Peres Jepchirchir Breaks Half Marathon World Record

Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir is the new women-only half marathon record holder.

Jepchirchir achieved the feat when she clocked 1 hour, 5 five minutes, 34 seconds during Saturday’s Prague 21.1 km race.

The fate saw her erase Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta’s time of 1:06:11 set at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships.

“I was thinking to run maybe 1:04:50, but I’m so happy,” said Jepchirchir, who raced to the world half marathon title in 2016.

“The last five kilometres I was really tired,” she said, but added that she did plan to run much of the race alone. “My plan was to run good, because I was well prepared.”

It is the second time the 26-year-old has broken the world record over that distance. She clocked 1:05:06 three years ago in a mixed gender race in Ras Al Khaimah.

Jepchirchir separated herself from the rest just 20 minutes into the race and at one point knocked off successive 1280-metre laps in 3:51 before reaching 10 kilometres in 30:32.

She crossed the finishing line alone followed by compatriot Brenda Jepleting who clocked 1:07:07 while Dorcas Kimeli was third in 1:07:14.

Kimeli is expected to race next at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020.