Twelve months ago, Brenda Jepchirchir paced the tRUNsylvania 10K before eventually finishing eighth, but after a breakthrough year in 2026, she is now arguably the favourite for this year’s women’s race on Sunday, October 4.
Jepchirchir, 21, caught everyone by surprise when she won the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in January in 29:25, which is still the second-fastest time of the year.
However, the Kenyan proved it was no fluke as she went on to produce three other outstanding 10km performances in the following months, winning a top-quality race in South Africa followed by excellent second-place finishes in major international events in India and South Africa.
Alongside Jepchirchir on the start line in Brasov will be her compatriot and fellow sub-30 runner Nelvin Jepkemboi, who has also had a memorable 2026.
Highlights from Jepkemboi’s year include finishing second at the Castellon 10km race in 29:45, the fifth-fastest time of the year so far, clocking 14:59.68 over 5000m at the Doha Diamond League and then finishing second in 1:05:06 in the Buenos Aires Half Marathon last month, her first serious outing at the distance.
Both runners will be aiming to improve on the tRUNsylvania 10K women’s course record, which stands at 30:07 and was set by Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui in 2022.
Brenda Jepchirchir in the 2025 tRUNsylvania 10K credit: Daniel Mihailescu /Brasov Running Festival
However, the Kenyan pair will be well aware that the battle for supremacy in Brasov will not be just a head-to-head duel between themselves.
No less than nine other women also have personal bests under 31 minutes, either on the track or the road.
This group includes Ethiopia’s two-time World Indoor Championships 1500m silver medallist Axumawit Embaye, who is now focussing on the roads and ran 30:22 earlier this year in Lille, France.
Fellow Ethiopian Yenenesh Shimket has only ever run one 10km before, but this year the teenager, who is just 19, has run 5000m in 14:48.02 and 5km on the road in 14:24, the latter the third-fastest time in the world this year.
South Africa’s Tayla Kavanagh and Djibouti’s Samia Hassan Nour will arrive in Brasov buoyed by their fine performances in the World Athletics Road Running Championships 5km last weekend, where they finished fourth and eighth respectively in a national record of 14:50 and 15:04.
European interest centres on Germany’s 2022 European 5000m champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who improved her 10km best to 30:37 earlier this year.
Popular local elite runner Joan Chelimo Melly, the 2024 European Athletics Championships half marathon silver medallist, is also reportedly back in good form and will make her 2026 racing debut, while French half marathon and marathon record holder Mekdes Woldu returns to Romania after winning the Cluj 10K in sweltering conditions in June.
Leading women
| Name | Country | Personal Best / Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Brenda Jepchirchir | KEN | 29:25 |
| Nelvin Jepkemboi | KEN | 29:45 |
| Aynadis Mebratu | ETH | 30:05 |
| Rahel Daniel | ERI | 30:12.15 (track) |
| Axumawit Embaye | ETH | 30:22 |
| Konstanze Klosterhalfen | GER | 30:37 |
| Samia Hassan Nour | DJI | 30:40 |
| Francine Niyomukunzi | BDI | 30:42 |
| Joan Chelimo Melly | ROU | 30:52 |
| Mekdes Woldu | FRA | 30:56 |
| Yenenesh Shimket | ETH | 30:59 (14:24 5km road) |
| Rebecca Mwangi | KEN | 31:13 |
| Tayla Kavanagh | RSA | 31:26 |
| Loice Chekwemoi | UGA | 32:40 (9:18.84 3000m s/c) |
“Last year’s women’s race was superb entertainment with a large group of runners pushing the pace and battling for supremacy until the closing stages and I think this year’s race will be the same,” commented Race Director Daniel Santa.
“I’ve put together a field that I believe will excite athletics fans and provide a great advertisement for how thrilling road racing can be.
“Of course, I am keeping my fingers crossed for fast times as well. They can never be guaranteed but, like with the men’s race, this could be the year when the women’s course record falls,” added Santa.
About the race
The tRUNsylvania 10K. a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race and the most prestigious 10km road race in southeast Europe, forms part of the two-day Brasov Running Festival which also features a series of community – incorporating children’s events and trail-to-road races – and national-level road races over various distances.
The famous Brasov Running Festival takes place annually against the backdrop of the spectacular Carpathian Mountains and close to the centre of the historic and picturesque Transylvanian city, which can trace its origins back to the 13th century.
How to watch
The live stream with Romanian commentary will be available via the event website: www.brasovrun.ro
The live stream of the race with the English-language commentary by two-time World Cross Country Championships medallist Tim Hutchings will be available via the European Athetics YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/@EuropeanAthletics/streams
