Felix Kibet, Cynthia Chelangat lead charge in Lisbon Half Marathon

Kenyans Felix Kibet and Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony lead this year's Lisbon Half Marathon men's and women's races set for Sunday, 26 October.

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With a personal best (PB) time of 60:51, achieved in his second-place finish at the Loop Den Haag Half Marathon in March, Kibet is the favourite to challenge Titus Ekiru's course record of 60:12 from 2019.

Kibet will have compatriot and 60:55 runner Esau Kemboi for company upfront as the only entrants to have times under 61 minutes. Eritrean-American Futsum Zienasellassie (61:21) completes the top three entrants.

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However, there is a force likely to throw a spanner in the works in Kenya's Vincent Mutai, who is making his debut in the half-marathon.

He has a 3:35.45 PB in the 1500m, a time achieved in 2012 and whose best transition to the road was 2:15:12 at last year's Ravenna Marathon.

For the Portuguese, André Pereira returns to the half-marathon in a year in which he lowered his time to 1:02:20 and competed in the European road championships.

The ever-present Hermano Ferreira will also feature, as will Miguel Marques, who also has a European championship record.

In the women's race, there are four women under 1:10 who will compete, led by Kenya's Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony, who brings a 68:34 PB.

She faces stiff competition from, among others, South African Glenrose Xaba (1:08:37), the national marathon record holder, who will also attempt to beat her country's best in the half-marathon (1:06:44) in Lisbon.

If she does so, she will also break the course record, set at 1:06:54 by Peres Jepchirchir in 2019.

Also noteworthy is the debut in the half-marathon of Ethiopian Lomi Muleta Tefera, who recently placed eighth in the final of the 3,000m steeplechase at the Tokyo World Championships and who has a PB of 9:06.07 in that discipline.

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Lisbon will also once again have the best national athletes, including Susana Santos and Solange Jesus, who recently participated in the Tokyo World Cup, and also the veteran Mónica Silva.

Men's Elite List

Felix Kibet 🇰🇪 PB 60:51

Esau Kipkorir Kemboi 🇰🇪 PB 60:55

Futsum Zienasellassie 🇺🇸 PB 61:21

Women's Elite List

Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony 🇰🇪 PB 68:34

Glenrose Xaba 🇿🇦 PB 68:37

Chaltu Dida Diriba 🇪🇹 PB 68:37