Geoffrey Kamworor Fires London Marathon Warning to Jacob Kiplimo, Sebastian Sawe and Co With Big Win at RAK Half Marathon

Geoffrey Kamworor and Asmarech Anley delivered commanding performances to claim the men's and women's titles, respectively, at the 2026 RAK Half Marathon on Saturday.

From the outset, Kamworor demonstrated his intent for a fast race, confidently positioning himself just behind the early pacemakers. His victory marks his second win at the prestigious event, his first coming back in 2013. For Anley, it was a triumphant debut on the Ras Al Khaimah course.

In the men's race, an elite lead pack formed, featuring Kenyans Kamworor, Gideon Ronoh, and Samwel Masai, alongside Ethiopia’s Balew Birhanu. After a slight dip in tempo, Jemal Mekonen, who had fallen off the pace, managed to rejoin the front group.

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However, the decisive move came around the 14-kilometre mark when Kamworor surged, injecting a fresh burst of speed into the race. The increased pace immediately took its toll, with fellow Kenyan Samwel Masai being the first to drop back from the lead group.

While the initial pace was relatively conservative for a field packed with world-class talent, it set the stage for a thrilling and fast-paced conclusion, a common feature in elite-level distance running, as Kamworor won in a world-leading time of 58:14, eight seconds ahead of Balew as Rono completed the podium in 58:36.

“Doing it after 13 years was something special,” Kamworor said after the race. “I am happy at how I ran the race because I did some good training. The course was really amazing, very flat and very fast.”

“I came here with two missions, I wanted to run a fast race and to win. I am really happy with my performance because it is part of my preparations towards the London Marathon,” he added.

For his heroics, Kamworor pocketed $20,000 (Ksh2.6 million) being the winners’ prize besides an attractive appearance fee.

Kamworor is among a strong field that signed up for this year’s London Marathon and his performance in the UAE will give him confidence of doing better in the English capital on April 26.

The London Marathon has top names such as Berlin Marathon winner Sebastian Sawe, Chicago champion Jacob Kiplimo, his Ugandan counterpart Joshua Cheptegei, Olympics champion Tamirat Tola, 2022 London Marathon winner Amos Kipruto among others.