Half marathon record

The half marathon: A hybrid distance, between pure speed and controlled endurance

The half marathon is a curious balance. On the one hand, you have to hold an all-out effort for more than an hour—or two for mere mortals 🏃. On the other, this race demands razor-precise pace management so you don’t slip into an effort zone that’s too intense 🥵. No wonder this distance has become a real playground for elites, in pursuit of ever-crazier records 🤯. On the road, the best 15K and 20K specialists can fully express their potential 🚀. But the half is an event where many different profiles can shine ✨. Track stars of the 10,000 m and 5,000 m bring their speed to sustain infernal rhythms, while the best marathoners draw on their immense resilience to hold the pace all the way to 21.0975 km 📏. Long kept in the shadow of the marathon 🌒, the half has carved out a special place in runners’ hearts. It demands metronomic rigor, precise race management 🧭, and nerves of steel to avoid cracking in the final kilometers, where the legs burn and the finish line still seems far away 🏁.

The origins of the half marathon: a modern creation

Unlike the marathon, whose roots reach into ancient Greece 🇬🇷, the half marathon is a relatively recent invention. Officially recognized by World Athletics, it only appeared late in major international competitions 🏆. No heroic legend this time—just the desire to create an intermediate format, more accessible, but no less demanding 💪. It was mainly from the 1980s onward that the distance began to become mainstream. It appeals both to runners transitioning to the marathon and to track athletes reinventing themselves 🔁. And with the rise of mass-participation races, the half quickly became one of the most run distances in the world.

Half marathon world records: numbers that make your head spin

Yomif Kejelcha makes his mark in the downtown Argentine 🇦🇷

Sunday, August 23, 2026 will go down as a landmark date in the history of running. That day, in the streets of Buenos Aires, the Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha delivered an extraordinary performance, worthy of the greatest moments in road racing. From the very first kilometers, he took control of the race without hesitation. Backed by a dense crowd and carried by perfect late-summer conditions 🌥️, Kejelcha sustained his effort with staggering consistency 🧊. The runner who is taking up more and more space in the world of running didn’t do things by halves either, producing a second half even faster than the first (27'18 for the first 10 km versus 26'44 for the second 😮‍💨). He ultimately crossed the line in 56 minutes and 51 seconds, an average of 2’41/km, shattering the former world record by almost 30 seconds! At 29, Yomif Kejelcha thus regains the record he had already held in 2024 👑, proving he remains the undisputed master of the half marathon. The athlete thus claims a world title, a few months after the disappointment of the marathon world record dropping under 2 hours, but a few seconds behind the untouchable Sebastian Sawe 💪.

The legacy of the masters of the distance

Before Kejelcha, other giants of the sport had already left their mark on half-marathon history. In 1993, Kenyan Moses Tanui entered legend by becoming the first man to break the symbolic one-hour barrier, with a time of 59’47 in the streets of Milan 🇮🇹. Since then, this mythical 21.0975 km distance has become the favorite playground of runners from the high plateaus of East Africa. The record speaks for itself: among the 100 best performers in history, 97 come from Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, or Burundi 🌍. They are the ones who, race after race, push back the limits of what’s possible 🚀. We especially remember Paul Tergat, a Kenyan legend 🇰🇪, who held the world record in 1998 with a time of 59’17. Then came other phenomena: Zersenay Tadesse (Eritrea, 58’23), Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya, 58’01), Kibiwott Kandie (Kenya, 57’32), and more recently Jacob Kiplimo and his exceptional time of 57 minutes and 20 seconds 🤯. In this world outrageously dominated by Africans from the high plateaus, a European exception remains: Julien Wanders’ European record, set in 2019 🇨🇭. With his 59’13, the Franco-Swiss remains the fastest European athlete over the distance 🌟. With his performance in Portugal, Yomif Kejelcha firmly joins this lineage of exceptional athletes, while redefining once again what it means to run fast… very fast.

Letesenbet Gidey: the art of running fast

On October 24, 2021, on Valencia’s ultra-fast course, the self-proclaimed Ciudad del Running, Letesenbet Gidey made a huge statement in her very first half-marathon appearance. The Ethiopian, already the world record holder in the 5000 m (14'06) and 10,000 m (29'01) 🥇, added a new prestigious line to her résumé by pulverizing the distance’s world record with a stratospheric time of 1h02’52 (2'59/km).

On the same Spanish ground where she had shone on the track a year earlier, Gidey this time left her mark on the road, erasing 70 seconds from the previous record held by Ruth Chepngetich (1h04’02). At just 23 years old, she thus became the first woman to officially break the 64- and 63-minute barriers in the half marathon 💥. A performance all the more impressive because she was a newcomer to the distance—something never seen before in the history of world records 📖.

Perfectly paced in the opening kilometers by her compatriot Mebrahtu Kiros 🇪🇹, her split times made an impression: she passed 5 km in 15’00, then 10 km in 29’45. Despite a slight dip in pace in the final kilometers, the work was already well underway ✅. She even covered 15 km in 44’29, just nine seconds above her own world record at that distance 💫.

Her victory in Valencia leaves no room for doubt: Gidey is not only an exceptional track runner, she is now an essential reference on the road. This new world record, her third, confirms her meteoric rise and propels her among the greatest in the sport. Over the distance, European women are not left behind. Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan 🇳🇱 clocked a blazing 1h05'15 in Copenhagen in 2018. Dominant from 1500 m to the marathon, she is still the fastest European athlete over 21.0975 km.

By dipping under the mythical 2h10 barrier in the marathon, Ruth Chepngetich 🇰🇪 confirmed that, among women too, the boundaries of performance keep being pushed back 🚀. The women’s marathon record has in fact fallen two years in a row, in 2023 and then in 2024 in Chicago. Everything suggests that 2025 could also mark a turning point in the half marathon, whose world record has still stood since 2021 ⏳.

In Valencia, on October 27, 2024, several athletes tried to bring down Gidey’s mark. Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich even came very close, missing by just 14 seconds with an impressive time of 1h03'04 🥈. Just behind, in that same race, Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay (1h03'21) and Kenyan Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (1h03'32) posted the 3rd and 4th best performances in history over the distance 🥉. The depth is there, and it keeps growing. And never has Gidey’s record seemed so close to falling. It’s the entire women’s sport that comes out stronger 🙌.

The fastest courses in the world

If records fall, it’s no accident. Some courses are designed for it: ultra-flat, sheltered from the wind, few turns, long straight lines, pacers provided, and ideal weather.

Valencia, in Spain 🇪🇸, stands out as the absolute benchmark. In just a few years, the city has become paradise for record-breaking. Its half, held in October and part of the prestigious SuperHalfs circuit, offers perfect conditions: cool temperature, fast course, and an elite field of rare depth. It’s here that thousands of amateur runners set personal bests every year, and the race has already seen 5 world records fall on its course.

Lisbon also ticks all the boxes: a fast route starting on the heights of the 25 de Abril Bridge, a gradual descent, a finish seaside, and mild weather. This is where Jacob Kiplimo had already set a world record in 2021 (57'31), which he improved in 2026 by crossing the line in 57'20". Like Valencia, the race is part of the very exclusive SuperHalfs circle 🥇.

Barcelona, capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, is also an event that attracts more and more runners in search of a fast course. Its flat route through the heart of the city offers an ideal setting for performance. The Gold World Athletics label held by the organizer reflects the quality of this major race on the running calendar 📅.

Copenhagen 🇩🇰, New Delhi 🇮🇳, Prague 🇨🇿, Seville 🇪🇸, and Berlin 🇩🇪 are also among the classic ultra-fast halves where records have already fallen.

The half marathon: The mandatory passage

Today, the half marathon is no longer just a stepping stone to the marathon. It’s a discipline in its own right, with its own codes, well-honed tactics, and athletes who have made it their preferred arena. Yomif Kejelcha, with an extraordinary performance in Buenos Aires, has established himself as the absolute benchmark among men. Among women, Letesenbet Gidey’s record still stands, but it is no longer out of reach. With new talents emerging every year 🌱, there is no doubt that others will soon try to push the limits of what’s possible even further.