Abraham Kiptum ran the race of his life to best the previous half-marathon record by five seconds.
Onlookers at the Valencia Half Marathon in Spain were treated to a historic spectacle Sunday when Kenyan runner Abraham Kiptum crossed the finish line in 58 minutes 18 seconds.
It was not only Kiptum’s fastest time but also the best time ever for a 13.1-mile race. The 29-year-old Kenyan beat Zersenay Tadese’s previous half-marathon record, which the Eritrean Olympian set in Lisbon in 2010, by five seconds.
“I can’t believe it, I’m over the moon,” Kiptum told IAAF. “Obviously I knew I was in good shape because I set a PB last month in Copenhagen, but I was eager to run in Valencia because it’s one of the flattest circuits I’ve ever run and I was confident of improving on my best.”
Half-Marathon Record
With his blistering time, Kiptum took home the Valencia race title, beating out Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer and Abadi Hadis.
Sunday’s record run also makes the Valencia Half Marathon home to both the men’s and women’s world record half-marathon times. In 2017, Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya broke the women’s mark with her time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 51 seconds.
