Geoffrey Kamworor Shatters Half Marathon World Record in Copenhagen – runnersworld.com

• On Sunday, Geoffrey Kamworor set the men’s half marathon world record at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
• His time of 58 minutes and 1 second breaks the previous record by 17 seconds.
• Kamworor won the 2017 New York City Marathon and finished third at the race in 2018.

In a dominating performance, Geoffrey Kamworor became the fastest man to run a half marathon on Sunday. The runner from Kenya set the world record at the Copenhagen Half Marathon on in a time 58:01, shattering the previous world record by 17 seconds (pending ratification).

The performance took place in the same city where the 26-year-old won his first of three half marathon world championship titles in 2014. According to the , breaking the world record this season took priority over Kamworor representing his country at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

“It is very emotional for me to set this record,” Kamworor told the . “And doing it in Copenhagen, where I won my first world title, adds something to it.”

The world record was broken last year in Valencia, Spain, by Abraham Kiptum. He ran 58:18, which broke Zersenay Tadese’s 2010 mark by five seconds. In April, Kiptum was suspended two days before the London Marathon for the “use of a prohibited substance.”

On Sunday, Kamworor ran with a clear mission to break the record. According to his , he covered the first 5K in 13:53 and increased speed over the next 5K (13:41) for an overall 10K split of 27:34.

The next 5K was even faster. Kamworor covered the mark in 13:31 for a 15K split of 41:05—the fastest time ever recorded for the distance. Kamworor backed off slightly during the last portion of the race, but still ran 55 minutes for 20K. Three minutes later, he crossed the finish line in the fastest half marathon ever recorded in history, holding a 4:25.5 pace for the entire race.

Kamworor’s run on Sunday marked his first half marathon since March 24, 2018, when he dominated the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia with a winning time of 1:00:02. Kamworor’s record-breaking performance improved on his own personal best by 53 seconds.

Behind Kamworor, Bernard Kipkorir Ngeno placed second in 59:16 and Berehanu Wendemu Tsegu finished third in 59:22.

In the women’s race, Birhane Dibaba Adugna claimed the title in a winning time of 1:05:57, the second-fastest time ever run on the course and 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Evaline Chirchir.

Taylor Dutch is a freelance writer living in Chicago.