Half marathon specialist eyes glory in first 42km race in Abu Dhabi

The 2023 World Half Marathon champion Catherine Reline is set to make her marathon debut at the Abu Dhabi Marathon this Saturday.

Though a debutant, Reline is no novice to the grueling 42km distance. She served as a pacemaker in the 2023 London Marathon, where Olympic champion Sifan Hassan triumphed in 2:18:33, edging Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu ( 2:18:37 ) and Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir ( 2:18:38 ).

In April 2024, Reline again set the pace in London, this time witnessing Jepchirchir’s record-breaking 2:16:16 run, a women’s only world record.

Reline enters the Abu Dhabi Marathon in strong form. In September, she clinched third place at the Copenhagen Half Marathon, clocking 1:06:09 behind Margaret Chelimo ( 1:05:11 ) and Judy Kemboi ( 1:05:43 ).

Earlier this year, she placed sixth at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February ( 1:06:49 ) and missed on Kenya’s 10,000m Olympic team at the Eugene Trials with a seventh-place finish ( 30:07.42 ).

Reline’s resume, however, remains formidable including her bronze medal from the 2023 World Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia, where she finished in 1:07:34 behind Jepchirchir (1:07:25) and Margaret Chelimo (1:07:26 ).

She holds a victory from the 2022 Telese Terme Half Marathon in Italy where she clocked 1:07:08. Reline will be in the company of 2023 Beijing marathon champion Vibian Chepkurui.

Chepkurui’s accolades include back-to-back titles from the 2021 ( 2:24:29 ) and 2022 ( 2:20:59 ) Wien marathon. She further holds titles from the Atlanta (1:08:46) and Santa Pola (1 :09:28) Half Marathons.

Completing a strong Kenyan contingent are Aurelia Jerotich, the 2024 Bali Marathon champion, Pauline Narogoi and Lille Half Marathon champion Susan Chembai.

Their main competition will come from Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, a two-time Olympic 10,000m champion and 2023 Rotterdam marathon runners-up Dolshi Tesfu of Eritrea.

In the men’s race, 2023 Seoul Marathon runners-up Mike Boit will spearhead Kenya’s charge joined by 2018 Istanbul Marathon champion Felix Kimutai.

Kimutai’s Marathon resume includes runners-up finishes in Buenos Aires 2017 and Abu Dhabi 2022. Meanwhile, Boit placed third at the 2019 Guangzhou Marathon clocking 2:08:58.

The duo will be joined by 2023 Daegu Marathon runners-up Stanley Bett, 2024 Riyadh Marathon champion Wilfred Kigen and 2024 Millan Marathon runners-up Raymond Choge—forming a strong Kenyan contingent.

posted Tuesday December 10th
by Teddy Mulei