Athletics-Jepchirchir runs fastest-ever half marathon in women-only race

Jepchirchir, who held the overall record for two months in 2017, broke away from a small field of nine runners after 20 minutes of the race in the Letna Park and reached the 10-kilometre mark in 30.32 minutes. She slowed over the second half of the race but was still well inside the previous record.

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir smashed the world record for the half marathon in women-only races on Saturday, completing a 21.1-kilometre course in Prague in one hour 05.34 minutes. The 26-year-old shattered the previous record of 1:06:11, set by Netsanet Gudeta of Ethiopia in the women-only event at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2018.

The overall women's half marathon record of 1:04.31 was set by Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh in a mixed-gender race at Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates in February. Jepchirchir, who held the overall record for two months in 2017, broke away from a small field of nine runners after 20 minutes of the race in the Letna Park and reached the 10-kilometre mark in 30.32 minutes.

She slowed over the second half of the race but was still well inside the previous record. "I'm satisfied with the result although I thought I could have run 1:04:50," she said. "I was really tired for the last five kilometres." (Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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