World record-breaker Joyciline Jepkosgei heads outstanding women’s field for the 2025 tRUNsylvania 10K
Multiple world record-breaker Joyciline Jepkosgei is the leading attraction in a star-studded women’s field for the fifth edition of the tRUNsylvania 10K on Sunday 5 October.
The 31-year-old Kenyan has broken the 10km and half marathon world records during her illustrious career and she is famously the first woman to have run under 30 minutes for 10km on the road.
Jepkosgei will arrive in Brasov having had an outstanding 2025 campaign which includes reducing her half marathon best to 1:04:13 – even quicker than her two world records over the distance – earlier this year as well as finishing second in the 2025 London Marathon in 2:18:44.
Despite her continued success on the roads, this will actually be Jepkosgei’s first outing over 10km in six years. Her personal best over the distance is the former world record of 29:43 set in Prague in 2017.
Five women with bests under 30 minutes in Brasov
However, Jepkosgei is only one of five runners in an outstanding women’s field who have broken 30 minutes for 10km in their careers.
The fastest woman in the field is the 2022 and 2024 world U20 5000m champion Medina Eisa who leads this year’s world list with 29:25, a time she clocked when winning in the Spanish town of Castellon back in February.
The 20-year-old Ethiopian is undefeated in her three road race outings in 2025 and has also improved her 3000m best on the track to 8:23.08.
Second in Castellon was Eisa’s compatriot Likina Amebaw, who crossed the line there in 29:40.
Completing a trio of top Ethiopians who will be on the start line in Brasov will be Asayech Ayichew, another 20-year.old, who has run a spate of personal bests this year including 29:43 at the Valencia 10km in January.
Kenya’s Janeth Chepngetich, second in Brasov 12 months ago and the 2024 All African Games 10,000m gold medallist, also has a career best of under 30 minutes, having run 29:55 last year, and she will be aiming to challenge for a place on the podium once again.
In addition to these five women, a further four runners have broken 31 minutes including Ethiopia’s 2023 African U20 3000m champion Asmarech Anley as well as the Kenyan pair of Faith Cherono and Miriam Lufti Njoki, the latter finishing sixth in Brasov last year and subsequently improving her best to 30:14 in Durban, South Africa last month.
The tRUNsylvania 10K women's course record is 30:07 set by Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui in 2022.
Klosterhalfen and Keith lead the European challenge
A lot of interest in Brasov will also be focussed on the performance of the European duo of Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Great Britain’s Megan Keith.
Klosterhalfen, the 2022 European 5000m champion, set a German 10km record of 30:46 in May and will be sharpening up for the tRUNsylvania 10K with a training camp in Kenya.
Keith, the 2023 European U23 5000m winner who went onto take the bronze medal over 10.000m at last year’s European Athletics Championships, has a 10,000m best of 30:36.84 and will be competing over 25 laps of the track at the forthcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
After that outing, Keith will be in Brasov with the intention of going under 31 minutes for the first time on the roads.
The leading women in the 2025 tRUNsylvania 10K, with their 10km personal bests, are:
Medina Eisa (ETH) 29:25
Likina Amebaw (ETN) 29:40
Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 29:43
Asayiech Ayichew (ETH) 29:43
Janeth Chepngetich (KEN) 29:55
Mariam Lufti Njoki (KEN) 30:14
Asmarech Anley (ETH) 30:23
Faith Cherono (KEN) 30:30
Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER) 30:46
Lidia Cheptarus Cheruyiot (KEN) 31:11
Rebecca Mwangi (KEN) 31:13
Megan Keith (GBR) 31.22
Brenda Jepchirchir (KEN) 31:50
“Joyciline is a world-record breaker on the roads and continues to be one of the world’s top distance runners. It’s a privilege and an honour to welcome her to Brasov for the tRUNsylvania 10K,” commented Race Director Daniel Santa.
Nevertheless, with a field of outstanding depth, without doubt she will have some very strong challengers for the title, not least from the three Ethiopian women who have all run under 29 minutes this year.
"I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing some very fast times in tRUNsylvania 10K and, quite possibly, the first women’s 10km under 30 minutes in Romania, a feat which is still very much a rarity and something that has happened in only five other countries,” he added.
The tRUNsylvania 10K. a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race and the most prestigious 10km road race in southeast Europe, forms part of famous Brasov Running Festival which also features a series of community and national-level races over distances from 800m to 5km.
The Brasov Running Festival takes place against the backdrop of the spectacular Carpathian Mountains and close to the centre of the historic and picturesque Transylvanian city which can date its origins back to the 13th century.
The tRUNsylvania 10K will be streamed live via the Brasov Running Festival website www.brasovrun.ro.
Expert English-language commentary provided by the renowned broadcaster and two-time World Cross Country Championships silver medallist Tim Hutchings.
(The attached image of Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei finishing 2nd in the 2025 TCS London Marathon, who heads the women’s field for the 2025 tRUNsylvania 10K, is free to use but a credit TCS London Marathon is required.)
Contact:
Daniel Santa (Race Director and Event Organiser)
daniel.santa@comparty.org
+40 726 777 908
