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The annual Horsetooth Half Marathon returned April 13 for the 52nd edition of the iconic Fort Collins race.
A beautiful but breezy morning provided great weather for runners under sunny spring skies.
Approximately 2,400 participants signed up this year, with over 2,000 runners finishing the scenic 13.1-mile course that winds above Horsetooth Reservoir and along the Poudre River before finishing near New Belgium Brewing.
Here are the winners and notable finishes from the 2025 Horsetooth Half Marathon:
Lawrence Kipkoech sure enjoys this race. And why wouldn't he?
For the second time in three years, the Colorado Springs-based runner won the Horsetooth Half Marathon, taking the overall title in 1 hour, 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
"This is the best race I come to every year. I love coming to Fort Collins and it’s become basically my home race," Kipkoech said.
The Kenyan-born runner was the wire-to-wire leader, already several seconds ahead of the pack by Monster Mountain as "King of the Mountain."
He never slowed down from there, winning by nearly 90 seconds in a dominant performance.
It was an encouraging sign for Kipkoech, 32, who said this was his first major race of the year.
"This is where I gauge myself and see what kind of fitness I have to start the race year," Kipkoech said. "The course is perfect for me since I train on the hills."
Even though he was about 45 seconds off his 2023 course-record time, Kipkoech was thrilled by how he responded right out of the gate. He said he could have pushed harder to break his own record but didn't need to with so much breathing room between himself and runner-up Gilbert Boit.
"The good thing about this race is you start with the big hills so you cannot lie," Kipkoech said. "If you’re fit, you know pretty quick. Thankfully, I was."
Kipkoech is a former Big South Conference track champion and second-team All-American at Campbell University. He's lived in Colorado Springs since 2022, training daily with the American Distance Project and the Army's World Class Athlete Program.
"I train with the (Army) guys because my goal is to join the Army with them," Kipkoech said.
The women's champion remained unchanged, with Kenyan-born Betty Sigei winning the women's crown for a second straight year.
While she still won by nearly a minute, Sigei was over a minute off her women's course-record time set last year. She crossed the finish line in 1:15:10 this year, taking 12th in the overall standings.
Like Kipkoech, Sigei led practically wire-to-wire, earning "Queen of the Mountain" honors as the first women's runner up Monster Mountain early in the race.
The Hawaii-based athlete is a renowned runner on the women's circuit, earning the 2025 Sands China Macao International 10K title last month, also for a second consecutive year.
It wasn't second place this time, but Fort Collins' own Tyler McCandless led all Northern Colorado runners for the fifth straight year.
The former Horsetooth Half winner took third place, snapping a string of three consecutive runner-up spots for the local running staple in this event.
McCandless' time of 1:08:16 was just 16 seconds off second place and less than 30 seconds off his 2021 winning time.
The Colorado runner has now had 15 top-3 finishes in worldwide competition since the start of 2024.
It was a big year for area runners in the Horsetooth Half, with 25 of the top 50 overall placers hailing from Northern Colorado.
Here are the other Northern Colorado locals with top finishes:
OVERALL
WOMEN'S COMPETITION
OTHER WINNERS:
Full 2025 Horsetooth Half Marathon results can be found at: runsignup.com/Race/Results/80252.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Horsetooth Half Marathon 2025 results: Kipkoech, Sigei win again
Continue reading...
A beautiful but breezy morning provided great weather for runners under sunny spring skies.
Approximately 2,400 participants signed up this year, with over 2,000 runners finishing the scenic 13.1-mile course that winds above Horsetooth Reservoir and along the Poudre River before finishing near New Belgium Brewing.
Here are the winners and notable finishes from the 2025 Horsetooth Half Marathon:
Kipkoech wins 2025 Horsetooth Half title
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Lawrence Kipkoech sure enjoys this race. And why wouldn't he?
For the second time in three years, the Colorado Springs-based runner won the Horsetooth Half Marathon, taking the overall title in 1 hour, 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
"This is the best race I come to every year. I love coming to Fort Collins and it’s become basically my home race," Kipkoech said.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Kenyan-born runner was the wire-to-wire leader, already several seconds ahead of the pack by Monster Mountain as "King of the Mountain."
He never slowed down from there, winning by nearly 90 seconds in a dominant performance.
It was an encouraging sign for Kipkoech, 32, who said this was his first major race of the year.
"This is where I gauge myself and see what kind of fitness I have to start the race year," Kipkoech said. "The course is perfect for me since I train on the hills."
Even though he was about 45 seconds off his 2023 course-record time, Kipkoech was thrilled by how he responded right out of the gate. He said he could have pushed harder to break his own record but didn't need to with so much breathing room between himself and runner-up Gilbert Boit.
"The good thing about this race is you start with the big hills so you cannot lie," Kipkoech said. "If you’re fit, you know pretty quick. Thankfully, I was."
Kipkoech is a former Big South Conference track champion and second-team All-American at Campbell University. He's lived in Colorado Springs since 2022, training daily with the American Distance Project and the Army's World Class Athlete Program.
"I train with the (Army) guys because my goal is to join the Army with them," Kipkoech said.
Sigei goes back-to-back
The women's champion remained unchanged, with Kenyan-born Betty Sigei winning the women's crown for a second straight year.
While she still won by nearly a minute, Sigei was over a minute off her women's course-record time set last year. She crossed the finish line in 1:15:10 this year, taking 12th in the overall standings.
You must be registered for see images attach
Like Kipkoech, Sigei led practically wire-to-wire, earning "Queen of the Mountain" honors as the first women's runner up Monster Mountain early in the race.
The Hawaii-based athlete is a renowned runner on the women's circuit, earning the 2025 Sands China Macao International 10K title last month, also for a second consecutive year.
McCandless leads local pack
It wasn't second place this time, but Fort Collins' own Tyler McCandless led all Northern Colorado runners for the fifth straight year.
The former Horsetooth Half winner took third place, snapping a string of three consecutive runner-up spots for the local running staple in this event.
You must be registered for see images attach
McCandless' time of 1:08:16 was just 16 seconds off second place and less than 30 seconds off his 2021 winning time.
The Colorado runner has now had 15 top-3 finishes in worldwide competition since the start of 2024.
It was a big year for area runners in the Horsetooth Half, with 25 of the top 50 overall placers hailing from Northern Colorado.
Here are the other Northern Colorado locals with top finishes:
OVERALL
- Benjamin Randall, Fort Collins (9th, 1:12:34)
- Mitch Klomp, Fort Collins (10th, 1:13:50)
- Jimmy Mccue, Fort Collins (15th, 1:16:48)
- Grayson Lowe, Fort Collins (16th, 1:17:11)
- Ezra Burrell, Fort Collins (19th, 1:18:21)
- Kyle Leto, Fort Collins (20th, 1:19:01)
- Paul Peterson, Fort Collins (22nd, 1:19:51)
- Eric Koenig, Fort Collins (23rd, 1:20:47)
- Michael Chavez, Fort Collins (25th, 1:21:20)
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WOMEN'S COMPETITION
- AnnMarie Kirkpatrick, Fort Collins (5th, 1:23:24)
- Summer Olson, Greeley (6th, 1:24:41)
- Jessica Cunningham, Loveland (7th, 1:25:32)
- Tabitha Woodhouse, Fort Collins (8th, 1:26:21)
- Shelly McDonald, Loveland (9th, 1:27:47)
- Ellie Pell, Greeley (10th, 1:28:38)
- Sarah Anderson, Fort Collins (11th, 1:29:22)
OTHER WINNERS:
- Men's Masters (40+): Scott Dahlberg, Laramie, Wyoming (1:15:24)
- Women's Masters (40+): Shelly McDonald, Loveland (1:27:47)
- Non-Binary Division: Moony Warfield, Fort Collins (1:22:41)
- Boys (18U): Anonymous Participant (1:26:04) (Loveland's Ian Abbott was 2nd in 1:45:08)
- Girls (18U): Liliana Whitaker, Fort Collins (1:51:09)
Full 2025 Horsetooth Half Marathon results can be found at: runsignup.com/Race/Results/80252.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Horsetooth Half Marathon 2025 results: Kipkoech, Sigei win again
Continue reading...
