Record holders Ababel Yeshaneh and Bridgid Kosgei confirmed for 2021 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon

Duo set to battle again in race scheduled for February 19

Ababel Yeshaneh, and Brigid Kosgei race for the finish line in the 2020 RAK Half Marathon in February. Supplied photo

The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is set for another record-breaking contest with two women’s world record holders confirmed for the 2021 race.

The two confirmed runners in the elite women’s race on February 19 are the half marathon world-record holder Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia and Kenyan Bridgid Kosgei, the world marathon record-holder and winner of last month’s London Marathon.

Yeshaneh and Kosgei have crossed path a few times. They raced at the Chicago Marathon in October 2019, in which the Kenyan stunned the world by breaking the world record by more than a minute, clocking 2 hrs 14 min 04 sec.

Yeshaneh was a distant second on that occasion but still ran a personal best of 2:20:51.

The results were reversed when the two met again in the RAK Half Marathon in February 2020 in which Yeshaneh established a new world record in a time of 1:04:31 with Kosgei second in 1:04:49.

Before they arrive for the re-match next February, Yeshaneh and Kosgei clash in the Delhi Half Marathon on November 29.

An early confirmation for the men’s race is Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, 20, who won his country’s first medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, in October.

Enrico Fili, chief executive officer of RCS Sports who are the event manager of the RAK Half Marathon, is convinced the 2021 race to be an “unforgettable experience” for the race host bidding for the 2023 World Half Marathon.

“It is incredible to see the RAK Half Marathon continue to gain such great traction and huge popularity on both a regional and international scale,” he said.

“It is a fantastic event, and we are delighted to be facilitating its delivery in such challenging times.

“With Ababel’s successful breaking of the world record in the 2020 event, next year’s race, with its incredible elite line-up, is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.”

The 15th edition of the race features two routes; one for elite athletes and another for runners of all abilities.

The elite route will remain the same as the 2020 course while the non-elite route is positioned strategically with separate start and finish to maintain the highest safety measures and social distancing protocols.

Raki Phillips, chief executive officer of the race organiser Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, was delighted and ready to welcome sports enthusiasts to the Northern Emirate.

“The RAK Half Marathon has proven to be a huge success in the past years and with our bid to host the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships, we are excited to put the Emirate on the map as a top destination for sports tourism,” he said.

Registration is free for all runners, who can enter online: https://www.therakhalfmarathon.com/virtual-training-runs/

For further details, and to register, please visit the official event website – https://www.therakhalfmarathon.com/