mmB 25 years
Ethiopia and Kenya triumph in the 2025 Bogotá Half Marathon
July 27, 2025
César S. Sandoval Z. / RunningColombia
https://www.runningcolombia.com/triunfo ... gota-2025/
The 2025 edition of the Bogotá Half Marathon, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the country's most important race and one of Latin America's most iconic sporting events, took place on the morning of Sunday, July 27, painting the capital's streets purple and leaving Ethiopian
Aynalem Desta and Kenyan
Philemon Kiplimo as champions, who triumphed in the elite 21K competition.
The race began at 8:30 a.m., and from the start, the favorites dominated the race, both for men and women. For the men, the pacesetting group broke away from the rest of the field four minutes into the race, with a group of six athletes led by Kenyans
Benson Kipruto and
Philemon Kiplimo. The first to leave the group was Eritrean runner
Awet Habte, but the Kenyan
Charles Matata, Eritrean
Samson Amare, Tanzanian
Mao Ako, and the aforementioned Kipruto and Kiplimo managed to hold on, remaining in the lead at kilometer five.
Benson Kipruto placed third in the 2025 edition of the mmB
Ako and Matata then broke away from the lead, while Kiplimo pulled ahead of Kipruto and Amare. They held that lead until they reached Lane 92, between km 15 and 16, where Kiplimo further extended his lead.
The pace remained constant until the clock reached an hour. Kiplimo's exhaustion was evident, and the race record was beginning to look like a dream.
For their part, Amare and Kipruto were seen behind Kiplimo close to the finish line, finally crossing it in 1:02:54, followed by their two main rivals, Amare and Kipruto, who passed almost side by side and closed the podium marking 1:03:40 and 1:03.41 respectively.
The best South American finisher was Ecuadorian
Segundo Jami, who finished seventh with a time of 1:06:56. Meanwhile, the best Colombian finisher was
Iván Gonzáles of Team Porvenir, who placed ninth with a time of 1:07:35, followed by his compatriot
Nicolás Herrera of Fit Therapy, who repeated last year's tenth place finish with a time of 1:07:35.
Group of Colombians at the start of the race.
Ethiopia won again in women's
The women's race, on the other hand, was perhaps more exciting, with a field that was quickly selected and remained closely contested for almost the entire race. The group was led by Ethiopians
Janet Mutungi,
Aynalem Desta, and
Tsige Haileslase, followed by Kenyan
Susy Chemaimak and Peruvian
Zaida Ramos.
The five runners led the pack until the middle of kilometer 5, when Zaida began to slip and was eventually overtaken by the Africans. The group remained close and steady for the next 25 minutes, but it was around kilometer 10 that Susy also began to slow down, further closing the group led by Aynalem, Tsige, and Janet, who passed the 15-kilometer mark at around the 50-minute mark.
Photo: Gustavo Velosa
The anticipation was high, as the three runners were neck and neck, and everything seemed to come down to the final meters. Finally, Aynalem launched a strong attack with 1,000 meters to go after the victory, which she achieved after crossing the finish line in 1:12:19, followed by her teammates several seconds later. Janet crossed the finish line in 1:12:49, and third place went to Tsige, who clocked 1:12:57, rounding out the podium dominated by Ethiopia.
Zaida Ramos was the best South American in the competition, finishing fifth, stopping the clock at 1:15:02, followed by
Leidy Lozano of the Porvenir Team in sixth place. Lozano was also the best Colombian in this edition of the Bogotá Half Marathon, clocking 1:16:16. Colombians
Lina Pantoja and
'Mafe' Montoya also placed in the top 10, finishing in 8th and 10th place with times of 1:17:09 and 1:18:43, respectively.
For the second consecutive year, Leidy Lozano was the best Colombian finisher in the Bogotá Half Marathon. /Photo: Gustavo Velosa
mmB Results 2025
Elite ladies:
Aynalem Desta (ETH), 1:12:19
Janet Mutungi (ETH), 1:12:49
Tsige Hailase (ETH), 1:12:57
Susy Chemaimak (KEN), 1:14:49
Zaida Ramos (PER), 1:15:02
Leidy Lozano (COL), 1:16:16
Saida Meneses (PER), 1:16:38
Lina Pantoja (COL), 1:17:09
Silvia Ortiz (ECU), 1:18:43
María Fernanda Montoya (COL), 1:21:25
Elite men:
Philemon Kiplimo (KEN), 1:02:55
Samson Amare (ERI), 1:03:40
Benson Kirputo (KEN), 1:03:41
Charles Matata (KEN), 1:06:12
William Amponsah (GHA), 1:06:27
Mao Ako (TAN), 1:06:51
Second Jami (ECU), 1:06:56
Hector Garibay (BOL), 1:07:20
Ivan Gonzalez (COL), 1:07.35
Nicolás Herrera (COL), 1:07:35
