Sydney Half Marathon: Record shattering run by Niamh Allen

Published Sun 03 Sep 2023

3 September 2023

Sydney Half Marathon: Record shattering run by Niamh Allen

Sydney-based Irish athlete Niamh Allen has run herself into the record books with a remarkable winning time of 1:12.44 in the 33rd Sydney Half Marathon this morning at Sydney Olympic Park. Her training partner at Run Crew, dual Olympian Ben St Lawrence, likewise was just as impressive winning the men’s race in 65:55.

WOMEN HALF MARATHON

Naimh Allen’s winning time of 1:12.44 shattered all sorts of records and has in the last two decades only been bettered in NSW by one NSW athlete, 3-time Olympian Kerryn McCann.

How Niamh’s time compares with the winners of the major NSW half marathon races?

ANSW Sydney Half Marathon – in its 33rd year, only Kerryn McCann has run faster.

Sydney Marathon Half Marathon – no athletes have run faster in its 22-year history

Runaway Sydney Half – in the last 13 years only Victoria’s 4-time Olympian Lisa Weightman and 68-minute half marathoner Nikki Chapple have run faster and we have to go back two decades for a faster NSW athlete.

In perfect conditions at 6.30am, Allen set off on her journey where she remained consistently in the top-12 places during the race.

“It was an absolutely brilliant atmosphere as you can see it is a perfect morning,” Naimh Allen said.

The 28-year-old has been compiling her best season yet, which has included a recent win in the prestigious City to Surf. Her time today was 3:31 minutes under her personal best.

“It felt tough today, but I’m delighted with my time as I clocked a PB,” she remarked.

MEN HALF MARATHON

From the gun, former Australian 10,000m record holder and dual Olympian, Ben St Lawrence, dominated the Sydney Half Marathon and NSW State Championship race. St Lawrence, a 2-time winner of the Sydney 10, was very familiar with the roads for today’s race. He clocked 65:55 minutes, nearly a minute faster than his recent Gold Coast Half Marathon time. In the last 20 years of this event, only Olympian Scott Westcott and last years winner, Ed Goddard, have run faster.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Niamh Allen (courtesy of David Tarbotton)

RESULTS:

View full results - https://results.nswathletics.org.au/

SYDNEY HALF MARATHON

Men

1st Ben St Lawrence, Runcrew 1:05:55

2nd Leo Peterson, UTS Norths 1:07:34

3rd Joe Burgess, SYU 1:07:56

4th Lachlan Bryant, UTN 1:09:20

5th David Baker, CMD 1:10:19

6th William Mison, 1:10:25