The Istanbul Marathon is an international athletics event hosted in Istanbul, Turkey, in November, first held in 1979. It is the only marathon in the world whose course spans two continents, Asia and Europe.
A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 kilometres —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcuts. If finisher medals are awarded, the medal or ribbon may differ from those for the full marathon. The half marathon is also known as a 21K, 21.1K or 13.1 miles, although these values are rounded and not formally correct.
The Berlin Marathon is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers, including elite level road running competitions for men and women, a race for the general public, an inline skating race, a wheelchair race and a handcycle race.
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race. The 2007 race included the first-ever satellite running of the event, run simultaneously in Fallujah, Iraq.
Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly competed at the 5000 metre distance. He is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon winner. In addition, he set the world record in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon. His run broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds. He is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner and one of the greatest sportsmen in history.
The Eindhoven Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km which is held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. It has been an annual race since 1990 – it was held biennially over the eight years before this date.
The Wizz AirCardiff Half Marathon is an annual half marathon race held in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, taking place in October. The event was established in 2003, initially alongside the Cardiff Marathon, however, due to the increasing popularity of the Half Marathon, the Marathon distance was dropped after 2006. The race was originally organised by the children’s charity Barnardo’s. Now organised by Run 4 Wales, the race has grown to accommodate up to 27,500 runners.
Luke Kibet Bowen is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships.
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds, though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.
The Prague Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic, first held in 1999. It is managed by the same organisation that holds the Prague Marathon in May. The race has a loop course, starting and ending in Jan Palach Square near the Rudolfinum, and largely follows the Vltava river. The competition has enjoyed an increasing level of participation, with around 6500 participants in 2009 and almost 8500 runners taking part in the 2010 event.
Philip Kiprono Langat is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events. He won the 2011 Montferland Run. He has a half marathon best of 1:01:05 and a 10K best of 27:28 minutes.
Flomena Chepchirchir is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. Chepchirchir has won half marathons in Venlo, Glasgow and Zwolle. She is a two-time winner of the BIG 25 Berlin race. She has a half marathon best of 1:08:22 hours and a marathon best of 2:23:00 hours.
Peres Jepchirchir is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist who competes mainly in road running competitions. She was the gold medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2016 and the gold medalist again at the championships in 2020. Her best time for the half marathon of 1:05:06, set on 10 February 2017 in UAE, is a former half marathon world record. She broke her own world record at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland in 2020, crossing the line in 1:05:16.
The 10-mile run is a long-distance road running event over a distance of ten miles (16.1 kilometres). Also referred to as a 10-miler or 10 miles run, it is a relatively common distance in countries that use the mile as a unit of reference. It is roughly an intermediate distance between the 10K run and the half marathon (21.1 km). The level of endurance required to run the distance means it attracts more seasoned runners than shorter events do and usually requires a period of preparation for first-time attempts.
The 20K run is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic event. The event held IAAF world championship status in 2006 only, when the existing IAAF World Half Marathon Championships briefly hosted the shorter distance.
The 25K run is a long distance running footrace that is between the distance of a half marathon and a marathon. It was formerly an official world record distance in road running by World Athletics, but has since been downgraded to world best status. Separately, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians retains world records in the 25K distance. The ARRS holds different standards for records than World Athletics, with exclusions for certain point-to-point races and mixed sex races. As a result its women's world record is 1:26:34 by Nancy Conz, set in 1982.
Geoffrey Yegon 
