Sekhon IAF Marathon 2026: At a Glance
- Event: Sekhon Indian Air Force Marathon 2026 (SIM-26), 2nd Edition
- Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Gwalior and Jodhpur (plus Thiruvananthapuram — see note below)
- Flagship venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
- Flag-off: Air Chief Marshal AP Singh
- Race categories: 21.1km Half Marathon, 10km, 5km
- Mumbai turnout: Approximately 10,000 participants
- Chandigarh turnout: 5,000+ (3,500+ registered)
- Delhi prize pool: ₹25 lakh+
- Mumbai prize pool: ₹10 lakh
- Organised by: Indian Air Force, Air Force Sports Control Board and Fit India
Fifty-five years ago, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon climbed into his Folland Gnat at Srinagar and took on six Pakistani Sabre jets alone. He never came back. Last Sunday, roughly ten thousand people ran through Mumbai’s Cross Maidan in his name. Another five thousand-plus turned out in Chandigarh. And Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi before dawn to flag off the flagship race. The second edition of the Sekhon IAF Marathon has quietly grown into something worth watching.
The Indian Air Force ran SIM-26 simultaneously across at least seven cities on October 4, with each location operating the same three-distance format under its own local command. Delhi got the headline acts. Every city got a proper race.
How the Sekhon IAF Marathon 2026 Unfolded Across Seven Cities
The New Delhi flagship started and finished at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on a certified route threading through the boulevards around India Gate. Traffic diversions across the JLN Stadium and Lodhi Road corridors ran from 5am to 11am. The Delhi prize purse stood at ₹25 lakh spread across categories, with the Chief of Air Staff personally presenting cash prizes, medals and trophies at the award ceremony.
In Mumbai, the race was based at Cross Maidan and organised by Headquarters Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force. Per the IAF’s official social media account, approximately 10,000 participants ran across all categories. Air Veteran Group Captain Bhabani Shankar Dash (Retd) was among those on the start line. The Mumbai prize pool was ₹10 lakh.
Chandigarh was jointly organised with the Chandigarh administration. Air Marshal George Thomas, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command, attended as chief guest. According to Daily Excelsior, over 5,000 runners took part against 3,500+ pre-registrations. Haryana Police athlete Amit Kumar, who summited Mount Everest in 2011, completed the 10km. In Bengaluru, the race was held at Air Force Station Yelahanka.
| City | Venue | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | Flagged off by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh; ₹25 lakh prize pool; India Gate certified route |
| Mumbai | Cross Maidan | ~10,000 participants; ₹10 lakh prize pool; organised by HQ Maintenance Command IAF |
| Chandigarh | City venue (co-organised with Chandigarh administration) | 5,000+ participants; chief guest Air Marshal George Thomas; Everest summiter on 10km start line |
| Bengaluru | Air Force Station, Yelahanka | Dedicated IAF station venue |
| Guwahati | Not confirmed in published reports | Confirmed host city per Newsonair post-race report |
| Gwalior | Not confirmed in published reports | Confirmed host city per Newsonair post-race report |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Lulu Mall | Dedicated event website; 21.1km, 10km and 5km categories; listed in IAF’s official pre-event announcement |
Source note: Newsonair’s post-event report listed Jodhpur among the host cities. The IAF’s pre-event announcement listed Thiruvananthapuram, which had its own dedicated event website. Both are credible sources. It is possible that both cities hosted editions of SIM-26, taking the total to eight simultaneous locations. This piece will be updated when the IAF publishes a full national summary.
Who Was Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon: The Story Behind the Sekhon IAF Marathon
The Hero Behind the Race
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is the only Indian Air Force officer ever awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest wartime gallantry honour. On December 14, 1971, Pakistani aircraft attacked the Srinagar airfield. Flying Officer Sekhon scrambled his Folland Gnat and, alone and without ground support, engaged six Pakistani Sabre jets in a single engagement. He was killed in action. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Air Vice Marshal Shekhar Yadav, speaking to media on race day, described him as someone who “displayed exceptional courage during the 1971 India-Pakistan War” and whose legacy the marathon exists to honour and keep visible.
That context matters for anyone considering this race. The Sekhon IAF Marathon is not a brand-sponsored city run with a corporate title. It is a military memorial event built around one man’s story. The race categories reflect that: in Delhi they were named the Supersonic 21K, the Interceptor 10K and the Tricolor Tribute 5K. There was also a Wings of Courage 2.5km category. It is the kind of detail that makes a race feel intentional.
How the 2026 Edition Compares to the Inaugural Sekhon IAF Marathon in 2025
The inaugural Sekhon IAF Marathon ran on November 2, 2025. The IAF simultaneously organised races across 46 locations nationwide, drawing between 39,000 and 45,000 participants depending on the reporting source. AIMS World Running recognised it as India’s biggest simultaneously conducted marathon. It was a statement of reach.
From 46 Locations to 7 or 8: What the Shift Means
Pulling back from 46 simultaneous locations to roughly seven or eight is not a retreat. Concentrating the race in larger cities with dedicated IAF station venues, formal chief guest protocols, aviation-themed spectacle and prize purses up to ₹25 lakh makes each edition a proper competitive running event rather than a distributed community walk. The trade-off in raw reach is a trade-up in race quality and runner experience. The trajectory points toward a tighter, better-run national property over time.
What the Sekhon IAF Marathon Race Day Experience Looks Like
The Delhi edition’s signature moment was the Akashganga Skydiving Show, where the IAF’s elite skydiving team descended into Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ahead of the award ceremony. The Air Warrior Drill Team also performed. Every finisher received an IAF commemorative t-shirt, a timing bib, a tribute medal and a partner goodie bag. The event draws a distinctive mix: serving IAF personnel, veterans, defence families and civilian runners all on the same start line, which gives SIM-26 a community texture that city-branded marathons rarely match.
The race is also formally aligned with the Centre’s Fit India Movement, which explains the emphasis on 5km and 10km categories alongside the half marathon. The 21.1km Delhi route is AIMS-certified, which matters if you are using this as a qualifier or a benchmark effort.
Race results across categories had not been publicly aggregated at the time of writing. The official results and timing data will be published at sekhoniafmarathon.in. This article will be updated when full results are available.
FatMarathoner Take
The Sekhon IAF Marathon has the bones of a genuinely great Indian race. The story behind it is extraordinary, the logistics improved sharply in just one year and the combination of meaningful prize money, an AIMS-certified Delhi route and the Akashganga skydiving show gives SIM-26 a character that most Indian city marathons never develop. If the 2027 edition follows this trajectory, this will sit comfortably among India’s top five running events. Mark October 2027 in your calendar now.