The triple world half-marathon champion recorded his second quickest ever time over 13.1 miles to take the victory within the United Arab Emirates.
Geoffrey Kamworor believes he could be even higher within the latter phases of his profession. The 33-year-old has an illustrious CV which incorporates three titles on the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, two wins on the New York Metropolis Marathon, two gold medals on the World Cross Nation Championships and a world 10,000m silver medal from Beijing.
Again in 2019 Kamworor additionally set a world half-marathon document of 58:01 in Copenhagen, which he held for over a 12 months. Since then the Kenyan hasn’t acquired inside 20 seconds of that mark, however at this 12 months’s Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon he clocked 58:13 and as soon as once more proved he is without doubt one of the world’s greatest 13.1 milers.
Kamworor’s victory on the nineteenth version of the Rak Half (February 14) got here 13 years after he achieved his breakthrough on the identical occasion, smashing his then private greatest by over half a minute with 58:54.
The stand-out man within the elite males’s area, Kamworor ran sensibly in superb circumstances of 14C, with athletes beginning at 6.15am GST because of the warmth. The main pack went by way of 5km in 13:50 and 10km in 27:42 nevertheless it was across the 15km mark – which they handed in 41:25 – when Kamworor made his transfer and pulled away from Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew and Kenya’s Gideon Kipkertich Rono.
He by no means seemed again. Courtesy of his metronomic operating type, Kamworor eased his option to the road and lifted his arms aloft, understanding that he not solely took the victory however that it was the proper efficiency forward of his subsequent marathon in London. He’ll now return to Kaptagat, the place he trains with Eliud Kipchoge, with much more perception he can run nicely within the British capital in April.
„To run my second quickest half-marathon time is particular and it provides me a number of confidence in my preparation forward of the London Marathon,“ he instructed AW. „It was emotional as I wished to win after 13 years. My dream got here true right here. My private greatest is 2:04:23 [from London 2023] and I strongly imagine I’ve nice potential to run a extremely good time within the distance.
„Wanting forward, I am nonetheless lacking a vital medal on the Olympics, so I need to make the rostrum within the marathon on the LA 2028 Olympics.“
With no Ababel Yeshaneh, the previous world marathon record-holder, within the elite girls’s area, it grew to become fairly an open contest.
The quickest entry was Wede Kefale Belew, who had a half-marathon better of 65:20 and arrived within the United Arab Emirates off the again of operating 29:56 for fourth ultimately month’s Valencia 10km.
Nevertheless it was her compatriot Asmarech Anley, in her very first race over 13.1 miles, who triumphed in a tactical race with 67:21. The main pack handed by way of 5km in 16:31 and 10km in 32:45, so it wasn’t shocking the latter half of the race was faster and Anley, who holds the world 10km under-20 greatest with 30:23 and has clocked 14:41 for 5km, had the required flip of velocity to safe the victory.
The Rak Half course has seen a number of world data through the years. In 2007 Sammy Wanjiru ran a males’s world document of 58:53 within the RAK Half. Since then there have additionally been three girls’s world data with Mary Keitany clocking 65:50 in 2011, Peres Jepchirchir operating 64:52 in 2017 and Yeshaneh together with her 64:31 six years in the past.
In 2022, Jacob Kiplimo and Girmawit Gebrzihair ran course data of 57:56 and 64:14 respectively, whereas Eilish McColgan clocked a British document of 66:26.
Set within the coronary heart of Al Marjan Island within the United Arab Emirates, the Rak Half additionally featured 4 completely different race distances – 2km, 5km, 10km and half-marathon – with 11,000 folks collaborating.
The 2026 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon can also be sponsored by ASICS, Channel 4 Radio Community. ITP Media Group, Bisleri and Vitamin Nicely.
High three elite athletes
Males
Geoffrey Kamworor (58:13)Birhanu Balew (58:21)Gideon Rono (58:36)
*First seven males had been beneath one hour
Girls
Asmarech Anley Yeseneh (67:21)Melknat Wudu Sharew (67:26)Magdalena Shauri (67:30)
You’ll be able to watch the highlights right here.
