3 new men under 58:00 at Valencia! Kibiwott Kandie wins in 57:40

4:24 pace for the half for the top 3

we are in a new golden era of running boys

I mean 2020 was no different.

1. Kibiwott Kandie (57:32)

2. Jacob Kiplimo (57:37)

3. Rhonex Kipruto (57:49)

4. Alexander Mutiso (57:59)

BUT, the course was much more aided and it was a last minute "elite-only" event so they altered the course to run with the Marathon. So this was definitely more to the shoe tech but, damn. Honestly, This has been Kejelcha's year (Time-wise). 7:23 3K, 12:41 5K, and 57:41 HM. Hagos also threw down a 12:42 in Monaco. Barega broke 27 at the Ethiopian trials. So this isn't too surprising, just a matter of when. Was hoping Kiplimo's record would go down.

Kejelcha is the new Emmanuel Mutai. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride

So Adidas beat Nike today?

And again this proves just because one can run a fast half does not automatically make them a fast marathoner. Contrary to some recent thread lately.

I was more impressed with the 3x Spaniards running 59:37-59:39 today

Kibiwott Kandie ran New York the year after he ran 57:32 in 2020. He was like 5th in 2:10 in New York. You'd think 64/65 half pace for a 57 half marathoner would be a breeze. Meanwhile Kipchoge and Kiptum's half PRs are nowhere near these sub 58 guys.

How so? It’s the exact same skills for both distances. It takes incredible fitness to run sub-58 and it’s going to carry over to the marathon.

Know the sport.

That’s an informative answer. 58 minutes is about 4:25 per mile. You don’t think that ability would be useful in a marathon? The name of the game is feeling comfortable at a fast pace.

Who knows why Gebrhiwet is running in new Adidas vest(same as Kejelcha and Kandie) but in Vaporfly shoes?

Yes - Kandie was wearing Takumi Sen 9.

Without the multiple 22+ mile runs, the sheer soreness of the legs and the glycogen depletion are going to be a major factor in shifting to the marathon.

That is all true and yet I would always pick the 57:40 half marathoner to beat the 1:00:40 half marathoner in a marathon even if I might be wrong 1/10 of the time.

Be cool to see a race like this run w/o super shoes just once. Bet my next paycheck that none run under an hour.

1/10? The 57:40 guy could run 1:00:40 back to back.

Except he almost never has, or maybe never…

Being a great half marathoner does not necessitate marathon success, but being a great marathoner requires pretty good half ability. I'm sure we can all agree that Kiptum negative splitting a 59:40 second half means he can probably run well under 59 all out for a single half. It's the same thing as moving from 5k to 10k, under distance ability is a good base for potential given specific training but never any guarantees for the over distance.

You're not wrong. Kelvin Kiptum's Half PB is 58:42. However, I've always had this Speed/Endurance theory where the more one succeeds at the Half, the less likely they can replicate a similar effort at the Marathon. Remember most HM runners are still 10K runners, so they have a lot of speed from even the 3000m. It's pretty rare for someone to be exceptional in both the Half Marathon and Marathon. Mutiso is possibly the anamoly here (57:59 HM / 2:03:29 Marathon) Let's hope Kandie can break the precedent in a little over a month at Valencia Marathon. The last time someone held the WR for both distances was Paul Tergat from 2003-2005 (59:17 HM / 2:04:55 Marathon).