Vladimir Nikitin was the first in Russia to run a half marathon in less than an hour

Track and field athlete Vladimir Nikitin became the first Russian to complete a half marathon in less than an hour.

He ran 21.1 km in 59 minutes and 51 seconds. According to Sport-Express, the record was set on October 5 at the Kazan Half Marathon.

The previous achievement also belonged to Nikitin — 1 hour 37 seconds. He demonstrated this result in May 2025 at the race "Race.Russian Federation" in Moscow.

Faster and higher: what I remember about the athletics championship of the country - 2025

In Kazan, fans were waiting for two Russian records and a scandal on the last day.

On July 25, Russian track and field athlete Konstantin Krylov set a new Russian record in the 100 m for the first time in 39 years. The Russian showed a result of 10.04 seconds and became the winner at the Russian championship among athletes under 23 years of age.

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