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World Athletics will introduce half-marathon and marathon distances to race walk events in 2026 in an effort to help fans better grasp the speed of the sport, president Sebastian Coe has said.

Under the schedule for the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships on April 12, 2026, the traditional 20-kilometre race walk will be replaced by a half-marathon race walk, while the 35 km event will shift to a marathon race walk. It will be the first time the new distances appear at major international competitions.