Kenya’s Benard Ngeno and Nellie Jepchumba headline the performances, while Ben Connor leads the British challenge
The 21st Principality Building Society Cardiff Half Marathon (6 October) is set to be the biggest yet with over 29,000 registered participants ready to take to the streets of the Welsh capital.
The men’s race promises intense competition as a group of Kenyan runners will aim to break the record of 59:30 set by Leonard Langat in 2019.
One of the leading contenders is Benard Ngueno, who has a personal best of 59:07 set at the 2019 Trinidad Alfonso Half Marathon.
Close on his heels will be Kenyan Cosmas Boy (59:29) and Patrick Mosin (59:31), the latter of whom will win the 2023 Lille Half Marathon. He is also third in the Prague Half Marathon, beating World Half Marathon Champion Sebastian So back in April.
British Ben Connor (60:55) will test himself for the first time in Cardiff and will act as the fastest British runner in the series.
Ranked the sixth fastest Briton over the distance, Conor recently finished runner-up at the English National Cross Country Championships in September.
Ben Connor is played by Hugo Milner (Graham Smith).
In the women’s race, double European champion Fionnuala McCormack (69:32) will make her debut in Cardiff. The 40-year-old holds the title of Ireland’s fastest woman in both the half and full marathon.
She made history this summer as the first Irish athlete to compete in five Olympics, finishing 28th in the Paris Marathon.
Fionnuala McCormack (Getty)
Kenya’s Nelly Jepchumba (67:00), winner of the 2021 Madrid Half Marathon and recent Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon, is the fastest participant.
Her compatriot Miriam Chebet (67:14), who took second place in the Istanbul Half Marathon this year, will compete alongside her. The Kenyan couple will be played by Ethiopia’s representative Anchinalu Desi (67:30).
An exciting prospect in the field is Kenya’s Grace Naovuna, who will be making her distance debut. He finished fourth at the 2023 World Championships and has a personal best of 29:47 for the 10,000m.
On the men’s side, Callum Hall (46:15) heads the wheelchair race fields, while Great North running champion Jade Hall (49:50) will be in action in the women’s event.
The event starts at 9:50am on Sunday, October 6th.
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