Erick Kiplangat and Milicent Jelimo emerged victorious in the men’s and women’s races at the fourth edition of the Betika Uasin Gishu Half Marathon, held in Eldoret on Sunday.
Kiplangat produced a strong performance to win the men’s race in 1:01:07, edging Kenneth Kiprono, who finished second in 1:01:14. Gilbert Kipkosgei completed the podium in 1:01:22, with Stephen Chebon and John Mwaniki rounding out the top five in 1:01:25 and 1:01:26.
Speaking after the race, Kiplangat said it was his first time competing in the Uasin Gishu Half Marathon and that he had deliberately conserved his energy for a strong finish, a strategy that paid off with the win.
In the women’s race, Jelimo crossed the line first in 1:10:25, narrowly holding off Tabitha Njeri, who finished just two seconds behind in 1:10:27.
The winners each pocketed Ksh 300,000, while the first runners-up in both races received Ksh 200,000. Third-place finishers earned Ksh 100,000, with fourth, fifth and sixth place worth Ksh 50,000, Ksh 40,000 and Ksh 30,000 respectively. Athletes finishing seventh through tenth each took home Ksh 20,000.
More than 1,000 athletes took part in this year’s race, which also featured a Masters category for competitors aged 55 and above. The event continues to grow in stature on Kenya’s domestic athletics calendar, drawing strong fields to Eldoret, a region long regarded as a heartland of the country’s distance-running tradition.
Sunday’s races mark the fourth staging of the Betika Uasin Gishu Half Marathon, with organisers pointing to rising participation numbers each year as evidence of the event’s growing standing among Kenya’s road-running fixtures.
