Vincent Kipkorir wins Malaga Half Marathon as race grows to 12,000 runners

Kenyan athlete Vincent Kipkorir claimed victory in the 2026 TotalEnergies Malaga Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 59 minutes and 30 seconds as the event continued its rapid growth with a record number of participants.

A total of 12,000 runners registered for the race, a sharp increase from 8,000 the previous year. In the end, 9,780 athletes took part and 9,480 completed the course, a 48 per cent rise in finishers compared with 2025.

The Kenyan, who won the Malaga Marathon in 2024, ran with the lead group for most of the race before breaking away over the final five kilometres. He crossed the finish line alone along Paseo del Parque, pushed on by strong support from spectators.

Kipkorir was the only runner to break the 60-minute barrier. Fellow Kenyan Shadrack Ngumubu Musyoka finished second in 1:00:16, while Mathew Kipkoech Kipruto secured third place in 1:01:29 after a close battle for the podium places.

In the women’s race, Kenyan Olympic athlete Esther Chebet took victory with a personal best time of 1:06:33. Slovenia’s Klara Lukan finished second with the same time, setting a new national record, while Kenya’s Winnie Kimutai placed third in 1:08:22.

Spain’s Marta Galimany was the best national finisher in the women’s category. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian finished fifth overall in 1:09:22, a new personal best that also places her as Spain’s leading half-marathon runner of the year.

Among local runners, Marbella athlete Daniel García was the first from Malaga province to cross the line. Representing Trops Cueva de Nerja, he finished 12th overall in 1:06:44 after running much of the race alongside the women’s elite group.

Despite ideal running conditions in Malaga, with mild temperatures and light wind, the race records set in 2025 were not broken. Even so, Kipkorir’s sub-one-hour performance kept the event among the fastest half marathons staged globally so far in 2026.

According to data published after the race, Kipkorir’s winning time currently ranks the Malaga Half Marathon as the ninth fastest in the world in 2026, with the women’s race ranking sixth this year.

The figures reinforce the growing international reputation of the Malaga event, with nearly half of its participants arriving from outside Spain.