Yomif Kejelcha Breaks Men’s Half Marathon World Record!

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha has run a new world record in the men’s half marathon.

At Sunday’s Valencia Half Marathon, Kejelcha’s time of 57:30 was one second quicker than Jacob Kiplimo’s time of 57:31 set at the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2021.

Despite drizzly conditions, Kejelcha led from the start of the race, pushing for world record pace, with remarkable splits as he passed 5km in 13:38, 10km in 27:12, 15km in 40:56 and 20km in 54:32, with a fast finish seeing him just break the world record. His average pace for the run was 2:44 per km, or 4:23 per mile. He won €35,000 for first place, with a €70,000 world record bonus.

Two Kenyans completed the men’s podium with Daniel Mateiko finishing second with 58:17, and Isaia Kipkoech third in 58:21.

Kejelcha time was an 11-second personal best and the 27-year-old Kejelcha now holds the world record over 13.1 miles and the indoor one mile, with his 3:47.01 from 2019. He has had a great year in 2024, running the world lead in the 10,000m (track), 10km (road) and half marathon, and the second-fastest 5000m. His only disappointing result for the year will be that he could only manage 6^th place in the 10,000m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

NGETICH RUNS SECOND FASTEST EVER WOMEN’S HALF – IN HER RACE!

It looked like there would also be a world record in the women’s race as Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich was running towards victory, but she couldn’t maintain her pace over the final few kilometres and finished just 12 seconds off the record.

But Ngetich’s time of 1:03:04 was still the second fastest women’s half ever run, behind only Letesenbet Gidey’s 1:02:52, which she set at the 2021 Valencia Half Marathon.

23-year-old Ngetich is already the world record holder in the 10km, running 28:46 in Valencia earlier in 2024 to become the first woman ever under 29 minutes, and this was her debut in the half marathon.

Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay was second in the women’s race in 1:03:21 and Kenya’s Lilian Kasait was third in 1:03:32.

VALENCIA IS THE PLACE TO RUN FAST & BREAK ROAD RECORDS

Valencia, which calls itself the City of Running, has become one of the fastest places in the world to run on the roads at all distances from 10km to the marathon.

Both the men’s and women’s half marathon world records have been run in Valencia, plus Ngetich’s women’s 10km world record was set in Valencia (Rhonex Kipruto ran 26:24 over 10km in Valencia in 2020 and that was the men’s record until he was banned for doping).

The men do especially well at the Valencia Half Marathon with 26 of the top 50 all time half marathons run there, including eight of the top 10. For the women, 14 of the top 50 and seven of the top 10 were set in Valencia.

In the 10km, the men’s third-fastest all-time was run in Valencia and 12 of the top 50. For the women, 18 of the top 50 and seven of the top 10 came in Valencia, including the world record.

The marathon is equally competitive in Valencia with 11 of the top 50 men’s times run there (only Berlin has more top 50 times with 20). Eight of the top 50 fastest women’s marathons have been run in Valencia.

Valencia is fast because it’s a very flat course, often with excellent weather conditions, and it now attracts the world’s best runners who know that the conditions can lead to incredibly quick times.

With the Valencia Marathon coming up in December, will we see more record-breaking performances in the City of Running?

Image from Valencia Half Marathon