Delhi runs marathon despite choking 400 AQI air.
Despite toxic air, hundreds joined Delhi’s marathons and cyclothons, drawing sharp criticism online over health and safety concerns.
‘Marathon in 400 AQI’: As Delhi Chokes, Fitness Events Spark Outrage and Concern
New Delhi, November 2, 2025: As a dense, toxic haze engulfed Delhi on Sunday, the city woke up to an unsettling contradiction — hundreds of fitness enthusiasts gathered to run and cycle through the smog-choked streets, even as the Air Quality Index (AQI) soared beyond the 400 mark, officially placing the capital in the “severe” category.
While the city gasped for breath, videos and photos from the Sekhon IAF Marathon 2025 — flagged off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium — flooded social media, showing actors Archana Puran Singh, Huma Qureshi, Shefali Shah, and Sunil Grover cheering participants on. The sight of runners pushing through thick smog, their faces glistening with both sweat and dust, triggered a wave of criticism online.
“Marathon in 400 AQI. At least worry a bit about our country’s image in the world. Who are these people allowing such things to happen? Where is our conscience?” read a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter). The post accompanied a video clip from the event and quickly went viral, resonating with many who saw the decision to hold outdoor fitness events amid hazardous pollution as deeply irresponsible.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Over the weekend, Delhi recorded one of its highest pollution levels of the season, with thick layers of smog blanketing the skyline, reducing visibility, and leaving a faint chemical odor in the air. For many residents, simply stepping outdoors felt like inhaling smoke. The city’s AQI, hovering between 410 and 460 across monitoring stations, indicated that the air was filled with microscopic pollutants capable of entering the bloodstream and damaging vital organs.
Yet, despite the grim reality, hundreds of participants — many wearing masks, some not — showed up at the marathon and other similar events, determined to continue their fitness routines. “We’ve been training for months; cancelling wasn’t an option,” said Neha Arora, a runner who completed the 10 km race. “Yes, the air was bad, but we tried to take precautions. It’s about discipline and mental strength.”
But not everyone shared that optimism. Health experts and fellow runners voiced alarm over the potential consequences. Cold, cough, and fever will be the immediate after-effects of running in this worst AQI,**” one user posted, echoing what doctors have long warned — that physical exertion in such poor air quality magnifies health risks, from respiratory irritation to long-term lung damage.
Another X user put it bluntly: “If people don’t care about their health and well-being, why would the government bother? Running a marathon in this pollution is nothing short of suicidal, and yet people choose to turn up.”
The Indian Air Force, which organized the marathon, has not yet issued an official statement addressing the criticism. According to organizers, the event was planned months in advance as part of an annual initiative to promote fitness and honor the legacy of Air Force officers. However, many questioned why the event wasn’t postponed given the visible environmental emergency.
Doctors and environmentalists have been sounding the alarm for days. Anything above 400 is toxic, especially for children, the elderly, and athletes engaging in outdoor activity,” said Dr. Rajiv Arora, a pulmonologist at AIIMS. “The pollutants in Delhi’s air — mainly PM2.5 and PM10 — can trigger asthma attacks, reduce lung function, and increase cardiovascular stress. Running in these conditions is effectively poisoning yourself.”
Despite such warnings, Delhi has continued to host outdoor activities, highlighting a larger cultural contradiction — the pursuit of fitness amid an environment that’s anything but healthy. The marathon and several smaller cyclothons held over the weekend reflect a growing trend of public endurance events, but also a lack of coordination between health advisories and event management.
Critics argue that this insensitivity to environmental realities reveals how normalized pollution has become in Delhi life. “It’s like we’ve accepted the smog as part of our routine,” said environmental activist Meera Sethi. “Instead of demanding clean air, we are running marathons in poison. That says something about our priorities.”
For the city’s residents, the irony wasn’t lost. Many expressed frustration that while people were being urged to stay indoors, schools were shut, and construction halted, large public gatherings were still being permitted in such hazardous conditions.
By evening, as the haze thickened again and the orange glow of the setting sun dimmed behind layers of smoke, the debate continued online. Some applauded the runners’ resilience and spirit; others saw the event as a tone-deaf display of denial in a city struggling for every breath.
Whether a symbol of strength or stubbornness, Sunday’s marathon left a stark message hanging in the polluted air — Delhi’s fight for fitness means little until it wins the fight for clean air.