Habtom Samuel ran 59:49 to win the 2026 Boston Half at Franklin Park on Sunday, breaking Lelisa Desisa's 2013 course record by 45 seconds and, according to the Boston Athletic Association, producing the first sub-hour half marathon recorded in Massachusetts. The 22-year-old Eritrean, who turned professional in July after his time with the University of New Mexico, finished 1:14 clear of Andrea Kiptoo, with 2023 champion Abel Kipchumba third in 1:01:16.
Samuel arrived as the form runner in the field. He won the Houston half marathon in January in 59:01 on his debut over the distance, set the Falmouth Road Race course record of 30:53 in August and won the Beach to Beacon 10K in 27:40. He had said beforehand that he intended to "fight for the course record", and the margin of victory suggested the pace was his to dictate. Kipchumba, whose 58:07 from Valencia in 2021 was the quickest personal best in the field, could not stay in touch on a course that winds through the Emerald Necklace park system.
The women's race could hardly have been closer. Fentaye Belayneh of Ethiopia won in 1:09:14, two seconds ahead of Winfred Mbithe, to become the first woman to win the Boston Half three years in a row. She had taken the title by one second in 2024 in 1:10:26 and by two seconds in 2025 in 1:08:51, and arrived with a 1:04:49 personal best from Houston. Sintayehu Lewetegn, the Ethiopian who ran 1:06:58 in Prague this year, completed the podium.
Among the Americans, Jack Aho was the leading man in sixth place in 1:01:53, while Sydney Vaught, the reigning US 10,000m champion, made a promising half marathon debut by finishing fifth in 1:09:44 as the top American woman. Nearly 9,000 runners from 104 countries were expected for the race's 25th anniversary, which also featured wheelchair and para athletics divisions.
The record will draw attention as much for where it was set as for the time itself. Boston's course is not usually grouped with the fast half marathon venues such as Valencia or Houston, and Samuel's run, which still sits 48 seconds outside his own Houston best, underlines how quickly the new generation of road professionals is raising the baseline for the distance.