Jacob Kiplimo is going back to Lisbon.
The Ugandan distance running star will toe the line at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon on March 8, 2026 — the same course where, in 2021, he announced himself to the world by setting a half marathon world record of 57:31. Now 25, and arguably the most in-form distance runner on the planet, he returns with a different kind of motivation. The official world record no longer belongs to him. And there’s a very good argument that it should.
The Record That Never Was
To understand why this race matters so much, you have to go back to February 16, 2025. On that day, at the Barcelona Half Marathon, Kiplimo ran 56:42 — the fastest half marathon ever recorded by a human being, and the first time anyone had broken the 57-minute barrier over 13.1 miles. It was, by almost any measure, one of the greatest performances in the history of road running.
The running world lost its mind. Kiplimo was 48 seconds faster than the existing world record. His average pace — 4:19 per mile — was something that had never been sustained over that distance in competition.
Then, nearly a year later, World Athletics took it away.
On February 5, 2026, the sport’s governing body announced it would not ratify Kiplimo’s 56:42 as a world record. The reason: the lead car in the race had positioned itself too close to Kiplimo during the run, giving him an aerodynamic advantage — a slipstream that World Athletics ruled was illegal under Article 6.3 of its competition rules. Reports indicated the car was running 10-15 metres in front of him, close enough to provide meaningful wind shelter.
The official world record reverted to Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who had run 57:30 at the Valencia Half Marathon on October 27, 2024 — just one second faster than Kiplimo’s 2021 Lisbon mark. Kejelcha had actually been racing in Castellón on the same afternoon Kiplimo broke the barrier in Barcelona, reportedly losing his record two minutes after crossing his own finish line.
So as things stand, Kiplimo has run 56:42 — a time no one else has come close to — and yet holds no world record. It’s the kind of story that keeps running fans arguing into the night.
A Man in Form
Whatever the bureaucratic situation, Kiplimo’s performances on the road and trails have been extraordinary.
In October 2025, he won the Chicago Marathon in 2:02:23 — only his second competitive marathon. He won by 91 seconds, a dominant performance that underlined his potential as a future great at the full distance. Then in January 2026, he claimed his third consecutive senior World Cross Country Championship title in a row, breaking away over the final kilometres to win by 18 seconds. Including a junior title in 2017, he is now a four-time world cross country champion.
He is, in short, a runner who rarely loses right now.
Why Lisbon, Why Now
Kiplimo had originally been expected to race the Barcelona Half Marathon again in February 2026, but Uganda Athletics pivoted to Lisbon instead. Otuchet described it as a strategic decision in the context of Kiplimo’s buildup to the London Marathon.
Lisbon is a course Kiplimo knows well. He set his first world record there in 2021. It is a World Athletics Label road race, which means results are eligible for world record ratification — something that will matter if Kiplimo goes out with record intentions again on March 8.
Whether he can run close to 56:42 in a clean, fully-ratified setting remains one of the most compelling open questions in distance running. The Lisbon course is fast. Kiplimo is fit. And there is no lead car controversy this time.
He will face strong competition, with elite fields expected from Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, and beyond. Kejelcha himself will be watching closely — his 57:30 could once again be under threat.
