Two-time New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor will be hoping to use the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon this weekend to sharpen his form ahead of the London Marathon on April 26.
Kamworor makes his return to the UAE showpiece with memories of past glory, determined to recapture a crown he first lifted 13 years ago. The 33-year-old claimed the Ras Al Khaimah title back in 2013 when he sliced through the tape in 58:54.
In that edition, he spearheaded a Kenyan podium sweep, with Stanley Biwott (58:56) and Geoffrey Mutai (58:58) completing a memorable lockout.
The Kenyan distance ace will once again be looking to hone his blades on the fast Gulf roads, seeking a statement performance as he builds towards another charge on the streets of London. He heads into the weekend’s race armed with an enviable resume over the half-marathon, forged across an illustrious long-distance career.
At the 2019 Copenhagen race, he produced a lifetime best of 58:01 to storm to victory ahead of Benard Ngeno (59:16) and Ethiopia's Berehanu Tsegu (59:22). However, the hallmark of his glittering journey remains his extraordinary treble of World Half Marathon titles he claimed in Copenhagen 2014 (59:08), Cardiff 2016 (59:10) and Valencia 2018 (1:00:02).
His cabinet also boasts three runner-up finishes in New Delhi from 2011 (59:31), 2013 (59:30) and 2014 (59:07), as well as another second-place finish in Istanbul in 2021, where he clocked 59:38.
As he makes his first appearance on the roads in 2026, Kamworor strides into the season on the back of a solid 2025 campaign.
He opened last year with a runner-up finish at the Barcelona Half Marathon, timing 58:44, before underlining his marathon pedigree with a commanding triumph in Rotterdam, where he powered home in 2:04:33, leaving Ethiopians Chala Regasa (2:05:07) and Chimdessa Debele (2:05:27) in his wake.
His rich vein of form flowed on at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon with the veteran once again showing his class as he broke the tape in 59:51. There was, however, a slight wobble at the Chicago marathon, where the pace proved unforgiving, and he settled for seventh in 2:05:31.
Still, Kamworor signed off his season in emphatic fashion, storming to victory at the Madrid 10K with a razor-sharp 27:42. Leading the women's assault is 2022 Boston marathon runner-up Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia, who has history at the Ras Al Khaimah race, having broken the world record during her triumph in 2020 when she posted 1:04:31.
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