Kenyans Kibiwott Kandie and Margaret Chelimo win Valencia Half Marathon

The uber-fast Valencia Half Marathon — the prelude to the December 3 equally as fast marathon — took place Sunday in ideal racing conditions. Kenyans Kibiwott Kandie and Margaret Chelimo won in near record times.

The men’s race

Kibiwott Kandie wanted the win. He wanted to be the first time three-time winner after setting the previous world record of 57:32 on the course in 2020, then won again last year in 58:10. Sunday, he ran the fourth-fastest time in history clocking a 57:40. But the win didn’t come without some racing leading up to the final kick.

The pacrs went out at 2:45/km to go after the finish time of 58:00. Kandie however, felt better than that once he toed the line. He was sitting in the lead pack until 5K when he passed the pacers by unleashing a 2:39K.

Kenyans shine in top quality fields at the Valencia Half Marathon.

Kibiwott Kandie 🇰🇪 clocked 57:40, the fourth-fastest time in history, while Margaret Chelimo 🇰🇪 moved into the all-time top 10 with 1:04:46 🔥

Full report ⬇️

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) October 22, 2023

Ethiopians Yomif Kejelcha Hagos Gebrhiwet reluctantly went with him while several more athletes formed a chase pack. They went through 10K in 27:15, and on world record pace. Kandie said after the race that he was not expecting to be on world record pace. He just wanted the win. The lead pack after 10K included Kejelcha, Gebrhiwet, Selemon Berega and Kandie.

To the late stages of the race it appeared that Gebrihuwet and Kejelcha would fight it out for the win, but Kandie dropped the hammer with less than half a kilometre to go and took the win.

Kejelcha and Gebrhiwet virtually tied at 57:41, Kejelcha was given the second-place position. Nine seconds back was Berega. Fifteen finished under 60 minutes.

Carlos Mayo finished in 13th position. The Spaniard set a new national record in the time of 59:39. Portugal’s Samuel Barata improved the national record clocking 59:40 in 14th place.

Men’s results

The women’s race

The women’s race started with a lead pack that included, Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo, Irene Cheptai and Janet Chepngetich. Also in the pack were Ethiopians Gotytom Gebreslase and Tigist Gezahagn, as well as Germany’s Melat Kejeta. They set off at a 3:05 pace.

They passed through 5K in 15:29 and 10km in 31:00. Chelimo, ran on the shoulder of the pacemakers.

The pace held by the Kenyans remained sub-1:04 toward late in the race, which the Ethiopians could not sustains, so slowly ebbed into the distance. The leaders passed through 15K in 46:20.

Chepngetich, began to fall of after 19K. It was now down to Chelimo and Cheptai’s. The went through 20K in 1:01:30 and Chepngetich was now off the back by 15 seconds.

Over the final kilometre, Chelimo dropped the pace and broke Cheptai to cross the finish line in a personal best of 1:04:46. The win was the ninth-fastest performance in history. Cheptai finished seven seconds back in a new pb of 1:04:53, while Chepngetich completed the Kenyan sweep in 1:05:15.

The Spanish record was broken by Laura Luengo who recorded an 11th-place 1:09:41 finish.

Portugal’s 1988 Olympic marathon champion Rosa Mota improved her own world W65 masters record with a 1:26:13 performance.

Women’s results