Half marathon


A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 km —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcuts. If finisher medals are awarded, the medal or ribbon may differ from those for the full marathon. The half marathon is also known as a 21K, 21.1K or 13.1 miles, although these values are rounded and not formally correct.
A half marathon world record is officially recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The official IAAF world record for men is 58:01, set by Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya on September 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark,
and for women is 1:04:51, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya on October 22, 2017, in Valencia, Spain.
Participation in half marathons has grown steadily since 2003, partly because it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a marathon does. In 2008, Running USA reported that the half marathon is the fastest-growing type of race.

All-time top 25

RankTimeAthleteDateLocationRef
158:0115 September 2019Copenhagen
258:18* Expunged for Doping28 October 2018Valencia
358:2321 March 2010Lisbon-
458:3317 March 2007The Hague-
458:3328 October 2018Valencia
658:4017 September 2017Copenhagen-
758:429 February 2018Ras al-Khaimah
758:428 April 2018Berlin
758:428 February 2019Ras al-Khaimah
1058:4413 March 2016Ostia Lido-
1058:4428 October 2018Valencia
1058:448 February 2019Ras al-Khaimah
1258:4618 September 2011Philadelphia-
1358:4731 March 2012Prague-
1458:4818 September 2011Philadelphia-
1458:4817 September 2017Copenhagen-
1658:5117 September 2017Copenhagen-
1758:5220 February 2009Ras al-Khaimah-
1858:5411 March 2012The Hague-
1858:5415 February 2013Ras al-Khaimah-
2058:5515 January 2006Tempe-
2158:5615 February 2013Ras al-Khaimah-
2258:5815 February 2013Ras al-Khaimah-
2258:5821 February 2020Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah
2458:5920 February 2009Ras al-Khaimah-
2559:0119 October 2014Valencia-

Season's bests

This table lists the best half marathon performances per year since 1970, as recorded by the ARRS.
YearMarkMenPlaceMarkWomenPlace
1970Belfast
1971FreckletonPhoenix
1972CoamoSan Diego
1973Maracaibo
1974WiezeAy
1975Grevenmacher
1976CoamoNazaré
1977BeppuMilan
1978Welwyn Garden CitySan Diego
1979Las VegasManchester
1980New OrleansDen Haag
1981ManchesterSan Diego
1982PhiladelphiaGothenburg
1983DaytonPhiladelphia
1984MilanPhiladelphia
1985PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
1986South ShieldsDrammen
1987BarnsleySandnes
1988South ShieldsSouth Shields
1989DurbanNew Bedford
1990South ShieldsSouth Shields
1991MilanEast London
1992South ShieldsDundee
1993MilanSt Petersburg
1994South ShieldsKyoto
1995LisbonKyoto
1996Ivry-sur-SeineParis
1997KošiceKyoto
1998MilanKyoto
1999MilanTokyo
2000TokyoSouth Shields
2001BerlinBristol
2002LisbonSouth Shields
2003South ShieldsSouth Shields
2004South ShieldsSouth Shields
2005South ShieldsSouth Shields
2006TempeBerlin
2007The HagueUdine
2008
Lisbon
New Delhi		Marugame
2009Ras al-KhaimahBirmingham
2010LisbonRas al-Khaimah
2011LisbonRas al-Khaimah
2012PragueRas al-Khaimah
2013Ras al-KhaimahRas al-Khaimah
2014ValenciaBarcelona
2015ValenciaBarcelona
2016OstiaPrague
2017CopenhagenValencia
2018ValenciaRas al-Khaimah
2019CopenhagenManama

Largest number of participants

In 2014, the largest half marathon in the world was the Göteborgsvarvet, also known as the Gothenburg half marathon, in Sweden with announced runners and finishers.
The largest half marathon ever held was Broloppet between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden with finishers, held in connection with the Øresund Bridge inauguration in 2000.

Age records

In 2017 Harriette Thompson became the oldest woman ever to finish a half-marathon, at age 94 at the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon.