In her debut at the distance, Letesenbet Gidey obliterated the women’s half marathon world record, winning the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso in 1:02:52. The Ethiopian’s performance on Sunday, October 24 improved on the previous world record—1:04:02, set by Ruth Chepngetich in Istanbul in April—by 70 seconds, pending ratification.
This is the third world record the 23-year-old has broken in the last year. In October 2020, she ran 14:06.62 for 5,000 meters, also in Valencia. This summer, she shattered the world record in the 10,000 meters by winning the Ethiopian Olympic Trials in 29:01.
“I knew I could run this kind of time, as my training sessions in the altitude of Addis Ababa [in Ethiopia] have gone very well,” Gidey told World Athletics, which reported she is the first debutante to set a world record for 13.1. “In future, I’m thinking of competing at the marathon distance, but I’m not sure that will come before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games or later.”
Surrounded by a group of male competitors and pacer Mebrahtu Kiros, Gidey and Yalemzerf Yehualaw—whose 13.1 world record (1:03:43) in August was not ratified when the course was found to be 54 meters short—blazed through the first 5K in 15:00. The runners stayed together through 10K in 29:45, just seven seconds shy of the world record for that distance.
After the 10K mark, Yehualaw drifted further behind Gidey, who covered the next five kilometers in 14:44—one second slower than the previous 5K world record, which was broken on September 12.
After splitting 44:29 for 15K, putting her more than a minute inside world-record pace, Gidey slowed down slightly for the final quarter of the race. On the homestretch, the Olympic bronze-medalist kicked past several male competitors and almost beat 2:07 marathoner Javier Guerra on her way to the finish line.
Gidey’s winning time of 1:02:52 marks the first time a woman has ever run faster than the 64 and 63-minute barrier for the half marathon distance. Yehualaw also clocked an impressive time by finishing second in 1:03:51, which is faster than the previous world record.
The men’s race saw historic depth with seven runners covering the half marathon distance within 59 minutes, an unprecedented feat, according to World Athletics.
Abel Kipchumba claimed the title in 58:07, a 40-second personal best to lead a Kenyan sweep of the podium. Rhonex Kipruto finished second in 58:09, and Daniel Mateiko placed third in 58:26.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
