Men’s race
At the front of the race, the battle for victory delivered an exciting race. Kenyan Emmanuel Wafula was mostly alone during the race. He claimed victory in the time of 59:42, a new personal best. Fellow Kenyan Simon Maywa took second place in 1:00:26, while Edward Koonyo finished third in 1:00:37. Italy’s Yohanes Chiappinelli put on a remarkable comeback from eighth place to finish fourth in 1:01:01, close to his personal best. However, he fell short of breaking the Italian half marathon record of 59:26, set by Yeman Crippa in 2022 on the same streets of Naples.
In the early stages of the race, the lead group included Israel’s Maru Teferi and Kenyans Simon Maywa and Emmanuel Waffula, closely followed by Chiappinelli and Edward Konana Koonyo, who took control around the 9km mark. He left Teferi behind. At the 10km mark, runners Wafula, Maywa, and Koonyo clocked 28:03, ahead off the course record pace. Teferi followed in 28:11, with a compact chase group, including Ethiopia’s Baryau Teka Assefa and Kenyans Zacharia Krop and Andrew Lorot, all passing in 28:23. Chiappinelli, the first Italian, was eighth in 28:31, while Meucci and Mondazzi crossed in 29:39.
As the race reached Corso Umberto around km12, Wafula surged ahead, dropping Koonyo, who reached km 13 in 36:30. Around km 15, Chiappinelli began his comeback, using his strength on slight uphill sections to his advantage. Returning to the Lungomare Caracciolo, Wafula extended his lead and took on the tunnel climb in full control, eventually crossing the finish line solo. Chiappinelli’s strong push in the final kilometres secured him a fourth-place finish in 1:01:01. The top three Italian finishers were Mondazzi in 1:03:22 and Daniele Meucci in 1:03:24.
“The pace was fast right from the start — everyone went out really strong” said Yohanes Chiappinelli. “I tried to keep up, but I felt it was too fast for me, so I decided to stick to my own rhythm. I was running alone for most of the race, using the runners ahead as reference points. I finished in a respectable fourth place; I had hoped for a slightly better time, but I knew I wasn’t at my peak. I’m happy I finished strong, passing several competitors in the last two kilometres. I would have loved to deliver a great result for the fans and organizers, as the Napoli City Half Marathon is an important stepping stone for my season.”
Women’s Race
The women’s race followed a similar pattern, with Kenyan Sheila Cherotich running on her own to victory in 1:08:20. She was followed in by Elvanie Nimbona in 1:09:00 and Kenya’s Nelly Jeptoo in 1:09:14, all setting new personal bests. Italy’s Sofiia Yaremchuk finished fourth in 1:09:21, missing her own Italian record of 1:08:27, which she had set the previous year in Naples, tying the previous national best held by Nadia Ejjafini.
With four of the top ten women setting personal bests, the race proved to be one of the faster half-marathons in Europe.
The women’s race was dominated early on by Kenyans Cherotich and Jeptoo. By the 10km mark, Cherotich had pulled away, passing in 31:26, followed by Jeptoo in 32:06. Just behind, Yaremchuk and Nimbona were running together in 32:16, a pace that, if maintained, would have broken the Italian record. By km 15, Cherotich had built a one-minute lead over Jeptoo, a gap she maintained until the finish line.
“In Kenya, I followed the same training plan as last year—it was perfect,” said Sofiia Yaremchuk. “I returned to Italy last Sunday feeling in great shape, but unfortunately, on Thursday, I started feeling a bit sick with the flu and a cold. Still, I wanted to race because the Napoli City Half Marathon is a special race for me and very fast. We passed 10 km in 32:15, but by km 8, I was already feeling fatigued. It was still a good effort; not every race or day is the same, and in sport, you always have to factor in health and unexpected challenges. I’ll try again next time.”
Results
Men’s Race
- Emmanuel Wafula (KEN) – 59:42
- Simon Maywa (KEN) – 1:00:26
- Edward Koonyo (KEN) – 1:00:37
- Yohanes Chiappinelli (ITA) – 1:01:01
- Maru Teferi (ISR) – 1:01:02
Women’s Race
- Sheila Cherotich (KEN) – 1:08:20
- Elvanie Nimbona (BDI) – 1:09:00
- Nelly Jeptoo (KEN) – 1:09:14
- Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) – 1:09:21
- Gladys Cherop Longari (KEN) – 1:11:34
