The Bogotá International Half Marathon ( es, Media Maratón Internacional de Bogotá), or mmB as it is traditionally known, is an annual

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

competition over a half marathon distance () taking place in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

in late July or early August, first held in 2000. The competition features both elite and popular (or recreational) sections within the half marathon and 10K races. Around 45,000 runners take part in the competition's events each year.Biscayart, Eduardo (2013-07-28)
Kipsang and Jeptoo win in Bogota
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-07-29. Both the half marathon and the 10K start and finish in

Simón Bolívar Park The Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, best known as the Simón Bolívar Park, is a greenspace and entertainment and sports complex located in the middle of the city of Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the largest urban parks in the World with ove ...

. The race is not considered a fast one, as the city is located around above sea level. The half marathon holds

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

Platinum Label Road Race status, making it the first and thus far only

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n race to achieve this accreditation.

History

The race was first held in 2000. The elite race has featured a number of high-profile runners, including former marathon world record holder and champion

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a Kenyan marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. She is a ...

, two-time

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race ( pt, Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre) is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Brazi ...

winner

James Kwambai James Kipsang Kwambai (born February 28, 1983) is a runner from Kenya, who specialises in marathons. He is a former Kenyan record holder in the event, with his personal best of 2:04:27 hours in 2009. At the time this made him the second fastest r ...

, Olympic medallist and New York City Marathon champion

Joyce Chepchumba Joyce Chepchumba (born 6 November 1970 in Kericho) is a long distance athlete from Kenya. Achievements *1995 ** Tilburg Ten Miles winner **Parelloop 10Kwinner Arrs.netList of Parelloop winners/ref> *1997 **London Marathon winner *1998 ...

and 2005 World Half Marathon champion

Fabiano Joseph Fabiano Joseph Naasi (born December 24, 1985, in Babati Babati, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a town in Babati Urban District of Manyara Region of Tanzania. It is the administrative capital of Babati Urban District a ...

. The 2020 edition of the race was postponed to 2021.07.25 due to the coronavirus pandemic.La edición 21 de la media maratón de Bogotá ha sido aplazada para el domingo 25 de julio del año 2021
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Course

In 2010, both the half marathon and the 10K had a point-to-point format. The half marathon course started at Bolívar Square and headed north past

Avenida Jiménez Avenida Jiménez is a thoroughfare that runs through the locality of La Candelaria in Bogotá, Colombia. Laid out on the San Francisco River, the Environmental Axis of the city is currently established there. It extends over from Teleférico d ...

and Parque Nacional, before turning west at Unicentro shopping centre. The course continued heading west, passing the

Salitre Mágico Salitre Magico is an amusement park located in Bogotá, Colombia inside the territory of the Parque el Salitre. Currently it has 39 mechanical attractions such as roller coasters, bumping cars, and the unique "Castillo del Terror" (Castle of Horror ...

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, and finished at

. The 10K race had identical start and finishing points, but followed a more direct path between the two – heading north on Calle 26 then switching to Calle 53 which goes directly past Bolívar Park.Recorrido 10km
. . MMB (2010). Retrieved on 2010-07-25. By 2013, the courses for both races had changed so that they both started and ended at Simón Bolívar Park. For 2021, the half marathon course was set to begin around the Events Plaza of Simón Bolívar Park, head southeast to

Torre Colpatria The Torre Colpatria ( en, Colpatria Tower) is a 50-story skyscraper in the downtown area of Bogotá, Colombia. It is the fourth tallest building in the country. Constructed from 1973 to 1978 and opened in 1979, it has a total height of , becom ...

, and head north past Parque Nacional up to around , before heading back to Simón Bolívar Park for the finish. The race is not typically conducive to fast times as the city is located at 2,600 meters above sea level, some 8,530 feet, a factor which inhibits

long distance runners Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

.Sailer, Victah (2007-07-18)
Tergat to compete in the Bogotá Half Marathon, and promote UN mission

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2010-07-25. However, it is considered a perfect training ground for professional athletes and runners looking to run the World's Marathon Majors in Berlin, Chicago and New York happening in the fall each year.

Winners

2005 WC Marathon Women 456 Catherine Ndereba

Key:

Half marathon

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogota Half Marathon Half marathons Recurring sporting events established in 2000 Half Marathon Athletics in Colombia