Rebecca Mwangi eyes strong half marathon debut in Tokyo

National 5,000m champion Rebecca Mwangi reckons her strong second-place finish at the Kenya Prisons Cross Country Championships has fine-tuned her form ahead of her half-marathon debut at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon on Sunday.

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‎At the Prisons Championships held on October 4 at the Kenya Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru, Mwangi clocked 33:54 to take the runner-up spot behind Lilian Kasait, who stopped the clock at 33:48. ‎The 2017 World U18 2,000m steeplechase champion Caren Chebet completed the podium in 34:24.

‎“I wrapped up the Kenya Prisons Cross Country in second place and will be representing the team at the National Cross Country Championships. The next stop is Tokyo, Japan,” Mwangi shared.

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‎The National Cross Country Championships are set for October 25 at the Eldoret Sports Club, where Athletics Kenya will unveil the squad for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida. ‎

For Mwangi, who is based in Japan, the Tokyo Legacy race will mark her first major outing over 21km. ‎Despite being a half-marathon rookie, the 24-year-old carries a wealth of experience from the track and road circuit.

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‎In the 5km road race, Mwangi has previously clinched victory at the 2021 Yamaguchi Race in 15:55 and bagged third place in Fukuoka with 15:39, before finishing fifth at the 2023 Fukuoka edition in 16:09.

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‎She also boasts impressive results in the 10km, including runner-up finishes in Moscow (31:46) last month and Tshwane (32:41) in August. ‎Mwangi heads to the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon after a roller-coaster 2025 season.

She opened her year with a 21st-place finish at the National Cross Country Championships on February 8, clocking 37:16 in a race won by Brillian Kipkoech (34:30) ahead of Maurine Chebor (34:33) and Stacey Ndiwa (34:55).

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‎She then managed eighth place at the Sirikwa Classic in 35:22, before bouncing back at the 5th AK Weekend Meeting at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, where she stormed to victory in the 10,000m with 32:28.17. ‎Mwangi later competed at the Kip Keino Classic on May 31, where she placed 11th in the 1,500m (4:30.97).

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‎At the National Championships, she clocked 32:22.85 to finish third in the 10,000m behind Loice Chemnung (31:39.09) and Cintia Chepng’eno (32:22.44).

‎Her biggest highlight came in the 5,000m, where she stormed to the national title in 15:39.78, outkicking Cynthia Chepkirui (15:40.83) and Faith Chebet (15:45.62).

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‎Mwangi narrowly missed a spot on Team Kenya for the Tokyo World Championships, finishing sixth in the 10,000m trials with a time of 31:35.16.

In Tokyo, Mwangi will face stiff competition from compatriot Janet Nyiva, the Bogota Half Marathon runner-up and Ethiopia's Meskerem Mamo, the Lille 5km road race third-place finisher.