The Return of Geoffrey Kamworor
Geoffrey Kamworor has had his fair share of setbacks. The Kenyan returns to Saturday’s Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon thirteen years after his first senior career victory here; looking to continue the return to form that made him one of the world’s best distance runners pre-pandemic. After that RAK victory in 2013, the former world junior cross-country champion won the senior world cross twice in succession in the middle of winning three consecutive world half marathon titles, setting a ‘half’ world record of 58min 01sec, and twice winning the New York Marathon.
The most memorable of those world ‘half’ victories, at least for British TV audiences was his win in Cardiff in 2016, when he fell at the start and was trampled by a herd of rivals, before picking himself up, dusting himself off and chasing them down; and winning. If that was an easily remedied setback, the next one was career threatening. ‘In Cardiff, it was wet and I slipped at the start, nobody tripped me. It was hard running through the crowd, but the fall made me more determined. In 2020, during Covid, we were all training alone and I went out one morning before light, and a motorbike ran into me from behind. I fractured my tibia and couldn’t run for six months. But when I started running again, my body was still out of balance and I kept getting injured. It took me over three years to be able to run properly’.
He surprised himself by finishing second in a personal best 2:04:23 in the London Marathon 2023, before enduring two more years of injuries, finally emerging with another marathon victory in Rotterdam last year, just ten seconds slower than London.
A father of five, including six-year old triplets, Kamworor lives and trains in Eldoret, the western highland heartland of Kenyan distance running. ‘I think I’m training as well as ever,’ he said Friday, ‘and I remember this flat, fast course from when I won in 2013. But, I’m just grateful to be back running without problems’.
Thirty three years of age is not necessarily too old in distance running; after all, Carlos Lopes of Portugal won the 1984 Olympic marathon at 37, and Constantina Dita went one better when she won the women’s marathon in Beijing 2008, at 38.
But Kamworor has at least two rivals, compatriot Brian Kibor and Ethiopian Jemal Mekonen, whose bests of 58:39 and 58:33 have been considerably more recent than his 58:01. Meanwhile, fastest in the women’s field is Wede Kafale of Ethiopia, with 65:21 from Copenhagen four months ago.
The RAK ‘half’ has been dominated by Kenyans and Ethiopians since its inception in 2007, when the mercurial Sammy Wanjiru ran a world’s best time of 58:53, but the kudos have since come in the women’s race, with three world records, set by Mary Keitany in 2011 (65.50), Peres Jepchirchir in 2017 (64.52), and Ababel Yeshaneh in 2020 (64.31). And the flat, fast course around Al Marjan Island suggests more quick times early Saturday morning.
Favourites with Personal Bests
MEN:
Geoffrey Kamworor KEN 58:01
Jemal Mekonen ETH 58:33
Brian Kibor KEN 58:39
Amedework Walelegn ETH 58:40
Antenayeh Dagnachew ETH 59:17
Yismaw Dillu ETH 59:23
Birhanu Balew BRN 59:41
Enos Kales KEN 60:17
Bayelign Teshager ETH 60:22
Mao Ako TAN 60:28
Benson Kiplangat KEN Debut
WOMEN
Wede Kefale ETH 65:21
Gladys Chepkurui KEN 65:46
Jesca Chelangat KEN 66:13
Magdalena Shauri TAN 66:37
Gete Alemayehu ETH 66:37
Cynthia Chepkwony KEN 67:20
Bertha Gebreslasie ETH 67:26
Orba Chemurgor KEN 67:56
Wudinesh Alemu ETH 68:08
Debash Kelali ETH 68:10
Annet Chelangat UGA 68:12
Melknat Wudu ETH 68:53
A live stream with English commentary will be available on Saturday from 6.00 am local time at: https://rakhalfmarathon.com/
For more information please visit: https://rakhalfmarathon.com or contact Alan Ewens – alan.ewens@pace-events.org
Please Note: You may use the attached photo, showing Race Director Peter Connerton, Jemal Mekonen, Geoffrey Kamworor, Wede Kefale and former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, in conjunction with this news release with the following credit: Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
RAK Half Pre-event.jpg
