Half Marathon World Record Holder Joyciline Jepkosgei to Race Hamburg Marathon in Her Debut

By Adam Kopet

Joyciline Jepkosgei set the roads on fire in 2017, breaking the half marathon world record twice, taking it down to 1:04:51. She also smashed the 10-kilometer world record with a time of 29:43.

However, despite her success on the roads, the 25-year-old Kenyan has yet to compete over the marathon distance. That will change this year as the IAAF announced Thursday that Jepkosgei will make her marathon debut April 28 at the Hamburg Marathon.

Jepkosgei was not able to repeat her 2017 success last year as she was slowed by illness for part of the year. That, however, did not stop her from earning a silver medal at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

With her 2018 struggles behind her, Jepkosgei is now preparing for the marathon. She plans to race the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon next month in preparation.

The men's race in Hamburg is led by Abel Kirui of Kenya, who won the marathon at the 2009 and 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships. He is reportedly targeting Eliud Kipchoge's course record of 2:05:30. Kirui holds a personal best of 2:05:04 from 2009. He has not run under 2:07:00 since 2009.