Kipchoge, Keitany and Jeptoo All Looking For Fast Times at RAK Half Marathon

Published by IAAF on February 11, 2015

Kenyan marathoners Eliud Kipchoge, Mary Keitany and Priscah Jeptoo headline the ninth edition of the RAK Half Marathon which will be staged on an even faster course on Friday (13).

Last year, eight men broke the one hour-mark while nine women ducked under 70 minutes and, for this year's race, the course has been modified to make it even faster.

Kipchoge, at just 18, took the world 5000m title in 2003 when he beat Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele – two of the all-time greats on the track – for the gold medal in Paris.

Almost 12 years later, Kipchoge has proved himself to be a ferocious competitor on the roads with three wins out of his four marathon starts, and a half marathon best of 59:25. In 2014, just his second season focusing on the classic distance, he won both the Rotterdam and Chicago Marathons. 

He will face six more runners with bests faster than 60 minutes, including fellow Kenyans Jonathan Maiyo (59:02), Cyprian Kotut (59:12) and Peter Kirui (59:22).

The RAK Half Marathon men’s course record is 58:52 set by Kenya’s Patrick Makau in 2009.