The 2017 World Athletics cross country champion Irine Cheptai unleashed a killer finishing kick in her first race of 2026 to seal victory in 1:06:57 at the Burj2Burj Half Marathon in Dubai on Sunday, 8 February.
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The Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist led a Kenyan 1-2 in the tightly contested race, finishing ahead of compatriot Daisilah Jerono, who came home in 1:06:59.
In third place was Ethiopian Ftaw Zeray, who timed 1:07:01.
This was Cheptai’s first race of the year, choosing to open her season with a 21km race, unlike her 2025 season that saw her compete just two races, the Shanghai Marathon in China, where she finished second after clocking 2:18:51 in November and the London Marathon in April, where she missed the podium after clocking 2:21:32 for fourth.
For Jerono, coming off a 1:07:27 win at the Mitja Marató Internacional Vila de Santa Pola, Santa Pola on Sunday, 18 January, in Spain, she ran a personal best (PB) to challenge her countrywoman to the line.
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