SA runner breaks SA half-marathon record in Valencia

Adriaan Wildschutt broke another South African record on Sunday, setting a new national mark on his 21km debut at the Valencia half-marathon in Spain.

The 27-year-old distance runner finished fifth in 59:13 in a race won by former world record holder Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia in 58:02.

Wildschutt took 23 seconds off the five-year-old South African record of 59:36 set by Stephen Mokoka in Poland in October 2020.

Though his SA 10km record was recently broken by Maxime Chaumeton, Wildschutt extended his list of national marks to four with his latest performance.

Aside from the half-marathon record, he also holds marks over the 3 000m (7:32.99), 5 000m (12:55.02) and 10 000m (26:50.64) distances on the track.

Wildschutt, who finished 10th in the 10 000m race at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last month, will lead the SA senior men's team in the 10km race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee on 10 January, 2026.