The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon starts on Saturday with the participation of a group of world stars

The nineteenth edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will start tomorrow, Saturday, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, where four races will be held exclusively on Al Marjan Island, with the participation of an elite group of runners with international experience and promising potential.

The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, organized by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, has been held since its launch in 2007, and is widely popular among runners of all levels, from sports enthusiasts to elite international runners.

The event includes the classic half marathon race of 21.1 km, in addition to other races of 10 km, 5 km and 2 km, suitable for athletes of all ages and abilities.

The elite race begins at 6:15 am, before the rest of the runners take off in the half marathon challenge at 7:00 am. The 10 km road race begins at 8:30 am, while participants in the 5 km and 2 km races begin at 10:00 am.

Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor, a three-time half marathon world champion, leads the elite category with a personal record time of 58:01 minutes. There are a number of runners alongside him who are capable of competing with him, including fellow Kenyan Isaiah Lasoi, who finished third in Ras Al Khaimah in 2024 and 2025, and expressed his desire to break the world record “soon,” as he returns with a personal time of 58:10 minutes.

The Kenyan duo will be joined on the start line by Jamal Ymir Mekonnen, the 2024 Seoul Marathon winner (58:32 minutes), who has only finished outside the top three in a major race once in seven years, and Amedurek Walleljen, a former New Delhi Half Marathon winner (58:40 minutes), as well as 20-year-old rising star Yesmao Delo, winner of the 2025 Cardiff Half Marathon in Wales. (59:23 minutes).

On the women’s level, Ethiopian Wedi Cavalli tops the list of competitors, as her participation in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon represents only her second appearance at this distance. The 25-year-old athlete performed outstandingly in her first participation when she finished third in Copenhagen last September with a time of 65:21 minutes, which reflects her strong background in cross-country racing and her remarkable results in the 10 km and 10,000 m races on the track.

Also participating is Kenyan Gladys Chepkorui (65:46 minutes), who has focused on half marathon races over the past three years, as she has run 18 races at this distance and has consistently achieved outstanding results, winning titles in Italy, Thailand, Japan and Kenya. Her compatriot Jessica Chilangat (66:13 minutes) is also one of the runners who consistently places in the top three in the 10km race, and finished third in Ras Al Khaimah twelve months ago.

If there is a surprise in the race, it may be the 19-year-old Ethiopian runner Melal Seyoum, who has only participated in one race outside her homeland, when she came second in the New Delhi Half Marathon last October with a time of 67:21 minutes. Since then, she has focused on training in Addis Ababa in preparation for her next run, and she could be ready to make an impact on one of the fastest half marathon courses in the world.