The three-time world half-marathon champion leads the men’s race, while Abel Yeshane will be the likely favorite in the women’s field.
Three-time World Athletics Half Marathon Championship winner Geoffrey Kamworor is a prominent name in the men’s field at the 19th edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon (February 14).
The 33-year-old, who won gold over 13.1 miles at the 2014, 2016 and 2018 championships, also held the world record for more than a year, running 58:01 in September 2019.
Kamvoror, a two-time New York Marathon champion, set a personal best of 2:04:23 three years ago in London at the distance and, as well as his two victories in the Big Apple, has reached the podium on five other occasions at a marathon major.
Last year, he won the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:04:33 and then finished seventh in the Chicago Marathon in 2:05:31.
The campaigner also boasts a world 10,000m silver medal, which he won after finishing behind Mo Farah at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
The Kenyan hit his breakthrough when he won the Raq semi-final in 2013, beating his personal best by half a minute in 58:54.
Kamworor’s closest challenger in the Rak Half may be Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn, who clocked a personal best of 58:40 to finish third at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships.
Walelegn’s compatriot Jemal Yimmer Mekonnen, a two-time Antrim Coast Half Marathon winner and third-place finisher in the 2021 Boston Marathon, also boasts a best of 59 in 58:32.
Kenya’s Isaiah Lasoy was the fastest man in the field for the last edition of the Rak Half, his fastest time being 58:10, set two years ago in Copenhagen.
The women’s field is led by former marathon world record holder Abel Yeshane, who set the mark in 64:31 at the 2020 Rak Half.
Yeshane won the race by 20 seconds and held the world record (in the mixed race) until Ruth Cepngetic, the marathon world record holder who is currently serving a three-year ban after admitting anti-doping violations, broke her mark in 2021 in 64:02.
A three-time podium finisher at marathon majors, second in Chicago (2019) and Boston (2022), plus third in New York (2021), Yeshane also boasts a marathon best of 2:20:51.
He did not compete during the 2025 season and this will be his first race since last year’s Rak Half, where he finished second in 65:44 behind compatriot Tzigie Gebreselama.
Yeshaneh’s biggest rivals this year are Wede Kefale Belew, who has a best of 65:20 and arrives in the UAE off the back of 29:56 and fourth in last month’s Valencia 10km.
Kenya’s Gladys Chepkuru also went under 66 minutes over the 13.1 miles, her best time of 65:46 set in Barcelona three years ago.
The course has set several world records over the years. In 2007, Sammy Wanjiru set a men’s world record of 58:53 at the RAK Half. Three women’s world records have also been set since then: Mary Kaytan’s 65:50 in 2011, Perez Jepchircir’s 64:52 in 2017 and Yeshane’s 64:31 six years ago.
In 2022, Jacob Kiplimo and Girmawit Gebrziheir set the records with times of 57:56 and 64:14 respectively, while Eilish McColgan set a British record of 66:26.
Alex Matata and Ejgaehu Taye (65:52) became the 2013 champion.
Located in the heart of Al Marjan Island in the United Arab Emirates, the Rak Half also has four different race distances – 2km, 5km, 10km and half marathon – available to the public.
The 2026 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is also sponsored by ASICS, Channel 4 Radio Network. ITP Media Group, Bisleri and Vitamin Well.
