Youth First 

Confirmation Criteria

 

Entry to the Half Marathon race category is only against a timing certificate. You must have fulfilled the requirements mentioned below, under each criterion, to apply for the half marathon category. Please go through all details mentioned below and the application form before submitting your application.

I] Timed Runner

*Applicants, please note -

You must have participated in a distance running event that fulfils the following requirements:

1. The running event must have been conducted on or after 1 January 2024.

2. To be eligible for this confirmation under this criterion, your timing certificate needs to show your finish time as specified below:

Half marathon 21.097km                                                                                                       03:30:00 or faster

10km                                                                                                                                         01:35:00 or faster

5km                                                                                                                                          01:00:00 or faster

Age Category table

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 Category                          21.097 Km                           10 Km                             5Km

 

18-30                                    02:50:00                             01:17:00

 

 

30-40                                   03:00:00                             01:22:00

 

 

40-50                                    03:10:00                              01:27:00

 

 

50-60                                    03:20:00                             01:32:00

 

 

60-70                                     03:40:00                            01:37:00

 

 

70+                                         03:50:00                            01:47:00

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3. Applicants will get their confirmation within 10-12 working days of registration.

4. Applicants can submit timing certificates of only those events wherein Race promoters/organizers need to follow the below-mentioned guidelines, for timing certificates of their races to be considered under the confirmation criteria. Where any of the guidelines are not followed by a promoter/organizer, or where there are many issues/complaints relating to timing, distance, or technical conduct of the race,Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research may, at its sole discretion, not accept the timing certificates of such running events. The decision of the Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research in this regard will be final and binding.

(i) The running event must have been conducted on or after 1st January 2024.

​(ii) The course is measured either by an accredited World Athletics/AIMS measurer using the calibrated bicycle method as explained here OR by a local state athletic association representative using a GPS measurement device. Measurement by a GPS device has been found to underestimate course length by approximately 200m over a half-marathon distance, so the target reading for a GPS-measured half-marathon should be 1% more than the advertised distance, i.e., 21.31 km. Equivalent GPS device target lengths for other race distances would be: 10 km- 10.1 km, 21km - 21.1 km. The measurement report must be uploaded to the official website of the event.

(iii)All runners are compulsorily timed using RFID technology.

• Timing tags must have been securely pasted to the running number bibs before handing them over to the runners – timing tags must not be handed out loose to the runners.

• The provisional timing results are displayed on the website within 12 hours of the published closing hour of the race.

Final race results should be available on the event website and verifiable online

(iv) The qualification timings mentioned above (point 2) will be considered only for confirmation eligibility of an applicant in the Half Marathon race category. Timing results, rankings and certificates of the Youth First Half Marathon 2026 will be generated only for runners who complete the 21.097 distance within 3 hour 30 minutes from their start time.

(v) Please note, that accepting timing certificates of an event for entry confirmation is at the sole discretion of the Event Promoter, Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research.

 

Guidelines for race promoters/organizers of running events –

1. Race promoters/organizers need to follow the below mentioned guidelines for timing certificates of their races to be considered under confirmation criteria. Where any of the guidelines are not followed by a promoter/organizer, or where there are many issues/complaints relating to timing, distance or technical conduct of the race, Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research may at its sole discretion, not accept the timing certificates of such running events. The decision of PIPL in this regard will be final and binding

2. The running event must have been conducted on or after 1st January 2024.

3. The course must be measured by an AIMS ratified/local state athletic association representative; and the measurement report must be uploaded on the official website of the event.

4. All runners are compulsorily timed using the RFID technology.

• Timing tags must have been securely pasted to the running number bibs before handing over to the runners – timing tags must not be handed out loose to runners.

• In addition to the timing mats at the start and finish gates, the course should have the following minimum number of mats on the course (split points) –

• For a half marathon course (21.097 km), at least 2 split point timing mats.

• For a 10 km course, at least 1 split timing mat.

• The provisional timing results are displayed on the website within 12 hours of the published closing hour of the race. Results and timing certificates should be available for verification by Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research on the website.

Final Race results should be available on the event website and verifiable online. Such final results must also include the timings of runners recorded on the minimum number of split points as mentioned in point iv(c) above.                                                                                                                           

  5. Adequate verifiable mechanisms are required to be put in place to verify that the Youth First Half         Marathon 2026 applicant is the runner who registered and ran at the running event in question.

  6. Runners with results that show timings of a lesser number of split points/split point timing data not  available, such timing results/certificates will not be considered for the Youth First Half Marathon.

  7. In case it is observed that there are a substantial number of finishers with one or more timing split point missing data/data not available, Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research may at its sole discretion, not accept timing certificates of such running events. The decision of the Global Centre For Social Dynamics Research shall be final and binding.

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II] Women’s Criteria

To encourage women's participation, there are a limited number of running places reserved for women applicants. To get confirmed, women applicants also need to submit a timing certificate from a distance running event, with net finish time fulfilling the guidelines mentioned in the ‘Timed Runner’ criteria given above. Registration in this criterion will be on a first-come first-served basis.

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