Four athletes to watch at the 2024 Valencia Marathon
With a history of rapid times, Valencia has become accustomed to welcoming some of the fastest marathoners in the world. Here are five of the best you won’t want to miss at the 2024 Valencia Marathon.
Athletics
While it may not be a Major, the Valencia Marathon has become one of the most exciting annual distance running events on the athletics calendar. Its fast, flat course has witnessed five of the world’s top 20 men’s and three of the top 20 women’s marathon runs of all time.
In 2022, the late Kelvin Kiptum, owner of the current men’s world record, announced himself to the world in Valencia, producing a then-course record time of 2:01:53 on his marathon debut, which, at the time, was the third-quickest ever.
This year, some of the world’s best marathoners will be hoping to etch their names in history as they take on the legendary 42.195km distance on Sunday 1 December.
Read on to discover four of the best runners who will compete for glory at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, and how you can watch the whole event live on Olympics.com.
Five must-see athletes racing at the 2024 Valencia Marathon
Sisay Lemma
While Kiptum re-set the record books with his stunning 2022 debut, Sisay Lemma somehow set the bar even higher when he raced in Valencia last year.
The Ethiopian set a new course record of 2:01:48 in 2023, making him the fourth-fastest marathon runner of all time.
Lema returns to Valencia in stellar form, having won this year’s Boston Marathon by a huge 41-second margin.
And while injury forced him out of the Olympic marathon at Paris 2024, the 33-year-old will be hoping to end his year on a high on a course that favours fast running.
The last time an athlete recorded back-to-back victories in Valencia was when Kenya’s Samuel Tangus won the 2002 and 2003 editions of the race.
If Lemma is to repeat on the streets of eastern Spain, he will need to repel the challenge of a stacked field, including one man who has run even faster than he has.
Kenenisa Bekele
It’s arguable that the word legend gets bandied around too frequently in sport. But one man who most would agree has earned that title is Kenenisa Bekele.
The Ethiopian was a revelation on the track, winning his first Olympic gold in the 10,000m at Athens 2004, before following it up with two Olympic titles (5000m and 10,000m) at Beijing 2008.
Bekele also claimed five world championships golds before turning his attention to the gruelling world of the marathon.
The first man to ever achieve the 5000m and 10,000m double at a World Athletics Championships has two Marathon Major victories to his name - with both coming in Berlin, in 2016 and 2019.
Now 40 years old, Bekele enters this year’s Valencia race in something of a purple patch, after registering second place in this year’s London Marathon.
Can the great man turn back time on the streets of Valencia? All will be revealed on Sunday.
Megertu Alemu
Megertu Alemu
With the injured Amane Beriso (the course record holder in Valencia) pulling out of the Valencia Marathon, the road is wide open for another athlete to make their mark in the women’s race.
One runner who will have lofty aspirations this weekend is Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu. The 27-year-old has been close to tasting glory at a Marathon Major on two occasions, with her best result a silver in the 2023 London Marathon a year after she finished third on the same course.
Alemu holds a personal best of 2:16:34 and has numerous marathon victories to her name, including the 2019 Rome Marathon and the 2022 Zurich Seville Marathon.
While she will be the odds-on favourite for victory in Valencia, there are plenty of other runners hoping to take the top step of the podium come Sunday.
Hiwot Gebrekidan
One of those runners aiming for first place in Valencia is Alemu’s compatriot Hiwot Gebrekidan, whose personal best of 2:17:59 is just a little over a minute slower than Alemu’s fastest time.
A former world junior medallist, Gebrekidan’s PB was set a year ago on the very same course she will be racing on Sunday.
Last year, Gebrekidan ended the race third in Valencia and has proven her ability to thrive on fast, flat courses.
Her best result in a Marathon Major was second in the 2021 Berlin Marathon and the 29-year-old will be hoping for more of the same - if not better - this weekend.
How to watch the 2024 Valencia Marathon
The 2024 Valencia Marathon will be live-streamed right here on Olympics.com on Sunday 1 December with no geo-restictions. Follow the action live, starting at 8:15 a.m.