Mateiko v Lasoi headline the half marathon as world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech targets sub-15 minutes in inaugural Antrim Coast 5K

Now in its seventh year, the World Athletics Elite Label event has established itself as one of the fastest and most scenic half marathon courses in the world.

This year promises to take the event to another level, with elite athletes chasing records and podium places while thousands of runners from 43 countries take on their own personal challenges – but there could be history at the front of the field.

All eyes will be on Kenyan stars Daniel Mateiko and Isaia Lasoi as they target the unprecedented feat of becoming the first man to run a sub-58-minute half marathon on UK or Irish soil.

Mateiko returns to the Antrim Coast as the UK and Ireland All-Comers Record holder after producing a sensational 58:36 on the course in 2023. The Kenyan arrives back on the coast with unfinished business and in strong form following a 2:03:44 marathon in Tokyo earlier this year.

Standing in his way will be 26-year-old Lasoi, whose Personal Best of 58:10 ranks him among the fastest half marathon runners in history. The 2025 Boston Half Marathon winner also brings significant international pedigree, having made his marathon debut in London and recorded a series of major podium finishes.

The pair will, however, face stiff competition from a stacked field.

Kenya's Samwel Chebolei, who has already broken the 59-minute barrier twice in 2026, will line up alongside former Copenhagen Half Marathon champion Edward Cheserek, 2026 Malaga Half Marathon winner Vincent Kipkorir, 2025 Cardiff Half Marathon winner Yismaw Dillu and 2025 Seoul Marathon winner Little Nick Kitundu.

Meanwhile, adding further star quality is American distance-running great Galen Rupp. The double Olympic medallist and former Chicago Marathon champion will make his eagerly anticipated Antrim Coast debut.

The women's event is set to provide an equally compelling contest as Ethiopia's Girmawit Gebrzihair, boasting a remarkable personal best of 64:14, heads a formidable line-up which also includes Wede Kefale and former London Marathon runner-up Degitu Azimeraw.

Uganda's Sarah Chelangat, Rotterdam Marathon winner Mekides Shimeles and American Olympian Dakotah Popehn will add further strength to the field. British Olympian Jess Warner-Judd will lead the home challenge after an impressive spell of racing on the roads.

There will also be a familiar face pacing the sub two-hour group, with five-time Olympian Jo Pavey returning for her seventh Antrim Coast Half Marathon.

Before the half marathon gets underway, the inaugural Antrim Coast 5K will provide another major international spectacle.

International teams from Ireland and Scotland will compete alongside an elite field headed by Kenyan superstar Beatrice Chepkoech. The current 3000m steeplechase world record holder and former world champion has set herself the ambitious target of breaking the 15-minute barrier over the fast Antrim Coast course.

The men's 5K will be headlined by former World Junior champion Ermais Girma, who will lead a high-quality field as elite athletes and international teams battle it out.

Participants from 43 countries will line up alongside runners from across Northern Ireland, Ireland, Great Britain and beyond, creating a truly international celebration of running.

Hundreds will also use the event to raise money for charities close to their hearts, turning thousands of individual challenges into a major collective fundraising effort.

Elite international athletes, club runners, first-time half marathoners, families, charity entrants and some of the world's leading endurance competitors will all share the same start line.

Race director Ruth McIlroy said: “This is what makes the Antrim Coast so special. We have some of the fastest athletes on the planet coming here to chase history, but at exactly the same time we have thousands of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things for themselves, their families and the charities they care about.

“This year we have taken another major step forward. The Mateiko-Lasoi battle could produce the first sub-58-minute half marathon ever run on UK or Irish soil, while Beatrice Chepkoech will be targeting the 15-minute barrier in our inaugural 5K.

“We have runners travelling from 43 countries, hundreds fundraising for charity and an elite field that is quite simply extraordinary.

“But every single runner has their own story. That is what we want people to celebrate on 23 August.

“We want the entire Antrim Coast to come alive. Come out, cheer the runners, support the charities and enjoy what promises to be an incredible day for Northern Ireland.”

The 5k starts at 9am, with the half marathon race getting under way at 11am.

Fans can watch the race live on the official Antrim Coast Half Marathon website or across all World Athletics digital platforms.