The Valencia City Marathon is 2020’s proving ground for distance runners. Can Ethiopia’s Atanaw prevail again?

Sunday’s (December 6) Valencia City Marathon is set to become one of the biggest distance-running events of 2020, boasting a line-up of many of the best marathoners on the planet, all chomping at the bit for competitive action after a year turned upside down by COVID-19.

Ever since Valencia was founded as a Roman colony by the Consul Decimus Callaicus in 138 BC, the Spanish east coast port city has flourished as a maritime, agricultural and industrial city.  The Mediterranean’s busiest container port now thrives on festivals, conventions and tourist activities, including hosting one of the world’s most highly-rated city marathons.

The original Latin name, Valentia, means strength or valour in reference to Roman soldiers. Those are qualities which last year’s champion, Ethiopian marathoner, Kinde Atanaw, has in abundance and which, together with speed and endurance will be needed to triumph on Sunday.

Following the successful running of the Tokyo Marathon in March this year, most big city marathons have been cancelled. A few, including Cape Town and London, offered “lock-down specials” for small elite fields on secure, multi-lap circuits between 2 and 4 km in length.

Valencia is closer to the real-deal. While adhering strictly to the required health procedures, the marathon has attracted a substantial elite field of 220 male and female athletes to compete on the traditional two-lap course in and around the city centre.

And with a favourable weather forecast for Sunday, attractive time-based prize money and no fewer than nineteen designated pacers in the field, athletes will have little excuse for not running the marathon times which would elevate Valencia a few notches above its current status as the world’s seventh-fastest marathon.

The winner stands to win €145 000 if he runs faster than 2 hrs 03 min 30 sec, €75 000 for winning, €40 000 for beating the 2:03:30 barrier and €30 000 for eclipsing Ethiopian Kinde Atanaw’s 2:03:51 race record set last year. A sub-2:03:30 time would elevate Valencia to “top three” city marathon status, alongside Berlin and London.

The same prize is on offer for the first woman athlete to beat Ethiopian Roza Dereje’s 2:18:30 2019 race record and dip under 2:18:00, all part of the race’s enviable budget of €5.3 million.

As with all the world’s big city marathons, Sunday’s field is dominated by Africans from the eastern highlands.  Of the top twenty in the men’s competition, only two – Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey and Dutch athlete, Abdi Nayeeye – hail from outside Africa and both only recently emigrated from their east African homes. The top ten all boast times of 2 hrs 5 min or faster.

Twenty-six year old Ethiopian, Birhanu Legese, sprang to prominence last year when he ran second to his famous compatriot, Kenenisa Bekele, in the Berlin Marathon, clocking 2:02:48 to make him the third fastest marathoner of all time, behind Eliud Kipchoge and Bekele. And with fastest 10km and half marathon times of 27:34 and 59:20 to his name, Legese will take some catching on Sunday and starts as clear favourite.

Last year’s winner, Atanaw, will not lightly surrender his title and will be determined to dip under the 2:03:30 barrier, while a third Ethiopian, Leul Gebreselasie is scarcely slower, boasting a marathon PB of 2:04:02. Top Kenyan in the field, Lawrence Cherono, will look to upstage the more favoured Ethiopians and improve on his best time of 2:04:06.

Others in the field include top Spanish marathoner, Hamid Ben Daoud (PB of 2:07:33), who will be chasing Julio Rey’s 14 year old national record of 2:06:52 and South African Desmond Mokgobu (PB 2:09:31), looking to cement his place in the team for the Tokyo Olympics.

Headed by five Ethiopians with marathon best times faster than 2 hrs 20 min, the women’s field is one of the strongest in marathoning history, with former Cape Town marathon winner, Namibian Helalia Johannes tenth fastest with a best time of 2:22:25 to her name.

In the absence of last year’s winner, Dereje, the women’s competition could be a shoot-out between her two compatriots, Ruti Aga and Birhane Dibaba, whose marathon best times are within one second of each other.

Aga tops the entries with a 2:18:34 PB,  set last year in Berlin – just four seconds off Dereje’s race record set last year.  The 26 year old is one of the best-known faces in Houston, Texas, having won their prestigious half marathon in 2018 after five years of trying and she will be looking for her first major victory in a city marathon, after finishing second to Kenyan Gladys Cherono in Berlin.

Dibaba, will be determined to shake off the “other Dibaba tag” – she is not related to the famed Olympic gold medallist sisters Tirunesh and Genzebe.  She will be looking to finish first amongst her seven compatriots listed in the fastest eleven in the field, and will be aiming for her first sub 2:18 time.

Other prominent athletes chasing a podium position include Johannes, Jordan Hasay of the USA, Mexican Madai Camillo and Spanish athlete, Elena  Loyo, tilting at her compatriot Ana Alonso’s 25 year old national mark of 2:26:51.

The decision to combine the Valencia marathon and half marathons into a single event in the COVID year has brought an additional super-fast forty athletes to the city to compete for 21 km over one lap. 

Biggest drawcard is undoubtedly the hugely-talented Kenyan, 21 year old Rhonex Kipruto, running his debut half marathon at the same venue as his 10 km world record of 26:24, set in January this year. But victory for Kipruto will be hard-fought, with no fewer than eleven elite athletes boasting half marathon best times faster than one hour.

Ethiopian Senbere Teferi heads the women’s line-up in the 21km event, boasting an impressive 1:05:32 PB. 

Story by Stephen Granger

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