15th Hyderabad Marathon Scheduled for August 29 and 30 With 32,000 Runners

The 15th edition of the Hyderabad Marathon is scheduled to take place across Hyderabad on August 29 and 30, with more than 32,000 participants expected to compete across four race categories: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K.

Organised by the Hyderabad Runners Society in partnership with NMDC Ltd, IDFC FIRST Bank, and the Telangana government, the event has once again secured the World Athletics Label. The marathon will feature elite athletes from India and abroad, leading distance runners, and thousands of amateur fitness enthusiasts, competing for a total prize purse of Rs 45 lakh.

The 2026 edition follows an international sustainability milestone achieved during the previous year's event. The NMDC Hyderabad Marathon 2025 became the first marathon in India to receive the World Athletics Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Silver Standard, scoring 84 points in an independent evaluation covering planning, implementation, documentation, and measurable impact.

Sustainability initiatives implemented for the event include a zero-waste-to-landfill approach, with waste segregated for recycling, composting, and biogas conversion. Organisers replaced single-use plastics with biodegradable cornstarch plates, wooden cutlery, and recyclable paper cups. Nearly 30 per cent of participants opted for a voluntary ‘No Tee Shirt’ option.

Additional environmental measures included achieving 100 per cent recycling of water bottles used at the stadium and up-cycling discarded flex banners in partnership with Goonj. Green mobility was supported through more than 100 buses for participant transit alongside electric vehicles for elite runners and volunteers, while race routes were monitored for air quality, waste dumping, and garbage burning.

PVS Prasad, a runner and volunteer, noted that Hyderabad Runners Society has supported more than 7,000 first-time runners through its ‘Couch to 5K’ programme and maintains more than 30 running groups across Hyderabad to offer training, mentoring, and community support.

For the 2026 edition, the marathon has partnered with more than 30 charitable organisations with a fundraising target of Rs 4 crore.