Paris Half Marathon Sets Record
The 2026 HOKA Semi-Marathon de Paris saw close to 50,000 participants, with a record proportion of women runners [http://abonnes.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Actualites/Pres-de-50-000-participants-et-une-part-de-femmes-record-les-chiffres-forts-de-l-edition-2026-du-hoka-semi-marathon-de-paris/1658064]. Kennedy Kimutai won the men’s race. What was his time?
Kennedy Kimutai won the HOKA Semi-Marathon de Paris for the second consecutive year, clocking in at 1:00:11. The 26-year-old Kenyan also won in 2025 with a time of 1:00:16. He maintains a relentless pace of 2:52 per kilometer. Ethiopia's Ftaw Zeray set a new women's course record, finishing in 1:05:12. This broke the previous record of 1:06:01 set by Sheila Chepkurui in 2023. Zeray improved her personal best by nearly a minute. The 2026 race, the 34th edition, saw roughly 50,000 runners take to the streets. The race started near Boulevard Saint-Germain and finished at Place de la Bastille, following a 21.0975 km route. The course is known for being mostly flat. This year, women made up 46% of the runners, a significant increase from 35% in 2022. The event took place on International Women's Day. The race supports various human, social, and environmental causes, raising €1.3 million through charity bibs.
