Elzan Bibić, winner of the 5th Belgrade Half Marathon

Elzan Bibić and Kenyan Rebecca Chepkemoi emerged as the winners of the 5th Belgrade Half Marathon, which saw a record-breaking participation of 4,450 competitors. The Serbian national team member secured his second consecutive victory with a time of 1:02:49 on the 21.095-kilometer course.

From the very start, Bibić and Kenyan Asbel Kiplimó Naiboi stood out from the pack. Their splits at the 10th and 15th kilometers suggested that the course record, held by Bibić with a time of 1:02:15, might be broken.

The decisive moment came around the 18th kilometer, when Bibić increased his pace and, with strong support from spectators along the course, broke away from his rival to secure a remarkable victory. Unfortunately, he fell short of breaking the record.

Second place went to Asbel Kiplimó Naiboi with a time of 1:04:24, while Dario Ivanovski from North Macedonia claimed the third spot on the podium with a time of 1:06:15.

Kenyan Rebecca Chepkemoi secured the top spot in the women’s competition with a solo effort, finishing with a time of 1:15:46. Behind her, Serbian athletes Teodora Simović (1:19:32) and Ivana Živković (1:19:48) crossed the finish line to claim second and third place, respectively.

In addition to the half marathon, a 10-kilometer race was also held. In the men’s category, Mlađen Samardžić from Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed a convincing victory with a time of 31:11. Russian athlete Vyacheslav Sokolov finished second (32:06), while Nikola Raičević, the fastest Serbian competitor, secured third place with a time of 32:13.

Milica Tomašević was the fastest in the women’s category for the third consecutive time, finishing with a personal best of 36:20. Silver went to Nora Trklja (39:11), while bronze was claimed by Katarina Pohlod (40:01).

Elzan Bibić, two-time champion of the Belgrade Half Marathon, expressed his satisfaction following his latest victory in front of the crowd in the Serbian capital.

The young man from Novi Pazar set the course record last year (1:02:15), which he was unable to improve this time. The race saw a record-breaking 4,450 participants, setting a new milestone for the number of competitors.

I am happy and satisfied to have run such a race in front of a wonderful crowd, who carried me to victory. The goal was to break the national record, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to. If I race again next year, I believe it will be third time lucky and I will achieve it. It was tough in the last two kilometers after Branko’s Bridge. I was running alone, there was some wind, and I gave it my all, but I couldn’t reach the record. I must mention that the organization of the event was truly excellent.

Darko Habuš, the head of the Belgrade Marathon, under whose organization the 21.095-kilometer race took place, highlighted several important aspects.

“This was another racing spectacle at the end of the season. Over five thousand people picked up their race packs, and as is usual, there were about 10 to 15 percent fewer at the start, so we had around 4,500 runners, which is truly a great number. We have every reason to be very satisfied”.

This is the first racing event since Belgrade was awarded the organization of the European Championship in running for the 10, 21, and 42-kilometer distances in 2027. year.

“I believe that the past three years, during which the Belgrade Marathon underwent a kind of rebirth with all the changes that took place, contributed to European Athletics choosing Belgrade as the host of this prestigious event. The year 2027 is significant for both the city and the country, and I am glad that we will host the European Championship for the 10, 21, and 42-kilometer distances at the 40th anniversary of the Belgrade Marathon. The entire running community of Europe will be here, and I’m confident there will be between 25,000 and 30,000 runners,” said Darko Habuš.

The head of the Belgrade Marathon particularly emphasized one thing.

“There is a great synergy between the Belgrade Marathon as the organizer, the City of Belgrade, and the Serbian Athletics Federation. Of course, we also owe a great deal of gratitude to the media, who follow all our activities”.

This year, records were broken in the number of runners across all events organized by the Belgrade Marathon.

“I’m a bit hesitant to say that we’ll push the boundaries again next year. In essence, we are constantly working with numbers and planning our events accordingly. We certainly won’t falter in our organization, and that will be the reason why runners will choose the Belgrade Marathon. Also, Belgrade is a very attractive destination for everyone, and that will surely contribute to our continuous growth,” concluded Darko Habuš.

The event was also supported by the Serbian Athletics Federation, with Slobodan Branković, the director of SAS, showing his support for the competitors.

“It was an amazing event. We had nearly five thousand runners in cold but sunny weather. I am confident that as we approach 2027, the number of recreational runners, as well as top competitors, will continue to grow, all wanting to familiarize themselves with the course where the European Championship will take place. The Belgrade Marathon is an excellent organizer, and the Serbian Athletics Federation will provide support as we have done in previous years,” said Slobodan Branković.