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World-class fields will go for course records and target Olympic qualification in Sunday’s Haspa Marathon Hamburg

Kenya’s defending champion and course record holder Bernard Koech, who tied his personal best with 2:04:09 a year ago, is back while Gotytom Gebreslase, the World Champion from 2022, is the favorite in the women’s race.

The Ethiopian, who has a PB of 2:18:18, wants to secure the third spot for the Paris Olympic race in Hamburg. Fellow-Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw holds Hamburg’s course record of 2:17:23. Late entry Nienke Brinkman will also try to qualify for Paris. The Dutch runner is the bronze medalist from the European Championships in Munich in 2022.

Organizers of Germany’s biggest and fastest spring marathon have registered a record total of 38,210 runners. Among them are 15,000 athletes who will compete in the classic event. “If all goes well on Sunday and the pacemakers run a bit more even and slightly faster we could see similar results to last year. I am curious to see if Gotytom Gebreslase manages to qualify for Paris and if she is able to break the course record. But even a sub 2:20 time is something special since we only have one so far,“ said chief organizer Frank Thaleiser, who introduced an additional bonus of 20,000 Euros for the course records. All runners – men and women – who finish inside the course records share this amount. If there would be one man and three women who clock faster times than the previous records they would each receive 5,000 Euros. “This way we want to encourage the runners in a leading group to go for a fast time after the last pacemaker has dropped out,“ explained Frank Thaleiser.

“Training was going well and compared to last year in Hamburg I have reached the same level. So if the weather conditions are fine then a fast time is possible,“ said Bernard Koech. It is highly unlikely that he could still be selected for the Olympic marathon, but he said: “I will give everything and if they should select me then I will be ready.“ Bernard Koech is one of seven runners in the race who feature personal bests of sub 2:05:00. While Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla is the fastest on the start list with 2:03:34 he has not reached such times in recent years.

Brimin Misoi and Philemon Kiplimo are tipped to be among the strongest challengers for defending champion Koech. Both have done very well on German roads in the past. Misoi has won the Frankfurt Marathon twice in a row. When he defended his title last autumn the Kenyan improved to 2:04:53 despite windy and rainy conditions. He now intends to run faster in Hamburg. “I ran the Paris Marathon at the beginning of April. But because of breathing problems I dropped out and then decided to go for Hamburg,“ said Misoi. It was in Berlin last year, where Philemon Kiplimo improved to 2:04:56 and finished eighth in a very competitive race. “German roads are good for me, so I am looking forward to Sunday. I want to run with the leading group and improve my time,“ said Kiplimo, who has a superb half marathon PB of 58:11.

“We are planning a pace in the region of the course record, may be slightly faster. Additionally there will be a really big group of probably 25 athletes who will target the 2:08:10 Olympic qualifying time“, said Hamburg’s Elite Race Coordinator Jurrie van der Velden of Jos Hermens’ Global management. “We are not quite sure yet, but the women’s leading group might run a pace somewhere between 2:16 and 2:18. There is a group as well which targets Olympic qualification, running sub 2:26:50 pace.“

“It is my goal to qualify for the Olympics on Sunday,“ said Gotytom Gebreslase, who surprisingly won her debut marathon in Berlin in 2021, then went on to become World Champion in the following year and took the silver medal at last year’s global championships in Budapest. Jurrie van der Velden explained that the Ethiopian federation usually selects the two fastest runners during the qualifying window and then picks the athlete who performed best at major championships as long as that athlete confirms good form. When Gebreselase ran the Nagoya Marathon in March she did not finish. “I got stomach problems during the race and dropped out after 35k. Then I trained well and decided to run in Hamburg. I am in good form now and want to run sub 2:18 here. Perhaps I can attack the course record. I would think such a performance should be enough to get selected,“ said Gotytom Gebreslase.

Nienke Brinkman joined Hamburg’s elite field at short notice. The European bronze medalist from 2022 has still not achieved the qualifying time for the Olympics. She ran her PB of 2:22:51 in 2022, but that was outside the qualifying period. A year ago Brinkman clocked a fine 2:24:58 in Boston, but this course is not record eligible and results do not count as qualifying times. However it is a far easier task for Brinkman to achieve qualification in Hamburg than for Gebreslase. Reaching the qualifying standard of 2:26:50 should be enough for the former Durch record holder.

A debutant could well be in the mix for at least a place on the podium: Irine Cheptai is the World Cross Country Champion from 2017. “I started preparing for my marathon debut in January and training went very well. I think I will go with the second group on Sunday,“ said the Kenyan who has already run a very fast and promising half marathon time of 64:53.

Among a number of German runners Katharina Steinruck is probably the one who could produce the national highlight in Hamburg. She improved to 2:24:56 this winter and now hopes to break the family record: It was exactly 25 years ago when Katrin Dörre-Heinig, the bronze medalist of the 1988 Olympic marathon in Seoul, won the Hamburg Marathon with 2:24:35. For many years this remained the German marathon record. “It is my aim to break my Mum’s record and it would be great if I could do it in Hamburg,“ said Steinruck.

Former World Cross Country Champion Irine Cheptai runs marathon debut in Hamburg, Katharina Steinruck chases special record time

Irine Cheptai, Kenya’s World Cross Country Champion from 2017, will run her debut marathon in Hamburg on 28th April. This was announced by the organisers of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, who released some of the top women’s contenders and presented Germany’s Katharina Steinruck during a press conference.

While Steinruck will chase a special family record on the fast Hamburg course it is Winfridah Moseti who heads the current women’s start list. The Kenyan has a personal best of 2:20:55. 14,000 runners are expected to compete in Germany’s biggest spring marathon on 28th April. Online registration for the race is still possible at: www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de

Irine Cheptai has been very successful on the track as well before she focussed more on road running. In 2021 she was sixth in the Olympic 10,000 m final in Tokyo and a year later the Kenyan won the 10,000 m silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Then she showed very promising half marathon races, culminating in a 64:53 PB in Valencia where she was second. With this time Cheptai was the fourth fastest half marathoner in the world in 2023. 

Hamburg has seen great debut marathons in the past. In 2013 it was Eliud Kipchoge who won with a course record of 2:05:30. Two years ago Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw ran an unofficial world debut record of 2:17:23 which still stands as Hamburg’s course record. There are two more debutants on the women’s start list who could do very well on 28th April: Kenya’s Nelly Jepchumba has a half marathon PB of 67:00 while Roselida Jepketer of Bahrain has run 68:40 for the half. 

Winfridah Moseti ran a huge personal best of 2:20:55 when she was runner-up in last year’s Frankfurt Marathon. While the Kenyan will want to build on this performance Frankfurt’s third place finisher will be among her rivals in Hamburg: Sharon Chelimo improved to 2:22:07 last October. Ethiopia’s Kidusan Alema and Canada’s record holder Natasha Wodak, who have personal records of 2:22:28 and 2:23:12 respectively, will also run their spring marathon in Hamburg.

Katharina Steinruck will be very much in the national focus when she hopes to break her mother’s family record. It was exactly 25 years ago when Katrin Dörre-Heinig, the bronze medallist of the 1988 Olympic marathon in Seoul, won the Hamburg Marathon with 2:24:35. For many years this was the German marathon record. “It is my aim to break my Mum’s record and it would be great if I could do it in Hamburg,“ said 34 year-old Katharina Steinruck, who is coached by her mother and improved to 2:24:56 in Osaka at the end of January. “Katha“ Steinruck returns to the race for the first time since 10 years and has good memories.

In 2013 and in 2014 she clocked personal bests of 2:34:20 and 2:33:56 in Hamburg as a young athlete. Ten years later running around ten minutes faster will be the goal. And there could not be a more fitting race than the Haspa Marathon Hamburg to break the family record. 

Irine Cheptai to make marathon debut at the 2024 Haspa Marathon

The 2017 World Cross-country champion Irine Cheptai will make her full marathon debut at the 38th edition of the Haspa Marathon in Hamburg.

Reigning Copenhagen Half Marathon champion Irine Cheptai will make her full marathon debut at the 38th edition of the Haspa Marathon on Sunday, April 28.

The 2017 World Cross-country champion has competed on all surfaces from the track to cross-country and she will finally make her debut in the 42km distance in April.

Cheptai finished second at the 2023 Valencia Half Marathon and third at the Annual Charity Run in Saudi Arabia.

The Commonwealth 10,000m silver medalist opened her season with an eighth-place finish at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja and she now gears up for the 42km distance where she hopes to impress. Other notable debutants at the event will be Nelly Jepchumba and Roselida Jepketer.

Meanwhile, Winfridah Moseti and Sharon Chelimo from Kenya headline the field. Moseti took second place at the 2023 Frankfurt Marathon with a time of 2:20:55, while Chelimo also put in a strong performance with a time of 2:22:07.

The Ethiopian charge will be led by Kidusan Alema while Canada’s Natasha Wodak (Canadian record holder with a personal best of 02:23:12) will also be in the mix seeking top honors. Margaret Wangari from Kenya with a time of 2:23:52 also seeks to spoil the party.

Portuguese runner Jessica Augusto (02:24:25) will also be at the start again, having won the marathon back in 2017.

“We are excited to see what awaits us at the 38th Haspa Marathon Hamburg. Hamburg has proven to be a springboard for great runners in the past, as we saw for example with Eliud Kipchoge, who once made his debut in Hamburg. So it remains exciting to see which new talents will prove themselves on the track this year,” race organizers said.

Kandie and Chelimo victorious in Valencia

Kibiwott Kandie ran the fourth-fastest time in history to win a close men’s race while Margaret Chelimo moved into the all-time top 10 to claim the women’s title and secure a Kenyan double at the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (22).

Held under ideal weather conditions with a temperature of 15°C at the start and no wind, the men's event saw four athletes break 58 minutes, led by Kandie's 57:40. Making his first appearance over the distance this year, the former world record-holder achieved his third win in Valencia to deny some top-class competition. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha was second in a national record of 57:41 and he was followed over the finish line by his compatriots Hagos Gebrhiwet, who matched Kejelcha’s time, and Selemon Barega, who ran 57:50 in the second half marathon of his career.

In the women's race, Chelimo dipped under 1:05 for the first time to win in a PB of 1:04:46 ahead of her compatriots Irine Cheptai, who clocked 1:04:53, and Janet Chepngetich, who ran 1:05:15.

Hat-trick for Kandie

The pacemakers went out at a steady 2:45/km pace to target a finish time of around 58 minutes as agreed at the pre-race technical meeting. But Kandie clearly had other ideas and just before the 5km checkpoint the defending champion overtook the pacemakers after unleashing a devastating change of speed which saw him cover that kilometre in a frantic 2:39 to reach 5km in 13:43.

Only two athletes could live with that pace: the gold and silver 5km medallists at the recent World Road Running Championships in Riga, Gebrhiwet and Kejelcha. Surprisingly, world half marathon champion Sebastian Sawe remained in the chasing group, while Olympic 10,000m champion Barega managed to rejoin the leading group one kilometre later.

Kandie pushed hard to cover the next 3km split in a blistering 8:08, always with the threatening Ethiopian trio on his shoulder. They went through the 10km mark in 27:15, a time that predicted a 57:29 finish to indicate that the world record of 57:31 set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in 2021 was feasible. Kandie was just one second slower than Kiplimo’s mark when he broke the world record to win in Valencia in 2020.

Some 31 minutes into the race, Barega moved to the front for the first time. The fast pace maintained, with several kilometre splits of 2:42, but after a 13th kilometre covered in 2:50, Kandie regained the lead as he tried to leave his rivals behind before the closing stages.

The lead quartet cruised through the 15km point in 41:01 following a slower three kilometre split of 8:24 to forecast a 57:39 final time, but the possibility of a world record and a thrilling finish was still there as four top athletes remained in contention.Barega was the first to drop as he began to lose ground just before the 19th kilometre and shortly afterwards Kejelcha – the world indoor record-holder for the mile – took the lead to go through that 19th kilometre in 51:52, just three seconds outside of the required world record pace. From there, the race turned into a tactical affair as victory became the priority of the leading trio.

At that point, the race looked like it might be between Kejelcha and Gebrhiwet, given their track credentials, but it was Kandie who found another gear with some 380m left to run and his Ethiopian opponents could not replicate his sudden burst of speed.

Kandie crossed the finish line in 57:40, the second-fastest time of his career behind his former world record of 57:32. He now has two of the four fastest half marathon times in history and the performance is a world lead of almost one minute.

Kejelcha kept Gebrhiwet at bay to get some revenge following his defeat in Riga as he shattered his own Ethiopian record by 51 seconds. Gebrhiwet and Barega completed a classy top four, while the world champion Sawe was never a threat and finished fifth in 58:29.

“Honestly, I was not aiming for the world record today but I felt strong throughout and pushed hard for most of the race,” said Kandie. “I promise to return to Valencia and regain the world record anyway. I'll next focus on my build-up for the Valencia Marathon on 3 December.”

Spain's Carlos Mayo erased Fabian Roncero's 22-year-old national record thanks to a 59:39 time that placed him 13th, while Portugal's Samuel Barata smashed the 26-year-old Portuguese record with 59:40 in 14th. Italy's Pietro Riva also dipped under the one hour barrier for the first time with 59:41.

Chelimo proves strongest

The women's contest kicked off at an even 3:06/km pace with six athletes at the helm: Kenya's Chelimo, Cheptai and Chepngetich, plus Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase and Tigist Gezahagn, and Germany's Melat Kejeta.

Kenyan Irine Cheptai the latest addition to deep Valencia Half Marathon women's field

The Valencia Half Marathon will be Cheptai's second race of the season.

Irine Cheptai will be looking to extend her winning streak after being a late addition to the 2023 Valencia Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday, October 22.

Cheptai has only competed once this season, at the Copenhagen Half Marathon where she dominated, clocking 1:05:53 to win the race.

The 31-year-old will be competing in the streets of Valencia for the first time and will be banking on her half marathon experience on other courses to also impress in Spain’s capital.

Last year, she had a busy season as compared to this year where she will only be racing twice. In 2022, Cheptai opened her season with second-place finishes at both the New York City Half Marathon and Prague Half Marathon.

The Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist then went ahead to win the TCS World 10K Bengaluru before heading to the 2022 National Trials for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Before competing at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, Cheptai went to the AJC Peachtree Road Race and finished second, and then she finished second in Birmingham too.

She later won the Birell Prague Grand Prix and ended her season with a win at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, one of her favorite courses.

She still seems to be in good shape after opening her season late and being able to secure a resounding victory. However, the field in Valencia is nothing to play around with.

She will face off against former World marathon champion Gotytom Gebreslase. The Ethiopian will be competing in her second Half Marathon race after opening her season with a second-place finish at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon.

Cheptai will also enjoy good company from her compatriots including the World Half Marathon silver medalist Margaret Chelimo, and Janet Chepng’etich.

Edward Cheserek, Irine Cheptai set PBs 2023 Copenhagen Half Marathon

Edward Cheserek and Irine Cheptai set personal bests on their way to leading the men and women 2023 Copenhagen Half Marathon results on Sunday. The Top 25 results below shows Edward Cheserek running 59:11 and Irine Cheptai clocking 1:05:53

The 2023 Copenhagen Half Marathon results and report on Sunday, 17 September, as Kenyan runners Edward Cheserek and Irine Cheptai won the men’s and women’s respective titles with a pair of quality runs to set personal bests in the Elite races.

On the men’s side, the top six finishers went faster than 60 minutes today, led by Cheserek, who crossed the finishing line at a new personal best time of 59:11. This was the first time Cheserek was breaking 60 minutes for the half marathon with his previous PB of 1:00:13 set in 2022 in Valencia.

Following the former Oregon Duck and NCAA standout home on Sunday was his countryman Bernard Koech, who clocked 59:13 in second place. Ethiopia’s Gemechu Dida ran 59:31 for third place and completed the podium.

The women’s 2023 Copenhagen Half Marathon results and report was led by three-time world champion Irine Cheptai from Kenya, who set a new personal best today, stopping the clock at 1:05:53.

Kenyan runners swept the podium in the women’s race with Winfridah Moseti finishing in second place with 1:06:40, followed by countryman Jesca Chelangat, who ran 1:07:03 for third.

Meanwhile, Jacob Sommer Simonsen was top Denmark finisher today, clocking in at 1:03:40 to take the national title and finishing 25th overall.

On the women’s side, the national winner was Carolien Millenaar, who ran 1:14:50 for first-place among the Denmark runners and

Bernard Koech using Copenhagen Half Marathon to calibrate for Amsterdam Marathon

Koech will be testing his limits by competing against youngsters.

Reigning Haspa Marathon champion Bernard Koech will use the Copenhagen Half Marathon to fine-tune for the Amsterdam Marathon scheduled for Sunday, October 15.

The Copenhagen Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, September 17 and Koech will be testing his limits competing against youngsters.

The 35-year-old is the second fastest in the field with a Personal Best time of 59:10. 24-year-old Kennedy Kimutai headlines the strong field with a time of 58:28.

Kimutai opened his season at the New York City Half Marathon where he finished 12th then proceeded to settle fifth at the Adizero Road to Records.

Bravin Kiprop is the third fastest with a PB time of 59:22. Greatest opposition for Team Kenya might come from the Ethiopian charge. Gerba Dibaba will be lining up with a PB time of 59:39 and he will enjoy the company of Gemechu Dida who has a PB time of 59:53.

The women’s field is headlined by Hawi Feysa who possesses a Personal Best time of 1:05:41 and is followed closely by compatriot Bosena Mulate who has a PB time of 1:05:46.

Gladys Chepkirui is the third fastest in the field with a time of 1:05:46. The 29-year-old Kenyan will be hunting for the first win of her season when she lines up against other strong women.

She opened her season with a fourth-place finish at the Zurich Half Marathon before going to a 5km race at the ASICS Österreichischer Frauenlauf where she finished third.

Her last race was at the Scania Half Marathon Zwolle in Netherlands where she finished second. Chepkirui will enjoy the company of compatriots Irine Cheptai and Viola Cheptoo among others.

Ethiopia’s two-time 5000m world champion, Muktar Edris eyes course record at Delhi Half Marathon

Muktar Edris, has set his sights on breaking the course record at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, scheduled to be held on a beautifully laid out race route here on Sunday. Edris, whose summer season was derailed by an untimely calf injury, has landed in India with a target of producing the fastest half-marathon time ever seen in the country and beating the course record of 58:53 set by his compatriot Amedework Walelegn in 2020.

It would earn him a $12,000 bonus in addition to a winner’s cheque of $27,000.

Edris had made an impressive debut in Delhi in 2020 and finished fourth on that occasion with a timing of 59:04. The 28-year-old improved his personal best in the Spanish city of Valencia 12 months ago to 58:40 to make him the fastest runner in the 17th edition of the World Athletics Elite Label Race, which is one of the world’s most prestigious races over the distance.

“Sunday will be only my third half marathon but I will certainly try for the course record. I am now back in good shape. I ran well [over 5000m on the track] at the Diamond League in Rome in the summer but had some calf problems after another race in Paris. When I went to Eugene [to defend his world title], I didn’t get a good result but now everything is much better,” commented Edris at the pre-race press conference.

Just two weeks ago, Edris had his first race since the World Athletics Championships in July and got a morale-boosting 10km win on the roads in Trento, Italy over a high-quality field.

Among Edris’s challengers on Sunday will be Kenya’s Felix Kipkoech and Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa, the second and third fastest men in the field with personal bests of 58:57 and 59:10, respectively.In the elite women’s section, Kenya’s Irine Cheptai – already a winner in India at this year’s TCS World 10K Bengaluru in May – revealed that she would soon end her track career to focus on marathons.“Next year, I want to run my first marathon and so this race is a preparation for that,” said the 2017 world cross country champion and the fastest woman in the international elite field with a personal best of 66:43.

Cheptai’s main rival will be Ethiopia’s Lemlem Hailu, the 2022 world indoor 3000m champion, who will be making her debut over the distance having never run further than four miles before.

Eilish McColgan wins Commonwealth gold in a dazzling record performance

Scotland’s Eilish McColgan ran the race of her lifetime to win Commonwealth Games gold in the women’s 10,000m with her coach and mom Liz McColgan watching on (second photo). She ran a Commonwealth Games record of 30:48.60 to follow in the footsteps of her mother 32 years ago.

McColgan took the lead early on and began to inject some speed into the race after 6,000m. Irine Cheptai of Kenya followed suit, with the two athletes battling over the final 2,000m, surging back and forth. Cheptai put on a surge with two laps to go and McColgan held on. With 200 meters to go, the two were stride for stride, then McColgan pulled ahead, achieving glory in front of a (near) home crowd.

The sold-out crowd of 32,000 at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium roared as McColgan sprinted to her first gold medal at an international competition. She ran straight to her the arms of her mother, Liz, where the two shed tears of joy and triumph, while wrapped in the Scottish flag.

Cheptai, the 2017 world cross country champion, won the silver in 30:49.52 and her compatriot Sheila Kiprotich won bronze in 31:09.46.

This gold medal is a story of redemption for McColgan, who caught COVID-19 only weeks before her race at the 2022 World Championships last month.

The 31-year-old from Dundee, Scotland has previously won silver and bronze at the European Championships over 3,000 and 5,000m. She currently holds the British record over 5,000m, 5K, 10K and the half marathon.

McColgan will now shift her focus to training for London Marathon this October, where she hopes to become the first woman from Scotland to win the race since her mother did it 26 years ago.

Senbere Teferi wins women’s elite division at AJC Peachtree Road Race

Two-time Olympian Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia won the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race women’s elite race with a time of 30:49. The two-time Olympian just narrowly edged Irine Cheptai.

Immediately after finishing, Teferi was sent to the medical tent, suffering a post-run sickness.

Kenyans Take First Prize at Prague Half Marathon

RunCzech finally returned to Prague after three years. Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon was attended by around 9000 runners, among them also elite world athletes.

Four Kenyans ran to the finish line in under one hour. The Prague Half Marathon was dominated by Keneth Kiprop Renju in a time of 59:28.

Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo finished second and Mathew Kipkorir Kimeli was third.

The fastest woman of this year’s edition was Nesphine Jepleting with a time of 1:06:57. The best Czech runner was Jiří Homoláč, who managed the half marathon in 1:04:36, the fastest female Czech was Hana Homolková (1:20:31).

“I really liked the race, I enjoyed it a lot. Even though it was too cold, it was good. I had a more critical moment in the middle of the half marathon. Even though I didn’t feel pressure on myself, I wanted to win,” Renju said at the finish. “The weather caught me by surprise, I didn’t expect it to be so cold. The worst was the headwind, which made it really hard in some moments. I wanted to break my personal best, but I’m glad I showed such time. It’s a good start to the season, next time I could reach my maximum,” Jepleting said.

Already at the fifth kilometer, a group of elite runners was formed, eight Kenyans had the same time. At the tenth kilometer, only a group of four, Keneth Kiprop Renju, Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo, Bernard Kimeli and Mathew Kipkorir Kimeli, were at the front. Everyone had a time of 27:52.

The same four runners led the fifteenth kilometer. Before the finish, Renju and Kimaiyo grabbed each other, after crossing the Mánes Bridge, the first mentioned one broke away, who then first reached the finish.

“The race was very windy, from the sixth kilometer it was causing problems because there was a headwind. I had to lean into it from the seventh kilometer. I would like to run here again next year because this track is fast. A world record may fall here. Despite the conditions here, it was fast,” Renju added at the finish. A world record may fall here. Despite the conditions here, it was fast,” Renju added at the finish.

For the women, From the 10th kilometer, the favourites Nesphine Jepleting and Chepet Irine Cheptai broke away from the rest, they were also at the front at the fifteenth kilometer and built up a one-and-a-half-minute lead over the others. At the finish, Jepleting finally rejoiced in the triumph.

“I could run faster, but it was too cold and windy. During the race, I doubted I could win. But the mental strength, my head, helped me. In the group we ran until the twelfth kilometer, then we accelerated as we wanted,” said the fastest woman Nesphine Jepleting.

Yeremchuk ran for Ukraine

Sofia Yaremchuk, who is originally from Ukraine but has been racing for Italy for a year, improved her personal best. She finished fifth in a time of under 1 hour and 10 minutes.

“I ran for Ukraine and for all the people and men who are fighting in Ukraine. I want to tell everyone that Ukraine does not want war, the whole world does not want war, we all want peace,” Yaremchuk added, showing a time of 1:09:09. “I’m happy because I have my new record and I finished with the Ukrainian flag.”

Kenyan Philemon Kiplimo set to take part in the Prague Half Marathon

The start list of the thrilling Sportisimo 1/2 Marathon Prague is full of big names and future global stars. Kenyan Philemon Kiplimo, a member of the RunCzech Racing team, will also be seen at Prague’s fast course on Saturday, April 2.

In addition to the eighth man of the world tables with a personal best of 58:11, his compatriots Kennedy Kimutai and Keneth Renju will be among the favorites for the victory.

The best known Czech athlete on the course will be Jiří Homoláč. Among women, the contenders are Brenda Jepleting and Irine Cheptai from Kenya, with strong running also being expected from Petra Kamínková and Hana Homolková from the Czech Republic.

In the last 5 years, the world record has been broken on five occasions here, at home. In the half marathon in September 2020, during the middle pandemic, Kenyan Peres Jepchirchi took care of it in time 1:05:34. Twenty-three-year-old Philemon Kiplimo will be making another personal best effort, trying to improve on the time he ran in Valencia two years ago.

The winner of the half marathons in Boston and Bahrain celebrated second place in the Czech Republic two years ago and will be looking for a victory. His great opponent will certainly be his compatriot Kennedy Kimutai, ranked 11th on the World Athletics all-time half marathon list.

Last year, he shined at the half marathon in Valencia, where he was fourth with 58:28. Another athlete to watch for is Keneth Renju, placed just four places below (7 seconds) Kennedy and aiming at the podium.

The best Czech endurance runner, Jiří Homoláč (1:03:23) is going to keep pace with the rest of the field. The record of the Prague Half Marathon is held by Ethiopian Atsedu Tsegay, who in 2012 stormed through the course in a time of 58:47.

Among the women, Kenyan Irine Cheptai and Nelly Jepchumba and, especially, Brenda Jepleting are expected to fight for the top positions.

The Sportisimo 1/2 Marathon Prague which starts at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 2, after two years of Covid-19 related break, will send a strong message of peace.

Among other activities, the organizers plan to hand out symbolic bracelets in Ukrainian national colors before the start.