Ruth Chepng’etich and Vivian Cheruiyot are set to battle in the Lisbon Half Marathon, with a €100,000 bonus at stake for breaking the world record.
Ruth Chepng’etich now has the motivation to attack the half marathon world record in Lisbon on Sunday, March 9 as the organisers have announced a bonus of €100,000 (Ksh 14 million) for the record breakers.
The world marathon record holder will be lining up for the London Marathon in April and as part of her preparation, she will compete in the half marathon race.
She was in great shape last season, becoming the first woman to go under 2:10 in the marathon as she clocked 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon.
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New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has handed a lifeline to the South African-based defender after including him in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Ruth Chepng’etich now hopes to continue the winning streak to Lisbon and be the lucky winner who gets a chance to walk away with the prize money and the bonus for breaking the world record.
The women’s world record stands at 1:02:52 and was set by Letesenbet Gidey at the 2021 Valencia Half Marathon and Ruth Chepng’etich’s personal best time over the distance is 1:04:02, a time she set at the 2021 N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon.
The men’s world record is held by Jacob Kiplimo who clocked a stunning 56:42 at the 2025 Barcelona Half Marathon. Kiplimo will also be making his debut at the London Marathon.
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Harambee Stars defensive prospect Djed Spence’s national allegiance is set to be decided in the coming days.
Ruth Chepng’etich has not mentioned anything concerning breaking the world record but owing to the strong field assembled, she will be pushed to the limits. Two women, Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama and Vivian Cheruiyot will be competing.
“I’m happy and excited to be here. I want to run a good race and see if I can improve my personal best. This race is part of my preparation for the London Marathon, so I’m hoping for a strong result to assess my fitness and see how well I can perform in London,” Ruth Chepng’etich said in the pre-race press conference.
In the men’s field, Samuel Barata will be competing, going up against Miguel Borges and Olympian Susana Godinho. Matthew Kimeli, the fastest in the field, will also be racing. “My expectation is to run well and see if I can improve my personal best,” Kimeli said.
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Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has joined the list of highest paid Africa national team coaches but he still does not compare to many others on the continent.
This year’s event has attracted over 20,000 registered runners for the half marathon, 13,000 who are international athletes from 120 countries.
The Vodafone 10K saw about 12,000 participants register with more than 2,000 coming from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany.
