The women’s half marathon world record was shattered this morning at the 11th edition of the RAK Half Marathon. A remarkable performance by a Kenyan runner, last year’s IAAF World Champion for the distance, saw her cross the finish line in 65:06, breaking the previous record by three seconds. This record was previously held by another Kenyan athlete, who set the time in Barcelona just under two years ago.

Despite a challenging bout with pneumonia at the end of 2016, the 23-year-old athlete, who finished 4th in last year’s race, also set a new world record for the 20km mark in a mixed race, clocking 61:40. This achievement improved the previous record by 14 seconds, also set in Barcelona.

Following her, a three-time champion of the RAK Half Marathon, significantly improved her personal best and came close to the old world record with a time of 65:13. Another Kenyan runner completed a clean sweep for Kenya, finishing in 66:08, marking a personal best by almost three minutes.

Men’s Race Highlights

In the men’s race, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championship silver medalist claimed victory over the last three kilometers, finishing with a time of 59:10. This win was well-deserved, with a personal best improvement of four seconds, contributing significantly to the fast pace in the latter half of the race.

In second place, last year’s fastest 10,000m runner from Ethiopia clocked 59:19, a personal best by 29 seconds. Another remarkable performance came from an athlete in only his third half marathon, finishing with a time of 59:26.

Results

Men

1. Bedan Karoki (59:10)
2. Yigrem Demelash (59:19)
3. Augustine Choge (59:26)
4. Solomon Yego (59:50)
5. Nguse Amlosom (60:04)

Women

1. Peres Jepchirchir (65:06)
2. Mary Keitany (65:13)
3. Joyciline Jepkosgei (66:08)
4. Jemima Sumgong (66:43)
5. Tirunesh Dibaba (66:50)

These results underscore the high level of competition and the impressive performances seen at this year’s RAK Half Marathon.