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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earlier this year, a robot completed a half-marathon in Beijing in just under 2 hours and 40 minutes. James Pikul, The Conversation, 2 June 2025 This year’s marathon and half-marathon are set to begin adjacent to Balboa Park around 6:45 a.m. Sunday, officials said. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025 In the email, Lebron, himself a runner who completed last weekend’s race, mentioned the cardiac arrest death of David Reichman during the 2022 half-marathon. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025 May 17 has been identified Charles Rogers was 31 Rogers once played college football for the University of Minnesota A runner who died after running a half-marathon in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 17, has been identified as Charles Rogers. Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 21 May 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 15 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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