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:
Kipkoech wins 2025 Horsetooth Half title
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.
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.
