half-marathon

noun

half-mar·​a·​thon ˈhaf-ˈmer-ə-ˌthän How to pronounce half-marathon (audio)
-ˈma-rə-
plural half-marathons
: a footrace run on an open course that is half the distance of a marathon (13 miles, 192.5 yards, or 21.1 kilometers)
Then, in late September, … Goucher ran a U.S. best in the half-marathon, beating the women's marathon world-record holder, Britain's Paula Radcliffe, by nearly a minute.Alexander Wolff
Having just completed a half-marathon in the UK's Great North Run on Tyneside, I was surprised to find that my legs felt stiffer two days after the event than they were the following day.Melanie Trickett

Examples of half-marathon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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As a regular runner – often logging five to 10 miles a day – Carissa had completed a treadmill half-marathon before, but this was her first full one. Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 12 July 2025 The precipitation potential will be at 86% at 6:30 a.m., when the marathon and half-marathon will begin. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 In April, 21 humanoid robots recently competed alongside humans in a half-marathon in Beijing, though only six managed to finish. Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 June 2025 His achievement not only broke his own previous record of 282 half-marathons in 12 months, between 2022 and 2023, but also earned him a world title, according to news agency SWNS. Reem Amro, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for half-marathon

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of half-marathon was in 1932

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Cite this Entry

“Half-marathon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-marathon. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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