Philemon Kiplimo won the men's race with a time of 1:02:55, followed by Eritrean Samson Amare, 45″ behind

César S. Sandoval Z. / RunningColombia

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 elite figures such as Aynalem Desta and Philemon Kiplimo as champions, who triumphed in the 21K elite category.

The race started at 8:30 a.m., the elite men’s and women’s athletes set off and the field was quickly sorted. On the men’s side, 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, leaving Kenyan Charles Matata, Eritrean Samson Amare, Tanzanian Mao Ako and the aforementioned Kipruto and Kiplimo as the main group fifteen minutes into the race.

Benson Kipruto was one of the winners of the 2025 edition of the mmB

The next to be dropped were Ako and Matata, who began to fall behind until they separated from the leaders around the 35-minute mark, while Kiplimo gained an advantage over Kiptuto and Amare, who were running alongside them. Over the following stretches of the race, the group remained the same, with Amare being briefly dropped by Kirputo at the 13-kilometer mark, but regaining his place and falling back to the same level. It wasn't until the 45-minute mark that Kiplimo reached the 15-kilometer mark, maintaining a pace that put him several meters ahead of his teammates.

The pace remained steady as the clock struck one hour, with Amare and Kipruto catching up behind Kiplimo near the finish line. They eventually crossed the finish line in 1:02:54. Amare and Kipruto followed, almost neck and neck, completing the podium with times of 1:03:40 and 1:03:41, respectively. The best South American finisher was Ecuador's Segundo Jami, who finished seventh in 1:06:56.

The best Colombian was Iván Gonzáles, who placed ninth with 1:07:35, along with his compatriot Nicolás Herrera, who crossed the finish line after Iván and stopped the clock at 1:07:35.

The women's race, meanwhile, was equally, if not more, exciting, with a field that was quickly selected and remained close 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 left behind by the leaders. The group remained close and steady for the next 25 minutes, but it was nearing kilometer 10 that Susy also began to slow down, further closing the lead group of women, with Aynalem, Tsige, and Janet running side by side, reaching kilometer 15 after 50 minutes of running.

The anticipation was high; the three runners were neck and neck, and everything would come down to the final meters. The athletes continued to increase their pace until they began to gain ground. Finally, Aynalem crossed the finish line first, clocking 1:12:19, followed by her teammates several seconds later. Janet crossed the finish line second in 1:12:49, and third place went to Tsige, who clocked 1:12:57, completing the podium with a triple Ethiopian victory in the women's event.

Zaida Ramos was the best South American in the competition, finishing fifth and stopping the clock at 1:15:02, followed by Leidy Lozano in sixth place, who in turn was the best Colombian in this edition of the Bogotá Half Marathon with a time of 1:16:16. Colombians Lina Pantoja and Mafe Montoya also placed in the top 10 of the race, finishing in 8th and 10th place with times of 1:17:09 and 1:18:43 respectively.

mmB Results 2025

Elite ladies:

1. Aynalem Desta (ETH), 1:12:19
2. Janet Mutungi (ETH), 1:12:49
3. Tsige Hailase (ETH), 1:12:57
4. Susy Chemaimak (KEN), 1:14:49
5. Zaida Ramos (PER), 1:15:02
6. Leidy Lozano (COL), 1:16:16
7. Saida Meneses (PER), 1:16:38
8. Lina Pantoja (COL), 1:17:09
9. Silvia Ortiz (ECU), 1:18:43
10. María Fernanda Montoya (COL), 1:21:25

Elite men:

1. Philemon Kiplimo (KEN), 1:02:55
2. Samson Amare (ERI), 1:03:40
3. Benson Kirputo (KEN), 1:03:41
4. Charles Matata (KEN), 1:06:12
5. William Amponsah (GHA), 1:06:27
6. Mao Ako (TAN), 1:06:51
7. Second Jami (ECU), 1:06:56
8. Hector Garibay (BOL), 1:07:20
9. Ivan Gonzalez (COL), 1:07.35
10. Nicolás Herrera (COL), 1:07:35