Kenya’s Benard Ngeno and Nelly Jepchumba head entries whilst Ben Connor leads British challenge
The 21st Principality Building Society Cardiff Half Marathon (October 6) is set to be the biggest yet with over 29,000 registered participants ready to take on the streets of the Welsh capital.
The men’s race promises intense competition as a cohort of Kenyan runners will aim to break the course record of 59:30 – set by Leonard Langat in 2019.
One of the leading contenders is Benard Ngeno, who has a personal best of 59:07 that was achieved at the Trinidad Alfonso Half Marathon in 2019.
Right on his heels will be Kenya’s Cosmas Boi (59:29) and Patrick Mosin (59:31), the latter winning the 2023 Lille Half Marathon. He also placed third at the Prague Half Marathon, which was won by world half-marathon champion Sebastian Sawe back in April.
Britain’s Ben Connor (60:55) will test himself on the Cardiff course for the first time and comes in as the fastest British runner in the line-up.
Ranked as the sixth fastest Briton over the distance, Connor recently finished runner-up at the re-scheduled English National Cross Country Championships in September.
Ben Connor leads Hugo Milner (Graham Smith)
In the women’s race, two-time European Cross Country Champion Fionnuala McCormack (69:32) will make her Cardiff debut. The 40-year-old holds the title of Ireland’s fastest woman in both the half-marathon and full marathon.
She made history this summer as the first Irish female athlete to compete in five Olympic Games, finishing 28th in the marathon in Paris.
Fionnuala McCormack (Getty)
Kenya’s Nelly Jepchumba (67:00), winner of the 2021 Madrid Half Marathon and the recent Rio De Janeiro Half Marathon, is the fastest entrant.
Competing alongside her will be compatriot Miriam Chebet (67:14), who finished second at the Istanbul Half Marathon this year. Challenging the Kenyan pair will be Ethiopia’s Anchinalu Dessie (67:30).
An exciting prospect in the field is Grace Nawowuna from Kenya who will be making her debut over the distance. She finished fourth at the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 and has a personal best of 29:47 for the 10,000m.
Callum Hall (46:15) heads the fields for the wheelchair race on the men’s side whilst Great North Run champion Jade Hall (49:50) will be in action in the women’s event.
The event begins at 9:50am on Sunday October 6.
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