Half Marathon Record

The Half Marathon: A Hybrid Distance, Between Pure Speed and Mastered Endurance

The half marathon is a peculiar balance. On one hand, you need to keep going full throttle for over an hour, or two for the average person 🏃. On the other hand, this race requires meticulous pace management to avoid hitting a zone of too intense effort 🥵. No wonder this distance has become a true playground for elites in search of ever more astonishing records 🤯. On the road, the best specialists in the 15 km and 20 km can fully express their potential 🚀. But the half is a challenge where many different profiles can shine ✨. The stars of the 10,000 m and 5,000 m track races leverage their speed to maintain relentless paces, while the best marathoners use their immense resilience to maintain pace throughout the 21.0975 km 📏. Long overshadowed by the marathon 🌒, the half marathon has carved out its own special place in the hearts of runners. It demands a metronome's precision, precise race management 🧭, and steel willpower to not falter in the last kilometers, where the legs burn and the finish line seems still far away 🏁.

The Origins of the Half Marathon: A Modern Creation

Unlike the marathon, whose roots dive 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 especially from the 1980s that the distance began to democratize. It appeals both to runners transitioning to the marathon and converted track athletes 🔁. With the rise of popular races, the half quickly became one of the most run distances in the world.

World Half Marathon Records: The Startling Numbers

Jacob Kiplimo Under 57 Minutes: The Impossible Became Reality

Sunday, February 16, 2025, will remain a milestone date in running history. On that day, in the streets of Barcelona 🇪🇸, Jacob Kiplimo delivered an extraordinary performance, worthy of the greatest moments in road racing. From the first kilometers, he took command of the race without hesitation. After the 3rd km, he isolated himself at the front with disconcerting ease 😮‍💨, setting a frantic pace of 2’43/km and leaving the pacemakers behind. By passing 10 km in 26’46, he was well ahead of the world record times. At that point, his impeccable stride, almost unreal, gave the impression he was literally gliding over the Barcelona asphalt. Supported by a large crowd and propelled by perfect conditions (11 °C, overcast sky, no wind) 🌥️, Kiplimo maintained his effort with stunning regularity 🧊. He finally crossed the line in 56 minutes and 42 seconds, averaging 2’41/km, shattering the record set just months earlier by Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia 🇪🇹. At 24, Jacob Kiplimo thus regains the record he had already held between 2021 and 2024 👑, proving he remains the undisputed master of the half marathon.

The Legacy of Distance Masters

Before Kiplimo, other running giants had already marked the history of the half marathon. 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 on the streets of Milan 🇮🇹. Since then, this mythical 21.0975 km distance has become the favorite playground for runners from the high plateaus of East Africa. The record list speaks for itself: among the 100 best performers in history, 97 are from Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, or Burundi 🌍. It is they who, race after race, push the boundaries of what is possible 🚀. We notably remember Paul Tergat, a legend of Kenya 🇰🇪, 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), and Kibiwott Kandie, who clocked an impressive 57’32 in 2020. In this universe overwhelmingly dominated by highland Africans, one European exception persists: the European record of Julien Wanders, set in 2019 🇨🇭. With his 59’13, the Franco-Swiss remains the fastest European athlete over the distance 🌟. With his Barcelona display, Jacob Kiplimo fully fits into 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 the ultra-fast course of Valencia, the self-proclaimed Ciudad del Running, Letesenbet Gidey made a big splash on her very first half marathon appearance. The Ethiopian, already holding the world records for the 5000 m (14'06) and 10,000 m (29'01) 🥇, added a new prestigious line to her record by smashing the world record for the distance with a stratospheric time of 1h02’52 (2'59/km).

On the same Spanish soil where she had shone a year earlier on the track, Gidey this time made an impact on the road, erasing by 70 seconds the previous record held by Ruth Chepngetich (1h04’02). At only 23, she thus becomes the first woman to officially break the 64 and 63-minute barriers in the half marathon 💥. An all the more impressive performance as she was a beginner at this distance, a first in the history of world records 📖.

Perfectly led in the first kilometers by her compatriot Mebrahtu Kiros 🇪🇹, her split times were remarkable: she passed 5 km in 15’00 and then 10 km in 29’45. Despite a slight drop in pace in the last kilometers, the job was already well done ✅. She even covered 15 km in 44’29, only nine seconds above her own world record for that distance 💫.

Her victory in Valencia leaves no room for doubt: Gidey is not only an exceptional track runner but is now a benchmark on the road. This new world record, her third, confirms her meteoric rise and propels her among the greatest in this sport. In the distance, European athletes are not left behind. Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan 🇳🇱 posted a remarkable time of 1h05'15 in Copenhagen in 2018. Dominant from 1500 m to the marathon, she remains the fastest European athlete over the 21.0975 km.

By going under the mythical 2h10 mark in the marathon, Ruth Chepngetich 🇰🇪 confirmed that, among women too, the boundaries of performance continue to be pushed back 🚀. The women's marathon record fell 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 stood since 2021 ⏳.

In Valencia, on October 27, 2024, several athletes attempted to break Gidey's mark. Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich came very close, falling only 14 seconds short with an impressive time of 1h03'04 🥈. Just behind, in the same race, Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay (1h03'21) and Kenyan Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (1h03'32) registered the 3rd and 4th best performances in history over the distance 🥉. The density is there, and it keeps growing. Never has Gidey's record seemed so close to falling. It is women's sport that emerges greater 🙌.

The World's Fastest Courses

If records fall, it is not by chance. Some courses are designed for it: ultra-flat, wind-protected, few turns, long straights, pacemakers available, and ideal weather.

Valencia, in Spain 🇪🇸, establishes itself as the absolute reference. In a few years, the city has become the paradise for breaking records. Its half marathon, held in October and part of the prestigious SuperHalfs circuit, offers perfect conditions: cool temperature, fast layout, rare elite field density. It is here that thousands of amateur runners beat their personal records each year, and the course has already seen five world records fall on its route.

Lisbon also ticks all the boxes: fast layout with a start on the heights of the 25 de Abril bridge, gradual descent, finish on the seaside, and mild weather. It was here that Jacob Kiplimo set a world record in 2021 (57'31). Like Valencia, the race is part of the very exclusive SuperHalfs circle 🥇.

Barcelona, the capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia, is also an event attracting more and more runners in search of a fast track. Its flat route in the heart of the city provides an ideal setting for performance. The Gold World Athletics label enjoyed by the organizer reflects the quality of this major race in the running calendar 📅. It is here that Jacob Kiplimo, again, set a new world record on February 16, 2025 (56'42) 🔥.

Copenhagen 🇩🇰, New Delhi 🇮🇳, Prague 🇨🇿, Seville 🇪🇸, and Berlin 🇩🇪 are also among the ultra-fast classic half marathons 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 is a discipline in its own right, with its own codes, well-established tactics, and athletes who have made it their favorite ground. Jacob Kiplimo, with an extraordinary performance in Barcelona, has established himself as the absolute reference among men. Among women, Letesenbet Gidey's record still stands, but it is no longer out of reach. With the emergence of new talents each year 🌱, there is no doubt that others will soon attempt to push the limits of what is possible.