Hagos Gebrhiwet runs 58:05 in Barcelona; Weini Kelati sets an American half record

The Barcelona half marathon, run on Sunday as the Hyundai Mitja Marató de Barcelona by Brooks, is the course where Jacob Kiplimo ran 56:42 a year ago, the time World Athletics declined to ratify eleven days before this race. Nobody went that fast, but Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia ran 58:05 and won by more than a minute.

Fifty-eight minutes and five seconds is a serious half marathon by anyone, and it was more than a minute faster than anyone else in the field. Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland was second in 59:26, Emmanuel Roudolff Levisse of France third in 59:37, and Samwel Mailu of Kenya and Hagos Eyob of Ethiopia both ran 59:42. Australia's Jack Rayner and Kenya's Amos Bett were next in 59:53. Seven men under an hour.

Loice Chemnung of Kenya won the women's race in 1:04:01. Two minutes behind her, Weini Kelati ran 1:06:04, an American record, in second place. Diniya Abaraya of Ethiopia was third in 1:06:28 and Taylor Roe made it two Americans in the top four with 1:06:52. Kelati's time, listed by USATF among the week's best performances by an American, is the kind of mark that used to be a world-class result and is now what it takes to run second in Barcelona in February.

Seville and Barcelona on the same morning, 2:03:59 in one and 58:05 in the other. Spain in February is where the road year gets its first real numbers.

Sources: World Athletics; USATF.