The Rimi Riga Marathon returns to the Latvian capital this weekend with the largest field in its history and the strongest half marathon elite roster the race has ever assembled. Organisers confirmed on Tuesday that at least 40,000 runners have registered across the marathon, half marathon, 10K, 6K, mile and kids' day events, a milestone that places Riga among the dozen largest road weekends in Europe. Racing begins Saturday 16 May with the shorter distances and the kids' day, with the marathon and half marathon going off on Sunday 17 May.
The half marathon is the centrepiece. Victor Kipchirchir of Kenya leads a men's field built around his 59:19 personal best, the only sub-hour mark in the race's history, and he is joined by Aklilu Gebremariam Asfaw of Ethiopia, whose 1:00:27 from earlier this season puts him on the cusp of the same barrier. Robert Kiprop Koech rounds out a podium-credible front group with a 1:00:56 from 2024. On the women's side, Bosena Mulatie of Ethiopia is the favourite on the strength of her 1:05:46 from 2022 and a third-place finish at the 2024 Berlin Marathon over the full distance.
The marathon contest is quieter on paper but has a clear narrative. Nguse Amlosom of Eritrea, whose 2:08:23 from 2021 remains the headline number, is being chased by Kenya's Wisley Kimeli, fourth at Riyadh earlier in 2026 with a 2:08:33, and James Kiplagat with a 2:09:08 from 2023. Riga's course is famously fast in cool conditions, looping the Old Town and the riverfront with limited elevation change, and the forecast for Sunday morning suggests temperatures in the low double digits with light wind. A men's sub-2:08 is well within reach if the lead pack stays together to thirty kilometres.
The participation numbers tell their own story. Forty thousand runners is a 15 per cent increase on the 2025 race, and the half marathon alone has crossed the 20,000-entry mark for the first time. Latvian organisers attribute the jump to expanded charity bibs, a refreshed travel package for visiting runners from Germany and Poland, and the introduction of a paced "wave training" programme through the winter that allowed first-time entrants to commit early. Prize money has been extended to the top six finishers in the marathon and half, with shorter-distance prize purses for the 10K, 5.7K and mile.
For the elite half marathoners, the race is also a tune-up. Several of the front-pack runners are using Riga as a Tokyo Worlds tempo session before deciding whether to chase a place over the marathon or stay at the half. The course's gentle camber and the slightly later start time make it a useful indicator of marathon fitness without the recovery cost of a full 42 kilometres. If conditions cooperate, the men's race could see two athletes under 60 minutes, and a women's mark inside 1:06:30 looks plausible. Coverage begins on the official Rimi Riga Marathon stream from 07:30 local time on Sunday.