New Delhi, October 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
An Everest summiteer, senior government officials, corporate leaders and experienced runners will be among 25 pace setters guiding participants at the Delhi Half Marathon 2026, helping runners maintain their pace while targeting specific finish times.
The pace setters will lead designated groups, known as ‘Buses’, at predetermined speeds. The Half Marathon will have 17 pacers covering target finish times between 1:50 and 2:40, while the 10K race will feature an all-women team of eight pacers guiding runners across buses ranging from 55 to 88 minutes.
Eleven of the 25 pace setters come from outside Delhi-NCR, representing Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Darjeeling, Jammu and Jharkhand, among other regions.
The squad also includes senior government professionals, including a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Rajat Agarwal, Joint Director (Finance), Railway Board.
Several pacers have extensive experience at the event. Deepak Sharma will make his 16th appearance at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, while Ganesh Ananthanaraynan will take part in his 13th edition and brings a personal best of 1:48. Sanjay Chhabra is set to compete in his 12th consecutive Delhi Half Marathon.
Thandeswaran Periyasamy, Delivery Head and founder of Hosur Runners Club, has an exceptional endurance record. He has run for more than 2,850 consecutive days since September 2018, covering over 22,000 km. His achievement has been recognised by the International, Asia and India Book of Records. He previously paced the 2:30 bus at the 2025 edition.
Rashmi Mohanty, Chief Financial Officer at SBI Credit Card and an ultra-marathoner, will also return. She ran her first half marathon at the event in November 2010 and was felicitated in 2025 after completing 15 editions.
The 10K pacing team will include 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.
With a mix of endurance specialists, professionals and long-time participants, the 25-member pacing squad will help runners regulate their effort and remain on course for their individual race-day targets.
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