Runners gear up for fast 10km in Valencia
The 10km Valencia Ibercaja staged a world record in 2020 when Rhonex Kipruto clocked 26:24 for the distance. What's more, Julien Wanders ran a European record and Callum Hawkins a Scottish best.
Now, this Sunday (Jan 9), the super-fast course in the south-east of Spain could see more quick performances with strong line-ups which include a number of leading British athletes.
One of the targets is the women's mixed race world record of 29:43 set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017. Kalkidan Gezahgn ran quicker with 29:38 in Geneva in October but it has not yet been ratified.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw was due to race but withdrew on the eve of the event after testing positive for Covid. The Ethiopian has not had much luck lately as her world half-marathon record at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon last year was not ratified due to the course being slightly short.
There is still a strong women's line-up, though, which includes Norah Jeruto and Gladys Chepkurui of Kenya, European cross-country champion Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway and last year’s British Olympic trials marathon winner Steph Davis. The European record for a mixed race, incidentally, is 30:21 by Paula Radcliffe from 2003.
The men’s entries include Kenya’s Daniel Simiyu and Boniface Kibiwott, European record-holder Wanders of Switzerland, plus Ethiopia’s Chimdesa Debele.
Spanish runners Juan Antonio Perez and Carlos Mayo are entered together with German marathon record-holder Amanal Petros and the mercurial three-time Olympic steeplechase medallist Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad of France.
Phil Sesemann, the leading British man in the London Marathon in October, is joined by fellow Brits Emile Cairess, Mahamed Mahamed, Adam Clarke and Jonny Mellor.
The latter is fresh from victory at the Ribble Valley 10km in Lancashire on Boxing Day.
The 10km Valencia Ibercaja will be streamed here.
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