Kibiwott Kandie and Joyciline Jepkosgei win the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024

– Jepkosgei beat the women’s course record set last year by her compatriot Irine Jepchumba, lowering it by 8 seconds (01:04:29h).

– Kandie won the men’s category with 59:20′ followed by Sweden’s Andreas Almgren (59:22′), who set the national record for the distance.

– More than 28,000 runners took part in a great day, with 35% female participation, 40% international participation and half of the participants (50%) were between 18 and 35 years old.

Barcelona has enjoyed this Sunday the most multitudinous half-marathon in Spain and the second biggest in Europe with the celebration of the 34th eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks. Since Thursday and during the whole weekend, both athletes and citizens have enjoyed a real sports party in the Catalan capital. On Thursday 8 February, Friday 9 February and Saturday 10 February there was a great atmosphere at the Expo Sports (Runner’s Fair), where more than 50,000 visitors passed through this year 2024.

More than 28,000 runners, with the highest number of participants in the history of the race, took the start in the Passeig de Picasso at 08:30h, with a temperature of 11ºC and 53% humidity on a sunny but slightly windy day. The race, organised by Barcelona’s City Council and RPM Sports, also had a record number of women runners (almost 10,000 women, 35% of the total number of participants) and 40% of international runners, coming from up to 98 different nationalities. Likewise, the city of Barcelona has been involved in this event, encouraging the participants in up to eight animation points along the more than 21 kilometers of the circuit and enjoying a spectacular start, which has been enlivened by the group Please U2, the number one musical band in Spain covering U2.

Kibiwott Kandie asserts his favouritism

He started as favorite, and he has made his preference prevail. The Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie won the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 with a time of 59:20′, 27 seconds slower than the record set last year by Charles Kipkkurui Langat (58.53′) in the Barcelona half-marathon, which was affected by the strong gusts of wind in the first part of the race. Second place went to Andreas Almgren (59:23′), beating the Swedish national record in his debut at this distance, and a well-deserved third place went to Roncer Kipkorir Konga (59:27′), also from Kenya.

The pacer that accompanied the elite men at the head of the race until kilometre 6 was the Spanish athlete, Ilias Fifa, at a pace of 2:46 min/km to set the pace of the race. Led at the start by Kenyan Mathew Kimeli (seventh overall), they passed kilometre 5 in 14:22′. At kilometre 10, Kibiwott Kandie was leading (28:13′). At kilometre 12, Kipkorir broke away and passed kilometre 15 in 42:01′. But just before reaching kilometre 20, Kandie led again, passing this point in 56:12′, to win this 34th edition, followed by Almgren.

KIBIWOTT KANDIE: “I felt good physically, from less to more, getting warmed up. Barcelona is a very good circuit for the elite, because the people are cheering you on all the time, and it was a fast race”.

ANDREAS ALMGREN: “I am very happy to have improved the best time of my country (Sweden) by almost two minutes, being my debut in a half-marathon. I didn’t expect it, but I did it. I felt very comfortable, and I was able to hold on to the lead”.

Women’s race record and world best time for the distance in 2024, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei

As for the elite women, their pacer this time has been the Kenyan athlete Mathew Kiplimo setting a pace of 3:04 min/km. In a very compact race from start to finish, the great favourite, the Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei led from start to finish, crossing the finish line as first woman in 01:04:29h, beating the race record set last year by her compatriot Irine Jepchumba last year (01:04:37h) and becoming, for the moment, the fastest female world record in 2024.

Second place went to the Ethiopian Senbere Teferi (01:04:40h), just one second away from breaking the women’s course record. In third place for women was the equally Kenyan Gladys Chepkurui (01:06:32h).

The athletes passed kilometre 5 in 15:20′, at the same pace as last year, led by Jepkosgei and Teferi, who reached kilometre 10 in 30:19′, 20 seconds faster than in 2023. At kilometre 15, Jepkosgei arrived in 45:34′, 24 seconds faster than last year and at kilometre 20, the Kenyan arrived in 01:01:03h to cross the finish line unopposed.

JOYCILINE JEPKOSGEI: “I am very excited to have won at the second attempt in Barcelona and to put my name on the course record. It was a big challenge for me, because Irine’s time was the fastest in the world at this distance in 2023, but Barcelona is an ideal city to run fast. I was able to manage the time well, and I am very happy to achieve my personal best time as well”.

Other records of the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024

In a historic day, more records have also been broken at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024. Camilla Richardson set the Finnish women’s national record (01:09:55h), Sara Schou set the Danish women’s national record (01:11:07h) and a former Olympic athlete, the Portuguese Rosa Mota lowered the women’s half-marathon world record for the over 65 years old category, that herself had set in Valencia in 2023 (01:25:52h) by almost a minute, finishing in 01:24:25h. “I am very grateful to have been able to run in Barcelona and improve my personal best. I congratulate the organisation for being able to offer a wonderful race to so many people”, said Mota.

On the other hand, the best Catalan of the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 has been Artur Bossy (01:03:23h), 17th in the general classification. The best national female time was Laura Rodríguez (01:12:58h).

The solidarity aspect of the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024

This year’s solidarity action for the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 has come from the hand of Zurich Foundation, which has donated 1 euro for each finisher. In the end, the total amount raised was 24,073 euros and will be donated to the Institut Guttmann.