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He ran 56:42.

He shattered the half marathon world record by 48 seconds.

And it doesn’t count.

World Athletics declined to ratify Jacob Kiplimo’s performance at the Barcelona Half Marathon — not for doping, not for traditional cheating — but because of alleged pacing assistance from the lead vehicle and possible in-race coaching.

So… where’s the line?

In this episode of the I Don’t Know Running Podcast, we talk about:

• Whether drafting behind a lead car should invalidate a record
• Who’s responsible — the athlete or the race organizers
• The gray area in World Athletics Technical Rule 6.3.1
• Why this feels different from (but similar to) Kipchoge’s sub-2 marathon
• Super shoes, pacing lights, and how much “assistance” is too much

He still won the race.
He still ran 56:42.
But he’s not the world record holder.

Does that feel right?

We’re curious what you think.

Do you believe World Athletics got this one correct?
Or did they punish the wrong person?

Drop your thoughts below.

🎙 I Don’t Know Running Podcast
Where we share our experiences that make running fun… and sometimes not so fun.

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Until next time — happy running.

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