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This will be the first time the two athletes will compete in New York, and only the second time that they face off in the half marathon after their meeting in Gydnia, Poland three years ago.
Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo will attempt to conquer new territory after confirming that they will be running at the 2023 United Airlines New York City (NYC) half Marathon.
The run is set to take place on Sunday, March 19, and will welcome an impressive line-up of professional athletes from 17 different countries.
This year’s race boasts 19 Olympians, 11 Paralympians, and seven past event champions, making it one of the most diverse and competitive fields in the race's history.
The most exciting showdown of the day is expected to be between the two Ugandan runners, Cheptegei – the world record holder over 5,000 and 10,000 meters – and Kiplimo – the half-marathon world-record holder.
This will be the first time the two athletes will compete in New York, and only the second time that they face off in the half marathon after their meeting in Gdynia, Poland three years ago.
The race in Poland remains Cheptegei’s only attempt at the 21-kilometre distance and went on to finish fourth running sub-60 with a time of 59:21, with the race coming just 10 days after breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 10,000m world record in Valencia.
Kiplimo, a more experienced half marathon runner was victorious in that race and went on to smash the world record a year later when he ran 57:31 at the Lisbon Half in November 2021.
The 26-year-old heads to New York as the World Cross Country Champion after winning gold in Bathurst, Australia, on February 18.
Both athletes are looking forward to the race, with Cheptegei stating that the United Airlines NYC Half is an important part of his preparations to defend his 10,000-meter gold medal at the upcoming World Championships.
“I’m very excited for my first race in New York City, the United Airlines NYC Half,” said Cheptegei.
“One of the primary goals for 2023 is to defend my 10,000m gold medal from the World Championships, and this half marathon is an important part of those preparations.”
“The race seems like a great tour of New York City and it’s very cool that we get to run through Times Square.”
“There’s so much running history in New York, and the city has seen so many champions battling it out in iconic races. I want to add to that history,” he expressed his delight.
Elite runners, including two-time U.S. Olympic medalist Galen Rupp and last year's runner-up Edward Cheserek of Kenya as well as past event champions Ben True of the United States and Belay Tilahun of Ethiopia.
In the women’s open division, two-time Olympian Molly Huddle will race for the first time since giving birth to her daughter, while Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will defend her title after setting a new event record in 2022.
This year's race will take runners on a tour of New York City, passing through historic landmarks and diverse neighbourhoods with sweeping views of the city along the way. The course ends in Central Park, where over 25,000 runners will finish the race.
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