Delhi Half Marathon: Kenyan Charles Matata breaks course record by one second in 58:52

Kenyan Charles Matata won the Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday, October 18, 2026, in 58:52, beating by a single second the course record held since 2020 by Ethiopian Amedework Walelegn (58:53), according to the Indian daily Free Press Journal. The event, which holds a Gold Label from World Athletics, started and finished at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

At 29 years old, Matata secured both the race win and the record by a single second—the margin of a single stride over 21.097 kilometers. The $12,000 bonus for a course record is added to the $27,000 winner's prize, out of a total prize pool of $275,732.

An all-Kenyan podium

Behind him, Kenya locked out all three steps of the men's podium: Samwel Nyamai Mailu finished second in 59:24, and Stanley Waithaka Mburu third in 59:33. Three Kenyans finished under the hour mark on an urban course laid out in the heart of the Indian capital.

Ethiopia wins the women's race

In the women's category, Ethiopian Wudinesh Alemu took the win in 1:06:35, ahead of Kenyans Selah Businei (1:07:01) and Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony (1:07:32). She receives the same prize money as the men's winner, $27,000, as the organizers apply an identical prize structure for both races.

The Indian national events, reserved for athletes from the country, were won by Shailesh Kushwaha in 1:05:05 and Ankita Dhyani in 1:12:46. Nearly 40,000 runners were registered across all the races, according to the same source.

Why these races matter

Autumn half-marathons in Asia and the Middle East hold a special place in the season for East African athletes: more accessible than the major World Marathon Majors and less physically taxing on the body, they offer high prize money for an hour of racing. It is on this circuit that many Kenyan and Ethiopian runners build their careers before tackling the classic marathon distance.

Following the Chicago Marathon won by Kenyan Amos Kipruto and the Amsterdam Marathon taken by Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu, the autumn calendar confirms the same trend: the majority of the world's major road races are decided between athletes from the Rift Valley and the Ethiopian highlands.