers covering finish times from 1:50 to 2:40 ; the 10K has an all-women squad of eight pacers for buses from 55 to 88 minutes .
Chinmayee J Thrishulamurthy , an ophthalmologist from Bengaluru , summited Mount Everest in 2026 and will pace the 10K.
Thandeswaran Periyasamy has run more than 2,850 consecutive days since September 2018 , covering over 22,000 km , earning records in the International, Asia and India Book of Records .
Deepak Sharma will appear for the 16th time at the event; Sanjay Chhabra joins for his 12th consecutive edition.
Eleven of the 25 pacers are from outside Delhi-NCR , representing Bengaluru , Kolkata , Mumbai , Darjeeling , Jammu , and Jharkhand .
The Delhi Half Marathon 2026 is set to feature a 25-member pacing squad that includes an Everest summiteer, senior government officials, corporate leaders, and seasoned long-distance runners, all committed to helping participants hit their individual finish-time targets on race day.
How the Pacing System Works
The pace setters will lead designated groups — referred to as 'Buses' — at predetermined speeds throughout the course. The Half Marathon will deploy 17 pacers covering finish-time targets ranging from 1:50 to 2:40, while the 10K event will feature an all-women team of eight pacers, guiding runners across buses spanning 55 to 88 minutes.
A Diverse Squad from Across India
Eleven of the 25 pace setters have travelled from outside the Delhi-NCR region, representing cities including Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Darjeeling, Jammu, and Jharkhand. The group also includes notable professionals: a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Rajat Agarwal, Joint Director (Finance) at the Railway Board.
Veteran Participants Bring Marathon Memories
Deepak Sharma will make his 16th appearance at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, while Ganesh Ananthanaraynan enters his 13th edition carrying a personal best of 1:48. Sanjay Chhabra, meanwhile, is set to line up for his 12th consecutive Delhi Half Marathon.
Thandeswaran Periyasamy, Delivery Head and founder of Hosur Runners Club, brings a record-breaking endurance credential. He has run for more than 2,850 consecutive days since September 2018, covering over 22,000 km — a feat recognised in the International, Asia and India Book of Records. He previously paced the 2:30 bus at VDHM 2025.
Rashmi Mohanty, Chief Financial Officer at SBI Credit Card and a seasoned ultra-marathoner, will also return. She ran her first half marathon at VDHM in November 2010 and was felicitated in 2025 after completing 15 editions of the event.
An Everest Summiteer Leads the 10K Women's Pace Team
Among the standout names on the 10K pacing squad is Chinmayee J Thrishulamurthy, a practising ophthalmologist and faculty member from Bengaluru. A trained search, treat and rescue mountaineer, she scaled Mount Everest earlier in 2026, bringing a rare high-altitude credential to the starting line.
What the Pacers Mean for Runners
For first-timers and seasoned participants alike, a reliable pace setter can be the difference between a personal best and a late-stage fade. With backgrounds spanning mountaineering, ultra-running, medicine, and public finance, this year's squad offers runners not just a target time, but a story to chase. The Delhi Half Marathon 2026 is shaping up to be one of the event's most experientially rich editions yet.
Point of View
Unusually, the story itself. Mass-participation running events in India have grown sharply in both size and seriousness over the past decade, and the calibre of pace setters — a record-holding streak runner, a CFO, an Everest climber — reflects how mainstream endurance sport has become across professional classes. What the organisers have done cleverly is make the pacers aspirational figures, not just race-day tools. Whether that translates into better finish-time adherence across the field is the real performance question — but as a pre-race narrative, it works.
NationPress
5 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the pace setters at Delhi Half Marathon 2026?
The Delhi Half Marathon 2026 features 25 pace setters, including an Everest summiteer, senior government officials, corporate leaders, and experienced long-distance runners. Notable names include Chinmayee J Thrishulamurthy, Thandeswaran Periyasamy, Rashmi Mohanty, Deepak Sharma, and Rajat Agarwal of the Railway Board.
What is the pacing bus system at the Delhi Half Marathon?
Pace setters lead designated groups called 'Buses,' each moving at a fixed speed targeting a specific finish time. The half marathon offers 17 buses covering finish times from 1:50 to 2:40, while the 10K has eight buses ranging from 55 to 88 minutes.
Who is Chinmayee J Thrishulamurthy and why is she notable?
Chinmayee J Thrishulamurthy is a practising ophthalmologist and faculty member from Bengaluru who scaled Mount Everest in 2026. She is a trained search, treat and rescue mountaineer and will pace the all-women 10K team at the Delhi Half Marathon 2026.
Who is Thandeswaran Periyasamy?
Thandeswaran Periyasamy is the Delivery Head and founder of Hosur Runners Club. He has run more than 2,850 consecutive days since September 2018, covering over 22,000 km, a feat recognised in the International, Asia and India Book of Records. He previously paced the 2:30 bus at VDHM 2025.
Which cities are represented in the Delhi Half Marathon 2026 pacing squad?
Eleven of the 25 pace setters are from outside Delhi-NCR, representing Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Darjeeling, Jammu, and Jharkhand, making it a nationally diverse squad.
