Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
| Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Half marathon |
| Established | 2007 |
| Course records | 58:52 |
| Official site | http://www.rakmarathon.org/ |
| Participants | 2,000+ |
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
History
The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in another race. In the 2009 event Patrick Makau won by running what was, at the time, the second fastest half marathon ever.[1]
Further sub-60-minute performances came in the men's race in 2010, but it was women's winner Elvan Abeylegesse who was the most impressive runner at the fourth edition: her time of 1:07:07 was not only the fastest ever for a debut half marathon run, but it also placed her as the sixth fastest ever woman over the distance.[2] The race saw its first women's world record performance in 2011, as Mary Keitany became the first female under the 66-minute mark with her winning time of 1:05:50.[3]
The 2013 saw a race first with three men under 59 minutes, while winner Geoffrey Kipsang was two seconds off the course record. The women's race re-wrote the all-time rankings as Lucy Kabuu ran the second fastest time ever to win in 66:09 minutes and Priscah Jeptoo and Rita Jeptoo (second and third) both entered the top five all-time fastest. Demonstrating significant depth, records for the fastest women's times by finishing position were broken from second place up to eleventh place.[4]
Winners
Key: Course record
| Year | Men's winner | Time (min:sec) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  Samuel Wanjiru (KEN) | 58:53 (WR) |  Berhane Adere (ETH) | 1:10:58 |
| 2008 | Patrick Makau (KEN) | 59:35 | Salina Kosgei (KEN) | 1:12:29 |
| 2009 | Patrick Makau (KEN) | 58:52 | Dire Tune (ETH) | 1:07:18 |
| 2010 | Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) | 59:43 |  Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) | 1:07:07 |
| 2011 | Deriba Merga (ETH) | 59:25 | Mary Keitany (KEN) | 1:05:50 (WR) |
| 2012 | Dennis Kipruto (KEN) | 60:40 | Mary Keitany (KEN) | 1:06:49 |
| 2013 | Geoffrey Kipsang (KEN) | 58:54 | Lucy Kabuu (KEN) | 1:06:09 |
| 2014 | Lelisa Desisa (ETH) | 59:36 | Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) | 1:07:02 |
| 2015 | Mosinet Geremew (ETH) | 1:00:05 | Mary Keitany (KEN) | 1:06:02 |
| 2016 | Birhanu Legese (ETH) | 1:00:40 | Cynthia Limo (KEN) | 1:06:04 |
References
- ↑ IAAF, February 20, 2009: Makau produces second fastest time ever, Tune clocks national record at RAK Half Marathon - updated
- ↑ Fairlie, Greg (2010-02-19). Stunning 1:07:07 Half Marathon debut by Abeylegesse Ras Al Khaimah. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-19.
- ↑ Hutchings, Tim (2011-02-18). Keitany smashes Half Marathon World record in Ras Al Khaimah - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-18.
- ↑ Kabuu and Kipsang triumph in high-quality races at Ras al-Khaimah Half. IAAF (2013-02-15). Retrieved on 2013-03-02.
