The 2023 world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo will be out to end a two-year wait for half marathon glory when he lines up at the Chicago Half Marathon on June 7.
Ebenyo has not tasted victory over the 21km distance since his commanding triumph at the 2024 Berlin Half Marathon, where he stormed to the title in 59:30.
The Kenyan spearheaded a clean sweep of the podium in Berlin, leading compatriots Amos Kurgat and Isaia Lasoi across the line after they clocked 59:42 and 59:47, respectively.
Ebenyo had already built an impressive resume over the distance before his Berlin masterclass. He announced his arrival on the half marathon scene with a winning debut at the 2019 Laayoune race in Morocco, clocking 1:00:45 to finish ahead of home favourite Mohammed Ziani (1:01:17) and Ethiopia’s Tefera Mosisa (1:01:34).
His second outing came in Manama, Bahrain, in 2022, where he delivered a personal best of 59:04 to secure second place. Compatriot Sabastian Sawe claimed top honours in that contest after stopping the clock at 58:58.
Ebenyo decisively launched his 2023 campaign, opening with victory in Istanbul in 59:52 ahead of Moroccan Hicham Amghar (59:58) and Ethiopian Haftu Teklu (1:00:03). He followed it up with another dominant display in New Delhi, slicing through the tape in 59:27 as Charles Matata (1:00:05) and Ethiopia’s Addisu Gobena (1:00:51) trailed in his wake.
Ebenyo then rounded off his stellar season with silver at the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia, clocking 59:14 to finish just behind Sawe, who edged him in 59:10. The 30-year-old attempted to force his way onto the podium earlier this season in New York on March 15 but fell short, settling for 13th place in 1:00:50.
However, Ebenyo quickly bounced back from that setback with a runner-up finish at the BOLDERBoulder 10K road race in Colorado, USA, on May 25, timing 29:06 behind Patrick Kiprop, who clinched victory in 28:35.
He will also draw confidence from his encouraging start to the 2026 campaign after bagging bronze at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, where he clocked 28:45. That global showdown saw Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo strike gold in 28:18 while Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi secured silver in 28:36.
In Chicago, Ebenyo will be joined by Peter Njeru, who arrives fresh from victory at the San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico, where he clocked 1:03:15.
In the women’s field, Joyline Chemutai leads Kenya’s charge. Chemutai has opened her 2026 season in sparkling form, piecing together back-to-back podium finishes at the San Blas Half Marathon, where she clocked 1:15:17, and the Vancouver 10km road race, where she posted 32:44.
