Shah Rukh Khan cast a magic spell over the participants of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon here Sunday morning as he mingled with them freely. Many of them even stopped running just to get a glimpse of the superstar who was there to lend support to the event.

"This is the biggest moment of my life... I got to touch Shah Rukh Khan. I bunked my tuition to participate in the run just to meet him, " Prem Kumar, a Class 12 student of Delhi Public School in R.K. Puram, told.

Said Samita Varma, an HR official: "I am here with my husband since six in the morning for an autograph of Shah Rukh... I just love him and would run the whole of the marathon if he runs with me even for a minute."

Clad in a black t-shirt and jeans and sporting goggles, the actor was thrilled at the crowd's response and energy. He, in fact, had to ask the participants to continue running once he was on stage with Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit at Vinay Marg.

"I am very happy to get this opportunity... Events like these bring you together. Sports is an important thing and people should come together and enjoy. I've run a 100 or 200 metre race, which was a short distance and I always used to win, " Shah Rukh, who turns 44, told reporters.

"Though I could not run this time because of my shoulder and knee injury, I'll try to be fit and run next year. Running is a spiritual experience, " he added.

Also present at the run were celebrities like Rahul Bose, Purab Kohli and Simi Garewal.

"We just show this kind of spirit only one day in a year and forget about it on the rest of the 364 days of the year. We should show the same zeal and energy everyday, " said Rahul.

Added Purab Kohli: "I ran the marathon for Friendicoes (SECA), Society for the Eradication of Cruelty to Animals, and completed 21 km in 1 hour, 51 minutes. I have already been preparing for the Mumbai marathon to be held in January and I have been running 18 km in two hours. It feels great to see so many people running together for a cause."