Mark Kiptoo Sets an Over-50 Half-Marathon World Best in San Sebastián
Fifteen weeks after his 50th birthday, the Kenyan was first across the line on Sunday in 1:03:57, more than two minutes quicker than any man his age had run before.
The news desk
Kenyan runner sets M50 half marathon world record
On October 6, 2026, Canadian Running Magazine reported that Kenyan veteran Mark Kosgei Kiptoo won the 2026 San Sebastián Rural Kutxa Half Marathon in Spain in 1:03:57, breaking the men's 50-and-over (M50) half marathon world record, more than two minutes faster than the previous record of 1:06:23 set by South African runner Titus Mamabolo in 1991. Later the same day, Marathon Handbook also reported the event, calling the performance the world best for men's half marathon over age 50, and noted that it came just 15 weeks after Kiptoo's 50th birthday and was more than two minutes faster than any previous male runner in that age group. The two reports agreed on the time and the margin of lead, but the earlier report called it a "world record," while the later report described it as a "world best." There is currently no official confirmation, and further developments are pending.
Story reports
Kenyan runner Mark Kosgei Kiptoo sets M50 half-marathon world record in 1:03:57
Kenyan veteran Mark Kosgei Kiptoo won the 2026 San Sebastián Rural Kutxa Half Marathon in Spain in 1:03:57, breaking the M50 age-group world record. The previous mark of 1:06:23 was set by South Africa's Titus Mamabolo in 1991. In March, at age 49, Kiptoo won the Azkoitia-Azpeitia Half Marathon in 1:03:17.