Home Uncategorized Kenyan, Sabastian Sawe, and Ethiopian, Merta Alemu, won the 2024 Valence Marathon

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Kenyan, Sabastian Sawe, and Ethiopian, Merta Alemu, won the 2024 Valence Marathon

December 1, 2024

On Sunday, Kenyan, Sabastian Sawe, and Ethiopian, Merta Alemu, won the 2024 Valence Marathon. The two ran 2:02:05 and 2:16:49, respectively.

The men’s race

The lead pack which consisted of Samwel Mailu, Erick Sang, and Vincent Nyageo, as pacers went through 5km in 14:31, which was on target for approximately a 2:02:25 finish time or 2:55/km pace.

Nine athletes, including course record-holder Ethiopian Sisay Lemma, legend, Kenenisa Bekele, Deresa Geleta, Sawe, and Hillary Kipkoech, ran together in the first half of the race. They hit the 10km point in 29:04, the 15km in 43:39, and halfway in 1:01:17. Clearly the plan was to run a 2:02:30 run.

A New Star Is Born: Sabastian Sawe 🇰🇪 Announces Himself to the full marathon world🔥

Sawe took the Valencia Marathon title in a world lead time of 2:02:05.

This was his first ever full marathon race!

The late Kelvin Kiptum 🇰🇪 ran 2:01:53 in his debut in 2022. pic.twitter.com/na1N2mWsfG
— Kenya One Sports 🇰🇪 (@TonnyKe11) December 1, 2024

Forty-two-year-old Bekele was done shortly after halfway. The leading pack of Sawe, Mateiko, Lemma, Legese, and Geleta was down to five athletes as they reached the 30km point in the time of 1:27:20. Mateiko took command. Lemma began to drift off the back.

Sawe and Geleta worked together as they let Mateiko gap them for about a five-second lead after the magic 32km or 20-mile point. Legese was done. At 36km, Sawe and Geleta had closed the gap on Mateiko — it was now a three-man race.

Sawe ratched up the pace at 36kms. By 40km, Sawe was 30 and 40 seconds up on the others. He won his debut marathon 12 seconds short of the course record of 2:01:53 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2022.

Sawe has won seven of his nine half-marathon races. He clocked his personal best of 58:02 at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in 2022, the 29-year-old also ran 58:05 in September.

Sawe told the media after the race, “I was used to running the half marathon event. It was comfortable during the first half. I was close to the helm of the race and I thought that I could go faster, and I just did it. I dedicate this win to the victims of the Valencia floods. I pray for them. I am so excited.”

The women’s race

Twenty-seven-year-old, Megertu Alemu, won just 15 seconds off her personal best (PB) of 2:16:34, set in London in April 2024.

Evaline Chirchir, Alemu, Tiruye Mesfin, and Evaline Chesang, created a lead pack early. They passed 5km in 16:02 and the 10km in 32:02. This put them on pace for just over 2:15:00 at 3:12/km.

A sensational performance from Ireland’s only five-time female Olympian Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole AC) at the Valencia Marathon as she clocks a new PB of 2:23:46 to finish 11th in the elite women’s race 🤯🙌#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/QEGNnSzJZ1
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) December 1, 2024

The going got tough well before halfway as just Alemu and Chesang made up the lead pack by 15km. They continued on the sub-2:06 pace at under 48 minutes to this point. Mesfin and Chirchir trailed 20 seconds back. Alemu and Chesang went through halfway in 67:50, just off of Amane Beriso’s course record of 2:14:58 from the 2022 edition. Alemu opened up a gap over Chesang and turned the throttle up more as the second half kms rolled by. The course record though, was out. Alemu kept up the pace to 30km. Alemu increased her lead on Chesang to 40 seconds by this point in the race. As the race seemed to go and with 12km remaining, it appeared that Alemu would win but miss the record.

Alemu said after the race that she was not happy about missing the record. She did enjoy the cheering and clapping from the spectators.

Results

Canadian, Malindi Elmore, at age 44 ran an impressive 2:26:05 to finish in 17th position in a world-class field. In 2023, she ran the second-fastest Canadian time in 2:23:30 in Berlin, behind only Natasha Wodak with her 2:23:12 from Berlin 2022.

Fionnuala McCormack from Ireland, a five-time Olympian, clocked an impressive 2:23:46 11th-place finish. Meanwhile, American Sara Hall continues to run impressively as she finished 10th in 2:23:45 at age 41.

Twenty-four men run sub-2:08, while 10 ran sub-2:05. Twenty women ran sub-2:28 with 11 sub-2:24.

Men