Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The half marathon is a road running event covering 13.1094 miles or 21.0975 kilometers, exactly half the distance of a standard marathon. Introduced in the 1950s as an alternative to the full marathon, it has grown significantly in popularity, with thousands of events held worldwide each year. Although not included in the Olympic or World Athletics Championships, the half marathon features in the World Athletics Road Running Championships, which replaced the World Half Marathon Championships in 2023. The inaugural Road Running Championships took place in Riga in 2023, with the next scheduled for San Diego in 2025.
There are two recognized women’s half marathon world records, distinguished by race format. Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya holds the women-only race record with a time of 1:05:16 set in 2020. In mixed races, where women compete alongside men, Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey set the record at 1:02:52 in October 2021. Kenya and Ethiopia have been especially prominent in women’s half marathon running.
The men’s half marathon world record has progressed over time. The first officially listed world best was Ron Hill’s 1:05:44 in 1965, though Abebe Bikila’s split time of 1:04:28 from the 1964 Olympics was faster. Moses Tanui broke the one-hour barrier in 1993 with a 59:47 finish. The current world record holder is Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who ran 57:31 in November 2021, narrowly surpassing the previous record set by Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya.
Elite half marathon runners include world record holders Jacob Kiplimo, Letesenbet Gidey, and Peres Jepchirchir. Other notable athletes are world champions like Sabastian Sawe, Florence Kiplagat, Lornah Kiplagat, and Zersenay Tadese. Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya is notable for winning three consecutive world half marathon titles between 2014 and 2018. Mo Farah, a multiple Olympic and world champion across distances, is also recognized among top half marathon runners.