Half marathon

A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 km—half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcuts. If finisher medals are awarded, the medal or ribbon may differ from those for the full marathon. The half marathon is also known as a 21K, 21.1K, or 13.1 miles, although these values are rounded and not formally correct.

A half marathon world record is officially recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The official IAAF world record for men is 57:31, set by Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda in November 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal, and for women is 1:04:02, set by Ruth Chepng'etich of Kenya on April 4, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily since 2003, partly because it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a marathon does. In 2008, Running USA reported that the half marathon is the fastest-growing type of race.

Men

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Women

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Season's bests
This table lists the best half marathon performances per year since 1970, as recorded by the ARRS.

The largest half marathon ever held was Broloppet (the Bridge race) between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden with 79,719 finishers, held in connection with the Øresund Bridge inauguration in 2000.