World Athletics will not ratify Jacob Kiplimo's 56:42 half marathon

Jacob Kiplimo's 56:42 at the Barcelona Half Marathon last February was the first half marathon under 57 minutes and would have taken 48 seconds off the world record. On Wednesday it was reported that World Athletics will not ratify it. The men's record stays with Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, 57:30 from Valencia in 2024.

The reason is the car. Broadcast footage showed Kiplimo running roughly 10 to 15 metres behind the lead vehicle for long stretches, and the governing body's view is that the vehicle reduced the air resistance he faced. Technical Rule 6.3.1 bans pacing assistance from anyone not competing in the race, and the rules on pacing, in force since the end of 2020, also cover mechanical and technical help. There is no stated minimum distance between a lead car and the first runner, which is what makes the decision sting: the race was run the way road races are run everywhere.

Nobody is questioning the run itself: Kiplimo beat the field and the clock. The ruling is about a gap of a few car lengths that nobody had been told to watch.

For road racing it changes something practical. Any race that wants a record to count now has to think about where its lead car sits, and the first sub-57 half marathon is still, officially, waiting to be run.

Sources: Athletics Illustrated; NBS Sport.