Airtel's marathon a brand building exercise

First introduced in 2004, marathons have become something of an annual event on the social calendar, not least because they provide a huge networking opportunity for anyone who is reasonably fit ' from common or garden executives to page three and corporate celebs.

For Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecom company by subscriber numbers, the 21.09 km Delhi half-marathon on Sunday provides a unique opportunity to build the brand in its largest and oldest market, Delhi.

The total prize money is in tune of $210,000. Men and women standing first will win $25,000 each making it one of the richest half-marathons in the world.

Earlier this year, Bharti crossed the 5 million-subscriber mark in the city and NCR region.