Langat and Kimais break Barcelona Half Marathon records

the kenyan runner Charles Kipkirui Langat, in the men’s category, and his compatriot Irine Jepchumba Kimais, in the women’s category, won the Barcelona Half Marathon.where they also set two separate race records and registered the best score of the year.

Kipkirui Langat stopped the clock at 58:53, while Jepchumba Kimais registered a time of 1h.04:37in an edition where 17,855 runners participated at the starting line, breaking the record for the year 2017 (17,839).

The race, held in temperatures of 9ºC, started with a group of nine runners, all Africanled by the Ethiopian Birhanu Legese, where there are several ‘hares’ and his compatriot Haftu Teklu, holder of the trial record and winner of the last two editions, who passed five kilometers with 14:03, 10 seconds below of the record (14:13 in 2022).

Kenyan Charles Kipkirui Langat led the pack at kilometer 10 with a lap time of 27:54 -2 seconds below the record- with Ethiopian Legese and also Kenyan Charles Kipkiruu.

From there, the group after Teklu’s withdrawal at kilometer 6 was reduced to three riders crossing kilometer 15 with 41:51 (3 seconds below), with Ethiopians Charles Kipkirui Langat and Solomon Kirwa, and Birhanu Legese conducting the relays.

After another change of pace, Legese was left alone with Kipkirui and they passed kilometer 20 with 55:56 (27 seconds below the record).

It would be the 26-year-old Kenyan who would outrun his rival in the final sprint to prevail in 58:53, a new test record, beating Haftu Teklu’s mark from last year by 13 seconds (59:06). Second was Ethiopian Birhanu Legese (58:57) and third was Kenyan Salomon Kirba (59:28).

Kipkirui’s mark was the best world mark of the year, beating Ethiopian Hagos Gebrehiwet’s time achieved in Granollers on February 5 (58:55) by 2 seconds.

The first Spanish classified was Abdenasser Oukhelfenwho finished fifteenth, with a time of 1h02:51 in the first half marathon of his career.

In the women’s category, Kenyan Gladys Chepkirui led the start race, leading a group of eight runnerswho passed kilometer 5 with 15:19 -18 seconds below the current record- with her compatriot Joyciline Jekosgei (15:20) and the Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, sixth (15:24).

Chepkirui continued to lead the test at kilometer 10, with a time of 30:37 -24 seconds below the record- with Jepkosgei and Dibaba in his wake. Jepkosgei’s attack came, passing kilometer 15 in 45:48, leaving behind Chepkurui (46:10) and Didaba (46:32).

From there emerged the figure of Irine Jepchumba Kimais24 years old, South American half-marathon champion (1h07:59) and with a better distance mark of 1h06:34 (Berlin 2022) than stopping the stopwatch in 1h04:37, 32 seconds below the best mark of 1h . 05:09 achieved by Kenyan Florence Kiplagat in 2015.

Second was Joyceine Jekosgei with a time of 1h.04:36 and her compatriot Catherine Reline Amanangole, 20, third (1:05:39). The legendary Genzebe Dibaba was fourth (1h.05:46).

Irine Jepchumba’s record lowered the world’s best mark of the year by nearly two minutes1h06:28, achieved by Hiwot Gebrekidan in Houston (USA) on January 15.

The first Spaniard was the Catalan Mireia Guarnertwelfth with a time of 1:13:13, two minutes below his personal best (1:15:21).

Barcelona Half Marathon

Male Category

1. Charles Kipkirui Langat (Kenya) 58:53
2. Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia) 58:57
3. Solomon Kirwa (Kenya) 59:28
4. Josphat Kiptoo Boit (Kenya) 59:50
5. Gebrie Erkihun (Ethiopia) 1h.00:49

Barcelona Half Marathon

Female Category

1. Irine Jepchumba Kimais (Kenya) 1h.04:37
2. Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) 1h.04:46
3. Catherine Reline (Kenya) 1h.05:39
4. Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) 1h.05:16
5. Gladys Chepkurui (Kenya) 1h.05:46