Kibiwott Kandie

Kibiwott Kandie, the soldier who springs into action at the drop of a hat 🎖️

Before the records, there’s the army: Kibiwott Kandie runs for the Kenya Defence Forces, a talent pool that supplies a large share of the country’s elite. On the roads, everything accelerates in the summer of 2019. In late August, he wins the Lille Half Marathon in 59'31", his first time under an hour on a fast course 🏁 .

On December 31 that year, he delivers the anecdote that will go viral. Over the 15 km at the São Paulo New Year’s Eve race, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo raises his arms a few meters too soon. Kandie nips him on the line in 42'59" and, in the process, erases the course record held by Paul Tergat. A lesson to engrave on your watch: you celebrate after the arch, never before 🙌 .

In 2020, the machine runs at full tilt: wins at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in 58'58", then at the Prague Half Marathon in 58'38". At the Half Marathon World Championships in Gdynia, Jacob Kiplimo gets his revenge and the Kenyan leaves with silver in 58'54" 🥈 , convinced he attacked too late.

The day Valencia waltzed with the clock ⏱️

Seven weeks later, on December 6, 2020, he arrives in Valencia for an elite-only edition, pandemic obliges. No question of playing luxury pacemaker for Kiplimo: the duo goes through 15 km in 41'10", trade the lead, then Kandie launches the decisive move. Verdict: 57'32", or 29 seconds better than the record of Geoffrey Kamworor 🚀 . That morning, the first four finishers all dip under the previous world mark. The course, as flat as a paella, fully deserves its record-race label.

The banks of the Turia become his backyard. He wins there again in 2022, then takes the sprint in 2023 in 57'40", one second ahead of Yomif Kejelcha. He then totals three victories at the same SuperHalf, an event with the World Athletics Gold Label.

A record put under seal 🧪

Kibiwott Kandie’s record lasts less than a year, with Kiplimo taking it back in Lisbon in late 2021. The Kenyan turns to the marathon. His first outing at a Major stings: the punishing course of the New York City Marathon 🗽 relegates him to 9th in 2h13'43". He puts things right at the Valencia Marathon in December 2023: 6th in 2h04'48", his personal best over the classic distance. In between, he takes 10,000 m bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 🥉 , then team gold at the Bathurst World Cross Country Championships.

On March 1, 2025, a doping control officer shows up at his home. Kandie drives off without providing a sample, then produces a justification deemed false by the Kenyan authorities. Provisionally suspended as of March 14, 2025, he admits the two violations: a seven-year ban, until March 2032 🚫 .

The sanction does not affect his performances before March 2025: his 57'32" from Valencia remains ratified, and he is still the Kenyan record holder for the distance. Since then, only Kejelcha and Kiplimo have done better, which leaves Kandie in 3rd place among the fastest half-marathon runners in history. Feel like testing the Valencia billiard-table course yourself? The half marathon returns every late October in Spain—grab your bib without waiting!