Philemon Kiplimo

Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo (born 10 October 1998) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road racing. He is one of the world's fastest half marathon runners of all time and has achieved top results in major international marathons.

Philemon Kiplimo

Personal information
Birth name	Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1998-10-10) October 10, 1998 (age 26) Kenya
Occupation	Long-distance runner
Years active	2019–present
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Marathon, Half marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	Marathon: 2:04:01 (Hamburg, 2025) Half Marathon: 58:11 (Valencia, 2020)

Career

In 2019, he won the B.A.A. Half Marathon in Boston.^[1] His breakthrough performance came at the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon, where he finished fifth in a historically fast race. His time of 58:11 places him among the top ten fastest performers ever for the distance.^[2] He then won the 2021 Bahrain Royal Night Half Marathon.^[3]

After several strong half marathon performances, Kiplimo transitioned to the full marathon. In his debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, he ran a 2:05:44. He followed this with a top-ten finish at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, finishing eighth with a new personal best of 2:04:56.^[4]

In April 2025, Kiplimo finished second in the Hamburg Marathon, improving his personal best by nearly a minute to clock a time of 2:04:01.^[5]

Personal bests

• Marathon: 2:04:01 – Hamburg, Germany, 2025^[6]
• Half Marathon: 58:11 – Valencia, Spain, 2020^[6]
• 10km Road: 27:23 – Castellón, Spain, 2022^[6]

Major results

Year	Competition	Location	Position	Time
2019	B.A.A. Half Marathon	Boston, USA	1st	1:01:58
2020	Valencia Half Marathon	Valencia, Spain	5th	58:11
2021	Bahrain Royal Night Half Marathon	Manama, Bahrain	1st	1:00:01
2023	Berlin Marathon	Berlin, Germany	8th	2:04:56
2025	Hamburg Marathon	Hamburg, Germany	2nd	2:04:01