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.
Nick, who is going at this despite a long-standing back issue which stopped him playing football 15 years ago, will caddy as Stuart’s son Jacob tackles 72 golf holes in a day, and will run Glasgow’s half-marathon with Adam, another of his nephews. Beren Cross, New York Times, 20 June 2025 The scenic half-marathon is from the Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point Loma, along San Diego Bay, Harbor Island, Embarcadero, past the Star of India, through downtown San Diego to a finish in historic Balboa Park. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025 Inside Nike’s all-women half-marathon in L.A.: the good, the bad and the surprising. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025 The longer race, a half-marathon, started at 8 a.m.; around 11 a.m. Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 14 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 28 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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