The U.S. had never won a women’s team medal at the World Half Marathon Championships before 2026. Infact, the best individual finish by an American woman at the event was 10th, achieved by Milena Glusac at the 2000 World Half Marathon Championships. But that history changed in Copenhagen, as the American women finally broke through and delivered a performance that will be remembered in U.S. distance-running history.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The women’s half marathon was held on September 20 in Copenhagen as part of the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships, and the race quickly turned into a battle for places behind Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich. The Kenyan crossed the finish line in 1:05:15, setting a world record for a women’s-only half marathon race and taking the individual world title. Behind her, the American women put together a remarkable showing.
Emma Grace Hurley led the way for the United States, finishing fifth in 1:06:23 and setting a personal best. The performance also moved Hurley to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time women’s half-marathon list. Just behind her was Weini Kelati, who finished sixth in 1:06:35. Then came Jessica McClain, who crossed the line seventh in 1:06:53, also recording a personal best and moving up to No. 6 on the U.S. all-time list.
That gave the United States three women inside the top seven. Ednah Kurgat added a 17th-place finish in 1:08:11, completing the four-woman scoring team for the U.S. With that, the U.S combined times gave Team USA silver in the team standings with 3:19:51, marking the first women’s team medal for the country at the World Half Marathon Championships.
Hurley was pleased with the result after a race in which she had set her sights on finishing inside the top 10. “I’m very excited. I was super-focused on being in the top 10 today, and it’s exciting to come away with a women’s record as well.” She also added: “I have been so happy all week just to be here, and I was so excited for the opportunity to race against the best of the best.”
Kenya took the team gold with a combined time of 3:17:33, while Ethiopia finished third in 3:22:40. Ngetich’s individual victory was backed up by Veronica Loleo, who finished second in 1:06:05, and Daisilah Jerono, who placed fourth in 1:06:13. But while Kenya dominated the front of the race, the American women had their own piece of history to celebrate.
For Hurley, McClain and Kurgat, the journey to Copenhagen was not easy, as they initially came close to missing their chance to compete at the World Championships.
Atlanta setback nearly changed their road to Copenhagen
Back in March, the 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championships were held in Atlanta, with the top three women set to earn automatic spots on Team USA for the World Athletics Road Running Championships. McClain, Hurley and Kurgat were among the leaders late in the race. Then, with just over a mile to go, the lead vehicle went off course. The athletes following it were mistakenly directed away from the correct route, changing the final stages of the race.
USATF later reviewed what happened and said McClain, Hurley and Kurgat were “extremely likely” to have finished as the top three women if the incident had not occurred. . However, USATF could not change the official results because there was no way to know exactly how the final mile would have played out. Molly Born was officially listed as the winner, followed by Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels.
USATF later recognized the three affected runners, with McClain listed as a co-champion, while Hurley and Kurgat were recognized as co-second-place finishers. But the bigger question was whether they would still get the chance to race in Copenhagen. Since the Atlanta race was the selection event, World Athletics stepped in and, on March 25, approved a special one-time decision allowing the U.S. to send seven women instead of the usual four.
There was one condition. Only four women could score for the team competition, while the additional athletes could compete individually but could not contribute to the team result or win a team medal. USATF eventually selected Weini Kelati, McClain, Hurley and Kurgat as the four scoring athletes, giving the three runners affected in Atlanta another chance on the world stage. They made the most of it in Copenhagen.