Valencia women's marathon wide open

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label event, will return on Sunday 5 December and as usual, the organisers have brought together mouth-watering men's line-up, headed by Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono and Geoffrey Kamworor. 

However, the women's race is an interesting one with none of the entrants considered favourite for the event which concludes World Athletics' most sought after marathon races this year. 

Eyes on Cherono in Valencia

The women’s cast is led by Ethiopia’s Guteni Shone, holder of a career-best of 2:20:11 set at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in January 2020, while her season’s best is 2:21:46 to finish runner-up in Prague in May. 

The Kenyan squad includes 2:21:26 athlete Bornes Kitur, who ran barely six weeks ago in Rotterdam and will be eager to bounce back from her 2:30:41 clocking there. 

Kitur is joined by debutante Dorcas Tuitoek, a 1:06:33 half marathon specialist, and Nancy Jelagat, holder of a quick 1:05:21 clocking in the shorter distance.

The 30-year-old Shone will be joined by her compatriots Azmera Gebru, who races her second marathon this year after clocking 2:22:58 in Tokyo in March; Bedatu Hirpa, owner of an identical time in Prague earlier this year and Rahma Tusa, whose PB stands at 2:23:46.

Kamworor steps up preparations for Valencia marathon

Ugandan record-holder Juliet Chekwel won the Seville Marathon last year in a career-best of 2:23:13 and should be a dangerous outsider on Sunday.

While the course record of 2:17:16 set by Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir last year doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy, organisers have planned a sub-70-minute split for the half marathon in the hunt for a sub-2:20 performance.

In the men's race, three-time world half marathon champion Kamworor who has since recovered from an injury that denied him a chance to be at the Olympics in Tokyo is considered a hot favourite but will face stiff competition from Cherono. 

The 33-year-old Cherono was runner-up last year in a career-best of 2:03:04 and finished just outside the medals at the Tokyo Olympics with a fourth-place to his credit.