Half Marathon

A road race of 21.0975 kilometres, half the marathon. Because it is run on city streets, times depend on the course as much as on the runner. For a mark to count as a record or in the rankings, the course must be certified: no more than one metre of descent per kilometre overall, and start and finish no further apart than half the race distance, which rules out a point-to-point course with the wind behind. Times are recorded to the second. Most of the top half marathoners also race on the track at 10,000 metres or on the road at the marathon.