(Reuters) – Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei took one second off her own world record when she won the Valencia Half Marathon in a time of one hour 4.51 seconds on Sunday.
The multiple world record-holder reached 15 kilometres in 45:59 which put her target in jeopardy — when she set the previous record of 1:04:52 in Prague in April, she had clocked 45:37 at the same stage.
Jepkosgei dug deep in the closing stages, however, and by the 20-km mark, where she clocked 1:01:30, she was only five seconds off world-record pace.
A thrilling run down the final straight allowed her to beat the clock and reach the finish line in 1:04:51 to set her sixth world record this year.
“It was my first race in Valencia, I enjoyed a lot, the weather is nice, the circuit is perfect to run fast,” said Jepkosgei, who will turn 24 in December. “I hope to come back in March for the World Half Marathon Championships.”
Bahrain’s Abraham Cheroben won the men’s race in 59:11, grabbing his third win in four years in Valencia.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Clare Fallon)