Sun Sep 15 11:49:39 UTC 2024: ## Irish Runner Efrem Gidey Breaks Half Marathon National Record in Copenhagen
**Copenhagen, Denmark** – Efrem Gidey, a 24-year-old Irish runner, set a new Irish record in the half marathon at the Copenhagen Half Marathon this morning, finishing 15th with a time of 1:00:51. This beats the previous record of 1:00:57 set by Martin Fagan in 2009.
Gidey, who fled Eritrea in 2016 and arrived in Ireland in 2017, has been steadily rising through the ranks of Irish athletics. He won numerous underage titles with Clonliffe Harriers and represented Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships in 2019. In recent years, Gidey has also shown his strength in road races, finishing fifth in last year’s Great North Run.
The race in Copenhagen saw Gidey start strong, passing 5km in 14:16 and 10km in 28:43. He maintained his pace throughout the race, eventually finishing six seconds faster than Fagan’s record.
The race also saw the debut of Norwegian middle-distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who finished 34th in 1:03:13. Ingebrigtsen, who won the Diamond League title over 1500m in Brussels on Friday, started fast but slowed down after 10km.
Back in Ireland, Hugh Armstrong and Shona Heaslip took victory at the National Half Marathon Championships in Charleville. Armstrong clocked a time of 1:04:35, while Heaslip secured her win in the women’s race.
First Piper 