Kipkoech and Chesang win Gifu Half Marathon for the first time

The 13th edition race was held under sunny, clear skies in an unprecedented heat of 28 degrees Celsius, making the city the stage for a ‘hot race’ both literally and figuratively.

In the men’s race, Kipkoech, Defending Champion Amos Kurgat of Kenya, and Timothy Kiplagat of Kenya ran together with other athletes and led the race from the beginning. In the difficult conditions under strong, direct sunlight, the lead runner in the pack kept changing, but around 14 km, Kipkoech and Kurgat pulled away from the rest, and the battle for victory was narrowed down to the two runners. At the uphill after the water station just passed the last 3 km point, Kipkoech sped up and gradually pulled away from Kurgat until winning his first title of the Gifu Half Marathon in 1:01:26. Kurgat came in second in 1:01:38 and Kiplagat in third in 1:01:55.

In the women’s race, three powerful athletes of Chesang, Defending Champion for two consecutive years, Dolphine Nyaboke Omare of Kenya, and the 2023 Asian Games Champion Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain led the competition. As Chumba started to lag behind around 10 km, the race turned neck to neck between Chesang and Omare in the early stage. The duo ran side by side until Chesang spurred off around 18 km to run solo. Attracting the spectators gathered along the course with her rhythmical and tireless running form, Chesang achieved her first victory in Gifu and a new personal best in 1:07:59. Omare finished in second in 1:08:31 and Chumba third in 1:09:10.

In addition to the world’s top elite athletes, over 7,600 runners from Japan and abroad participated in the Gifu Half Marathon 2024, enjoying the attractive race course filled with Gifu’s popular sites, such as the magnificent nature of the clear Nagara River, the historical scenery of Gifu Castle and its Castle town, and the downtown areas in front of Gifu Station and Yanagikase Shopping Street. On the back of the runners, the number bibs with handwritten cheering messages from local children encouraged them to finish the race.

On Saturday, April 27, the day before the race, the event signed and announced a sister race affiliation with the Bangsaen21, a World Athletics Platinum Label half marathon race, for the mutual development of both races and further promotion of friendship through the exchange of runners and PR activities. This is the second partnership with an overseas race for Gifu, following last year’s Sydney Marathon of Australia. The Gifu Half Marathon, started in 2011 by Naoko Takahashi, Race Chairperson, former world record holder, and 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medalist from Gifu, with the theme ‘From Gifu to the World’ in hopes of encouraging younger Japanese athletes to compete in international competitions, is continuing to evolve further as an event that attracts runners’ from the World to Gifu.’

Race Chairperson Naoko Takahashi comments: “I would like to give a big round of applause to all the runners who participated in the race and the volunteers and staff who supported it. It was one of the best days of my life, filled with countless words of thank you.”