New Delhi, September 27: Registrations for the 18th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM) continue in high spirits as the capital gears up for the city’s flagship mass participative event – #RangDeDilli.
PUMA Athlete & Indian Cricketer Harleen Deol Unveils The Exclusive VDHM Race Day Tee
The USD 268,000 prize money World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, will be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday, October 15. Tens of thousands of amateurs will join World Championships Silver Medalist Daniel Ebenyo & Rio Olympic Gold Medalist Almaz Ayana in a race that has stood as a pinnacle of sporting glory under the watchful eyes of the International Event Ambassador – Two-time Olympic Champion Ashton Eaton.
Register now for the Half Marathon, the Great Delhi Run (Approx.4.5km), the Senior Citizens’ Run and the Champions with Disability Run (Approx. 2.5km) and join the celebration! Registrations are open until 11:59 p.m. 30th September 2023 or until spots are filled, whichever is earlier.
Making the running movement in Delhi even stronger for consecutive years, Title sponsor Vedanta Limited will continue with the cause of #RunForZeroHunger during the race. For every kilometre run, the Indian conglomerate will provide a nutritious meal to a child through its flagship social impact initiative — the Nand Ghar project.
Commenting on the association, Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson – Hindustan Zinc, Non-Executive Director – Vedanta stated, “It gives us immense joy to see the capital geared up for Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. VDHM is a testament to the power of communities uniting for a cause, and the enthusiasm of the people only fuels our passion to give back to society. With the help of every participant, we will come one step closer to our dream that no child should go to bed hungry. For every kilometre run we will contribute one meal to a child through our Nandghar initiative and this year our aim is to contribute 2 million meals. I am confident, that not just Delhi, but the entire nation will Run For Zero Hunger.
TV Naarayan, CMO, IDFC FIRST Bank, said, “IDFC FIRST Bank is delighted to be the Associate Sponsor of yet another edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, one of the most awaited and recognized distance running events globally. This association aims to bring people together and promote a healthy lifestyle. As a Bank driven by the philosophy of social good, we feel this association is a great way to connect with our customers and encourage them as they challenge themselves to reach fitness or financial milestones. We look forward to an event that radiates energy, inspires a spirit of camaraderie, and encourages people’s #JourneyToTheStart”.
UNIQUE VEDANTA DELHI HALF MARATHON FINISHER MEDAL
The unique Finisher Medal honours and celebrates every participant’s hard work and their zeal for running. The Finisher’s medal is made from the purest, highest-grade Zinc that comes from Zawar Mines of Udaipur – the world’s largest and oldest mines in the heritage state of Rajasthan. The Zinc is produced by India’s leading Zinc producer – Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group company.
EXCLUSIVE PUMA RACE DAY & FINISHER TEE
The Fastest Sports Brand in the World, PUMA has been a long-standing partner of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and will present all the registered half marathon participants with an exclusive Race Day Tee. In addition to this, as a token of appreciation and the effort put in by the 10K runners, PUMA will give the overall top 500 men and 500 women runners a specially curated Finisher Tee.
The exclusive merchandise was unveiled by PUMA Athlete and cricketer Harleen Deol. She was part of the Indian squad that clinched Silver at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
PUMA Athlete & Cricketer Harleen Deol, said “Running means everything to me. Our sport is all about running, and the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is a great initiative. This event inspires people. Women have broken barriers through the event and most of the decision makers at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon are women, and that tells you a lot.”
Commenting on the launch of the Race Day Tee, Shreya Sachdev, Head of Marketing, PUMA India said, “As the sports partner of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, we are extremely excited to support the runners for this iconic road race with the launch of a new PUMA Race Day tee along with PUMA athlete and cricketer Harleen Deol. The tee is made with high-performance fabric to back runners all the way to the finish line”.
Shreya added, “Running is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and PUMA is determined to build this community as part of our Let There Be Sport campaign, which prioritises sports and fitness as a life skill. We are proud to have partnered with Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon for about a decade now and we are confident that the city will witness a spectacular event. We wish the runners best of luck!”
DELHI METRO RAIL CORPORATION SPECIAL SERVICES
For the convenience and benefit of all participants, the lifeline of the city, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced special services for event day. The metro services will begin from 4 a.m. onwards from all terminal stations with a headway of 30 minutes to help the half marathon participants reach the start line at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Metro station and Jangpura Metro Station.
Meanwhile, the participants of the 10K race can reach the start line at Sansad Marg from Rajiv Chowk or Janpath Metro Station on race day. All participants can purchase tickets through the DMRC Travel App before reaching the station or through their NCMC cards.
Dr. Amit Jain, Director (Operations), DMRC, said, “I’d like to thank Vedanta and Procam for organizing this event year on year and keeping Delhi fit. We are making a small contribution by starting the metro services at 4 am on race day. The participants must utilize the metro services.”
VEDANTA DELHI HALF MARATHON VIRTUAL RUN
Participants from anywhere in the world will be able to experience the magic of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and run as one with the event via the exclusive Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon app. The virtual race categories are Half Marathon, Open 10K and the Great Delhi Run (5 km). Registration for the same will stay open until 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 11th October 2023.
Vivek Singh, Jt. MD, Procam International, said, “It has been heartening to see the response we have received from the capital city and to see the event back in all its glory. We are very excited to welcome an illustrious elite athlete line-up along with our International Event Ambassador and one of the greatest athletes of all time – Ashton Eaton on race day. Ashton’s presence will certainly motivate the people of Delhi to run for good. The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is the Pride of our Capital and each stakeholder of the event is working tremendously hard to make the event bigger, better and memorable to help the people of Delhi provide a befitting showcase to the world.”
MIRCHI GET ACTIVE RACE EXPO
The expo is a one-stop hub for runners and fitness enthusiasts, showcasing the best and most innovative offerings in the health, fitness and lifestyle world. All registered runners will need to visit the Expo to collect their running bibs, which allows them to avail of exciting offers by leading sports & and lifestyle brands.
The Mirchi Get Active Expo will take place at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium (Entry Gate – Gate no. 3, Opp High Court). The Expo will start on Thursday, 12th October 2023, and run through till Saturday, 14th October 2023. The Expo will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon will be held on 15th October 2023. Registration for Half marathon, Great Delhi Run (Approx.4.5km), Senior Citizens’ Run (Approx. 2.5km) and the Champions with Disability Run (Approx. 2.5km) is open until 11:59 PM 30th September 2023 or until spots are filled, whichever is earlier.
Image Caption: VDHM Race Day Tee unveiled by PUMA Athlete & Cricketer Harleen Deol along with Ritu Jhingon, Group Director- Corporate Communications and CEO Nand Ghar, Col. Mithun (EMOHA), Ritu Batra (EMOHA), Sachin Golwalkar, CEO, United Way Delhi, Dr. Amit Jain, Director (Operations), DMRC, Sonia Lal Gupta, Co-Medical Director – VDHM, Director – Metro Group of Hospitals, Sr Neurologist, Dr. Sameer Gupta, Director Metro Group of Hospitals, Sr Interventional Cardiologist – Group Head – Cardiac Cath Labs, Shiv Sharma, Deputy Director General, SAI, Tushar Malhotra, Head of Marketing at International Business, Bisleri, Vijayaraghavan Venugopal, CEO, FAST&UP, Kamal Jethva- Business Director, Mirchi, Vivek Singh, JT MD, Procam International and sponsors and partners
The Vedanta Delhi Half
Title Sponsor – Vedanta
Associate Sponsor – IDFC FIRST Bank
Ignited by – PUMA
Driven by – NEXON EV
Snacking Partner – Cadbury Fuse
Energy Drink Partner – FAST&UP
Hydration Partner – Bisleri
Medical Partner – Metro Group of Hospitals
Telecast Partner – Sony Sports 1
Hospitality Partner – Le Meridien
Music & Entertainment Partner – 98.3 Radio Mirchi
Print Partner – The Times of India
Philanthropy Partner – United Way Delhi
Cooldown Companion – Bira
SCR Facilitator – Emoha
Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is grateful for the unstinted support from:
Government of NCT of Delhi
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Ministry of External Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
Athletic Federation of India (AFI)
Delhi Police
New Delhi Municipal CorporationMunicipal Corporation Delhi
The Indian Army
Raj Bhavan, Delhi
World Athletics (WA)
Association of International Marathons & Distance Races (AIMS)
Global Sports Communication (GSC)
The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon will be telecast live on Sony Sports 1, on October 15 from 6:30 am to 10:30 am.
ABOUT VEDANTA LIMITED
Vedanta Limited (“Vedanta”), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading natural resources companies spanning across India, South Africa, Namibia, Liberia, UAE, Korea, Taiwan and Japan with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, Nickel, Aluminium, Power & Glass Substrate and foraying into semiconductors and display glass. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector, is committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner and aims to spend $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate this transition. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on various social impact programs and its flagship project, Nand Ghar is setting up model anganwadis across India. Vedanta Ltd. has been listed in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2022, conferred Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2023. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
ABOUT IDFC FIRST BANK
IDFC FIRST Bank’s vision is to build a world-class bank in India that’s guided by ethics, powered by technology, and a force for social good.
Philosophy: The Bank has a customer-first philosophy offering high-quality products including current accounts, savings accounts, fixed deposits, retail loans, business loans, corporate banking, cash management solutions, FASTag, wealth management, and 24/7 customer care services. IDFC FIRST bank is one of the select banks to work with the regulator for pilot projects for many banking technology initiatives for India like CBDC, UPI for foreigners etc.
Unique Benefits for customers: The Bank is the first and only bank in India that offers Zero fees for 28 essential services on savings accounts including for ATM cash withdrawals, IMPS, RTGS, NEFT, Cash Deposits and Cash withdrawals at branches, SMS Alerts, Cheque book, Demand Drafts, Pay-order, duplicate statements, etc. IDFC FIRST Bank is the first bank to offer monthly credit on savings accounts, so customers earn more with us. The bank’s credit cards have unique features such as lifetime free, never-expiring rewards points, zero interest on cash withdrawal at ATMs and low APR.
Ethics First: IDFC FIRST Bank prioritizes ethics in all its dealings and product design. The Bank believes income earned unethically is not worth earning. The Bank applies a “Near and Dear” Test in all product design, so that the employees of the Bank serve only such products to customers that they’d want for their own loved ones.
Transformation: IDFC FIRST Bank has transformed from infrastructure to retail banking in four years since merger, increasing CASA ratio from 8.6% to 46.5% (June 30, 2023) and increased Retail Deposits as % of total deposits from 27% to 77%, and set up 824 branches and 1,069 ATMs.
Financial Performance: The Bank recorded a PAT of Rs. 765 crore (~US$ 93 million) in Q1-FY24, with strong Capital Adequacy of 16.96%. The Bank has high asset quality, with Retail, Rural & SME book having Gross NPA of 1.53% and Net NPA of 0.52% as of June 30, 2023. Overall Gross NPA including infrastructure is 2.17% and Net NPA is 0.70%.
ESG Goals: The Bank is highly committed to ESG. The Bank has high governance scores, the business lines naturally support social goals, and efforts are ongoing to achieve environmental goals.
ABOUT PROCAM INTERNATIONAL
Since its inception in 1988, Procam International has been the driving force behind the growth and development of sports management in India. Founded by Anil and Vivek Singh, Procam is India’s premier sports management company and is involved in live events, sports consultancy, and live television production.
With astute planning and exemplary execution, Procam has a track record of conceptualising and promoting over 100 international events, across the disciplines of Powerboat Racing, Cricket, Football, Tennis, Distance Running, Squash, WWE, Horse Racing, Volleyball, among others. These events have elicited participation of the highest calibre of athletes and huge public interest and attendance.
Pioneers of the distance running movement in India, Procam International’s Big 4 – Tata Mumbai Marathon, Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Tata Consultancy Services World 10K and Tata Steel Kolkata 25 K — are global leaders in their respective distances. They have ushered in a running revolution that has helped redefine, the health, fitness, and ‘giving’ paradigm of our country.
