After making a strong marathon debut on October 12 in Chicago, national 10,00m champion Loice Chemnung will hope to cap off her season in style at the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon in Thailand over the weekend.
In Chicago, Chemnung finished fourth in 2:18:24.
Ethiopians Hawi Feysa (2:14:57) and Megertu Alemu (2:17:18) were top and second, with Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri (2:18:03) finishing in third place.
Chemnung, 28, now switches gears as she targets a statement win.
“Back to race mode, thank you, Bangsaen, for the invitation,” Chemnung shared.\
Chemnung is keen to extend Kenya’s dominance in Thailand by securing a fourth consecutive women’s title.
Two-time Boston and New York Marathon champion Hellen Obiri ignited Kenya’s reign in 2022, storming to victory in a course record time of 1:07:45.
Gladys Chepkurui kept the streak alive in 2023 in 1:09:46, before Winfridah Moseti made it three in a row last year, crossing the line in 1:10:01.
Chemnung is no stranger to Bangsaen success, having ruled the 10km race in May, clocking 31:26, ahead of Ethiopians Gutene Shanko (32:50) and Mehret Gemeda (32:53).
The distance ace has been steadily carving her name on the roads since making her half-marathon debut last year.
She made her debut at the 2024 Malaga Half Marathon, winning in 1:05:58, followed by a runner-up finish in Larne (1:06:47), before capping off 2024 with victory at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon, where she clocked 1:07:27.
The 2025 campaign has been equally solid for Chemnung, blending road and track exploits.
She opened her season as a pacemaker at the Osaka Women’s Marathon on January 26, where Workenesh Edesa (2:21:00) claimed victory ahead of Japanese duo Kana Kobayashi (2:21:19) and Yuka Suzuki (2:21:33).
On March 23, Chemnung returned to Malaga and successfully defended her title, stopping the clock in 1:05:46. Compatriot Miriam Chebet (1:07:01) and Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek (1:08:00) completed the podium.
She then swapped the roads for the track, lining up at the national championships where she asserted her authority to clinch the 10,000m title in 31:39.09, ahead of Cintia Chepng’eno (32:22.44) and Rebecca Mwangi (32:22.85).
Her Chicago marathon debut remains a major highlight of the season, a performance she says left her satisfied and motivated.
“2:18:23 marathon debut for fourth place, I am filled with gratitude and happiness,” Chemnung shared.
Chemnung first made waves on the global stage at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she finished fifth in the 5,000m, clocking 15:55.17.
She later donned national colours again at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, finishing seventh in the 1,500m in 4:24.14.
by TEDDY MULEI
