Caroline Gitonga’s 2025 Campaign: A Journey of Excellence
After a remarkable season on the roads, 29-year-old Caroline Gitonga is determined to wrap up her outstanding 2025 campaign with a strong performance at the Ravenna Half Marathon in Italy on Sunday. Known for her consistency and class, Gitonga has been making waves across Europe’s major road circuits this year.
Gitonga started her season with a solid showing at the Castellon 10K, where she finished eighth in 30:46. The race was dominated by Ethiopian athletes, with Medina Eisa winning in 29:25, followed by Likina Amebaw (29:40) and Aynadis Mebratu (30:05). Despite the competition, Gitonga remained focused and quickly bounced back at the Drammen 10K in Norway, finishing second in 30:56 behind her sister Purity Gitonga, who claimed victory in 30:44.
Her momentum carried over to the Wien 5K in Austria, where she won the race in 14:56. She managed to hold off Uganda’s Esther Chebet (15:05) and Slovakia’s Klara Lukan (15:16). Gitonga then shifted her focus to the track, where she secured the 5,000m title at the Gold Gala Fernanda Ribeiro in Portugal with a time of 14:47.41. Her sister Purity followed closely behind in 15:13.40, while Chebet took third in 15:14.82.
Back on the roads, Gitonga continued her dominance by winning the Drammen Half Marathon on September 6, clocking 1:08:59. She outpaced local runners Bethina Lover (1:17:05) and Hedda Schroeter (1:18:51). Her most recent race was the Dam tot Damloop 10K in Amsterdam on September 21, where she placed third in 51:34. New York Marathon champion Hellen Obiri won the event in 50:51, with Ethiopian athlete Asayech Ayichew finishing second in 50:56.
Race organizers have set high expectations for this year’s edition of the Ravenna Half Marathon, citing that last year’s race ranked among the three fastest half marathons in Italy in the women’s category. “There is great anticipation for the half marathon after last year’s edition, where it ranked among the three fastest races in Italy in the women’s field, behind only the Roma Ostia and the Stramilano,” organizers said in a statement.
Gitonga made her half marathon debut in 2016 at Klagenfurt in Austria, finishing fourth in 1:21:48. She returned the following year to place fifth but improved her time to 1:16:55. Later that same year, she secured a fourth-place finish (1:15:46) in Krems, Austria.
In the men’s race, Kenya’s hopes will rest on Enos Kales, who will be eager to build on his recent third-place finish at the Bologna Marathon, where he clocked 2:29:12.