Lemma, Bekele and Beriso return to a Valencia Marathon packed with great debutants on 1 December

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich confirms the main international elite athletes who will arrive in Valencia with the intention of ensuring it continues to be among the fastest marathons in the world. The race, organised by SD Correcaminos and Valencia City Council, is the fourth fastest marathon in the men’s category, thanks to the time achieved by Sisay Lemma last year (2:01:48), and the third fastest in the women’s category, with the 2:14:58 achieved by Amane Beriso in 2022. Both athletes are current course record holders and they will take to the start line on 1 December.

In the men’s category, in addition to Sisay Lemma, the three-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion Kenenisa Bekele will return. The Ethiopian (2:01:41) returns to the city of running after finishing fourth last year. The debut by Hillary Kipkoech will also be the focus of much attention. The Kenyan knows all about running in Valencia, as he was one of Lemma’s pacemakers in 2023, and his best time in a half marathon was also achieved in the city of running last year (59:22).

Also making his debut will be Sebastian Sawe, half marathon world champion who previously finished fifth in the Valencia Half Marathon 2023 and who holds a personal best over that distance of 58:05, and Daniel Mateiko, who has not yet finished a 42,195-metre race, but has just finished second in the Valencia Half Marathon 2024 (58:17), one of the seven half marathons he has run in 58 minutes (three of them in Valencia).