Chepkurui, Berihu headline deep Istanbul elite fields

With fast races and deep elite fields, the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Half Marathon has in recent years established itself among the world’s most prestigious races at the distance. 

It looks certain that this pattern will be continued when the 19th edition takes place on 28 April.

The current elite start list features 18 men who have personal bests (PB's) of sub 61:00 and nine women who have already run faster than 68:00.

In the women’s field, Gladys Chepkurui who clocked her 65:46 PB in Barcelona last year when she was fourth in a fast race headlines the field. 

The 29 year-old has already run the half marathon under 70:00 on eleven occasions. Last year she competed at eight races over her favorite distance, winning three of them and finishing runner-up three times. She already showed fine form this year as well, when she was third in Barcelona and second in New York with 66:34 and 69:27 respectively. 

The Kenyan's competition is led by Ftaw Zeray who is in fine form going by her 2023 performance. The Ethiopian took third in the competitive Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates with 66:04, which remains her personal best. 

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Zeray then was sixth in the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia. This performance suggests that the 26-year-old should be able to improve her personal best. 

Sheila Chelangat is an athlete who has just run her half marathon debut. The Kenyan was runner-up in Lille this March with 69:38. She has been a good track runner, featuring a fine PB of 14:40.51 in the 5,000 m. After a solid debut in Lille there is more to come from her.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Solomon Berihu is currently the fastest athlete on the men's list with a PB of 59:17, just two seconds slower than Istanbul’s course record, set by Kenya’s Rodgers Kwemoi two years ago in windy conditions. It remains to be seen if the 59:15 record will be challenged next month. 

While Berihu is the fastest on paper a fellow-Ethiopian has lately shown very good form: Dinkalem Ayele clocked a personal best of 59:30 for fourth place in Barcelona earlier this year. 

He then went on to take the prestigious Lisbon Half Marathon this month. Running in very warm conditions and without a pacemaker for much of the distance his winning time of 60:36 would most likely have been much faster in different circumstances. 

23 year-old Ayele is the third fastest on the start list behind Berihu and Edmond Kipngetich. The Kenyan clocked 59:25 in Copenhagen two years ago. He has consistently run fine half marathon times, clocking times below 60:00 four times in the past three years. 

Solomon Kipchoge, who is not related to the double Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge, must still be regarded as a newcomer despite being already 27. He first raced in Europe in 2022, when he clocked 62:00 in Italy’s Trento Half Marathon. Last year Kipchoge improved significantly when he finished fifth in Lille with 59:37 and will present a challenge in Istanbul.