Kenyans Sebastian Soi and Margaret Kipkemboi win Sunday’s Copenhagen Half Marathon as Jakob Ingebrigtsen bows out from the distance.
After a summer running season that ended just two days ago with victory in the Diamond League 1500m final in Brussels, Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s daring half-marathon debut in Copenhagen collapsed after 10km.
Passing that point with the leaders in 27:27, he stood up sharply, grimacing in pain from the effort. He soon resumed running and rumbled home in 63:13. At the front, victory went to Sebastian Saue as the Kenyan raced past Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo to win in 58:05.
Ingebrigtsen’s participation comes after a summer that included an Olympic 5,000m title, a fourth-place finish in the Olympic 1,500m final and 3000m world record: 7:17.55. In similar fashion, he suggested his aim was to set world records at all distances from the 1500m to the marathon, including the steeplechase, but after struggling on Sunday (September 15) he admitted he had to find a little something to make it happen. mix with the race. the world’s best on the roads.
A humble Ingebrigtse said: “I think 21km is definitely too long. I’m definitely not going to try (a half marathon) again for a couple of years. It was fun but hard. I tried to stay with the leading group as much as I could.”
Along with Ingebrigtsen’s seemingly last-minute entry were shades of Steve Ovett, who in the late 1970s at the height of his 1500m and mile distance won the Dartford Half Marathon over a hilly course in 65:38 as a training run. Coincidentally, this year’s edition of the Dartford race took place on the same day as Copenhagen too.
Jacob Ingebrigtsen (Sparta)
The Norwegian, who turns 24 on Thursday (September 19), added: “I think I ran the Norwegian record for 10km, but today I didn’t have the chance to keep the whole distance. It was a fun way to end the season. This is definitely not my business. At least not yet.’
Copenhagen also had a top class field. Last year’s half marathon world title in Riga was won by Save, while Kiplimo, who clocked 58:10 on Sunday, holds the record in 57:31. As a further measure of quality, one of the pacesetters was Berihu Aregawi, who pipped Ingebrigtsen to second place in his world record 3000m in Poland and who won the Diamond League 5000m final in Brussels earlier in the week.
Sebastian Save (Sparta)
Soye’s win also came at the end as he saw off Kiplimo by four seconds, with Isaiah Laso another second behind. At a crucial point in a long finish, Kiplimo found himself on the wrong side of the road and went diagonal to Save, a mistake that potentially cost Uganda the win.
READ MORE. Ingebrigtsen wins Diamond League 1500m
In the women’s race, Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi won in 65:11 from Judy Kemboi who ran 65:43 and Relyn Amanangole who clocked 66:09.
Margaret Kipkemboi (Sparta)
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