Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo made history on Sunday, February 16, 2025, by setting a new men’s half marathon world record with a remarkable time of 56 minutes and 41 seconds. Competing at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, the 24-year-old shattered the previous record by an astonishing 49 seconds, marking the greatest single improvement in the event’s history.
Kiplimo’s previous record of 57:31, set in Lisbon in 2021, was narrowly surpassed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in October 2024, who clocked 57:30 in Valencia. Determined to reclaim his title, Kiplimo delivered a groundbreaking performance in Barcelona, becoming the first athlete ever to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes.”
It has been the perfect race,” Kiplimo said. “Ideal temperature, no wind at all, fantastic circuit—everything went better than expected. I found myself full of energy and decided to inject a brisker rhythm from the third kilometer, but I never imagined breaking the 57-minute barrier. That’s astonishing.”
Maintaining a blistering pace of 2:41 per kilometer, Kiplimo also set a world best of 39:47 for the 15 km mark en route to his victory. His dominance in long-distance running is well-documented, having won two World Cross Country titles (2023, 2024) and an Olympic bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at Tokyo 2020.
The event also saw strong performances from Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor (58:44) and Samuel Mailu (59:40), who secured second and third places, respectively. In the women’s race, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei set a new course record, finishing in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 13 seconds.
Kiplimo’s next major challenge will be his marathon debut in London on April 27, where fans eagerly anticipate another record-breaking performance.
Meanwhile, another world record was set the same day in Kobe, Japan, where Toshikazu Yamanishi shattered the men’s 20-kilometer race walk world record, clocking 1:16:10—beating the previous mark by 26 seconds.
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