Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir shatters world 21km record in Prague

On a record breaking weekend of athletics, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir on Saturday broke the world record for a women’s only half marathon, clocking one hour, five minutes and 34 seconds in Prague.

The record – coming just hours after Great Britain’s Mo Farah and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan broke world record for the rarely-run one-hour race in Brussels on Friday - was an improvement on the previous mark of 1:06:11 set by Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia.

However, in the men’s attempt to break 58:30, Kenya’s national cross country champion Kibiwott Kandie fell just eight seconds short, running 58:37 which was, however, an improvement on his personal best 58:58 he set in winning the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon earlier this year, just 10 days after bagging the national cross country title in Nairobi.

Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor holds the world record over the distance at 58:01 set last year in Copenhagen.

Kandie’s time on Saturday was also the fifth fastest time ever over the distance behind Kamworor (58:10), Abraham Kiptum (58:18), Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese (58:23) and the last Samuel Wanjiru (58:33).

The women’s record in a mixed half marathon race (in which women run with or are paced by male athletes) is 1:04:31 held by Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh from the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on February 21 this year.

Yeshaneh improved the mark from the previous record of 1:04:51 set by Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017 in Valencia.

Jepkosgei had improved on her own mark of 1:04:52 set earlier that year in Prague.

And it was in the Czech capital that Jepchirchir went for the jugular on Saturday morning, powered by a newly-launched Adidas racing shoe, Adidas Adizero Adios Pro.

It was Jepchirchir's second world record over the distance having clocked 1:05:06 in a mixed race in Ras Al Khaimah in 2017, a record that stood for just under two months.

Jepchirchir, 26, took things into her own hands midway Saturday’s race held on a circuit in the Letna Park after pacemakers Brenda Jepleting and Lilian Jepkorir struggled and at one point she looked like she could attack Yeshaneh’s 64:31.

“I thank God… I’m so excited… I’m satisfied with the result although I thought I could have run 64:50, but I thank God for what He has given me,” the pious Jepchirchir said after the race.

She noted that it was difficult running alone after she dropped the pack and pacemakers.

“It was difficult to run alone. If I could have had (good) pacemakers, I could have run 64.”

Early life struggles

Jepchirchir lives with her husband in Kapsabet, Nandi County where she trains.

Her mother passed away when she was only two years old and as a child, she was interested in running.

However, it was her brother who inspired her to start training professionally.

She is also the gold medallist from the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

The men’s race was underway in Prague later Saturday.

Like Jepchirchir, Kandie was hard pressed to do the job alone from the halfway mark after dropping the pacemakers, and with conditions in the Czech capital getting warmer, both Kamworor’s 58:01 record and the day’s 58:30 target were out of sight.

“I’m satisfied with the time I got today,” The Kenya Defence Forces soldier said.

“It was also the first time for us to use the new show. We are happy that Adidas have promoted us with a shoe that is good for running.

“It will be my pleasure to keep running again in the road races after the pandemic is over.

The Prague races have been put together by RunCzech, an athletes and events management company headed by Carlo Capalbo.

Adidas were also sponsors of these races meant to kick-start the running season after the Covid-19 crisis.

“The pandemic has deprived these great athletes of the chance to participate in races all across the world. It has deprived us from witnessing some of the great performances that we’re accustomed to seeing. We wanted to find a way of doing something spectacular for everyone,” Capalbo said ahead of Saturday’s races.

The athletes were competing on an oval course around the park, running 21.0975 kilometres, roughly 16.5 laps.

The flat course and the intense competition were designed to be an all-out assault on current world records and best times.

The target for the men was shattering the 58:30 mark, which has been done only three times in history.

And for the women, the world record in women's only race of 1:06:11 was in the crosshairs, beaten by Jepchirchir.

Prague women’s results (all Kenyans):

1.    Peres Jepchirchir 1:05:34

2.    Brenda Jepleting 1:07:07

3.    Dorcas Jepchumba Kimeli 1:07:14

4.    Edith Chelimo 1:07:16

5.    Sheila Chepkirui 1:07:37

6.    Vibian Chepkirui 1:09:09

Prague leading men’s results (all Kenyans):

1.    Kibiwott Kandie 58:37

2.    Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo 59:56

3.    Benson Kipruto 1:00:06

4.    Amos Kurgat Kibiwott 1:00:20

5.    Felix Kipkoech 1:00:40

6.    Timothy Kibet Kosgei 1:00:47

7.    Bernard Kimeli 1:01:00

8.    Abel Kipchumba 1:01:02

9.    Bravin Kipkogei Kiptoo 1:01:23

10.    Alfred Chelal Barkach 1:01:32