Burundian-born Spanish athlete Rodrigue Kwizera and Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw will headline the 2026 Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday, October 25.

Kwizera targets victory and European record

Kwizera returns to Valencia looking to improve on his runner-up finish in 2025. Now representing Spain, he heads the field with a personal best of 58:16, set in Prague in March. He has an opportunity to become the first Spanish representative to win the event since it added the half-marathon distance in 2006.

The European record is also within his sights, which is held by Swede Andreas Almgren with his 58:06 from the Copenhagen World Athletic Road Racing Championship held on Sept. 20 this year.

Kwizera faces a formidable challenge from Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, who clocked 58:06 to win the world title in Copenhagen in September. His ability to sustain that pace while responding to experienced rivals could determine whether Valencia produces a record attempt or a tactical battle for victory.

Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer is another contender, bringing a personal best of 58:33 to the start line. Fellow Ethiopian Tadese Worku and Kenya’s Owen Kapkama add depth to the field, having both run faster than 59 minutes. Daniel Ebenyo and Alex Matata further strengthen the Kenyan contingent.

Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, who was also born in Burundi, is another leading contender ready to toe the line.

At 44, Ethiopian distance-running great Kenenisa Bekele is also set to compete. The former 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre world-record holder and three-time Olympic champion appears on the official start list after an injury forced him to miss last month’s Berlin Marathon.

South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton is another athlete to watch. Making his half-marathon debut, he brings a 10-kilometre personal best of 26:55 and considerable speed over shorter distances to a race that will test his endurance over 21.1 kilometres.

Yehualaw returns to headline women’s field

Yehualaw leads the women’s elite field with a personal best of 1:03:51, set in Valencia in 2021. The 2022 London Marathon champion returns to competition after becoming a mother, making her current form one of the key questions ahead of Sunday’s race.

Yehualaw last raced in the 2025 Boston Marathon, where she finished third in 2:18:06. She also holds the 10K Ethiopian record of 29:14 set in 2022 set in Castellón, Spain.

However, the 27-year-old will face considerable opposition.

Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama will be among her principal challengers. Gebreselama won the Lisbon Half Marathon in both 2025 and 2026, establishing herself as a formidable competitor over the distance. Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono also ranks among the fastest entrants.

Kenya’s Veronica Loleo returns after finishing third in Valencia last year and winning silver at the World Athletics Road Running Championships half marathon in Copenhagen. The 28-year-old also ran a PB this year in March at the Berlin Half Marathon at 1:05:35.

Caroline Gitonga, the world 5 km silver medallist, adds further championship pedigree to the Kenyan contingent. The 30-year-old ran the Prague Half Marathon in March this year, clocking a ripping 1:06:16.

Their performances suggest Yehualaw will face a demanding test on her return.

The start list also includes Kenyans Miriam Chebet and Sheila Chepkirui, alongside Ethiopian Senayet Getachew.

Spain’s Carla Gallardo leads the domestic challenge with a personal best of 1:08:30. Laura Luengo and Irene Sánchez-Escribano will also represent the host nation.

With established champions, returning contenders, and a deep international field, both races promise considerable competition beyond the battle for victory.

The women’s European records are women’s only at 1:05:18 and mixed gender competition 1:05:15 by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan from her 2018 Copenhagen race.

Melat Yisak Kejeta, running for Germany, set the European women’s-only time at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland. She, like Hassan, was born in Ethiopia.

Elite lists

Valencia Half Marathon: Elite Fields

Athletics Illustrated start list. PBs are half marathon bests unless noted; athletes without a half marathon best are listed as DEBUT with their best at another distance.

Eleven men on the list have run sub-60 for the half marathon, and twenty-six have gone sub-62. Among the women, six have run under 66 minutes and twenty-nine have run sub-70.

Elite men:

Men’s pacers

Elite women

Women’s pacers