Valencia Marathon 2026: Korir Leads Elite Field Without Kejelcha

Kenya’s John Korir, who won in 2025 in 2:02:24, his personal best, heads the men’s elite field at the 2026 Valencia Marathon after Yomif Kejelcha pulled out through injury, as announced on 13 November. With the Ethiopian’s absence, no one on the entry list has a time under two hours.

The Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday 6 December will try to break the men’s (1:59.30) and women’s (2:09.56) world records, with one million euros for each record (two million if both are broken), promised by Juan Roig. The race takes place in 22 days, and the organisers will try to make the marathon world record fall in both categories.

Sawe’s London record, the benchmark

The men’s mark was set by Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe in London on 26 April 2026. He is 31 and was the first human to run the marathon, 42.195 km, in under two hours. The distance has 130 years of history if the Olympic marathon at the 1896 Athens Games is taken as the starting point.

Conditions in the British capital were favourable: 13 degrees at the start and 16 at the finish, with no wind. Sawe went through halfway in one hour and 29 seconds and ran the second half in 59:39.

Jacob Kiplimo crossed the finish line on The Mall under the previous world record, Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00.35 in Chicago 2023, and stayed with Sawe until kilometre 29. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, making his debut at the distance, faded with two kilometres to go and finished 11 seconds behind Sawe, also under two hours. Sawe recalled it like this:

“We were keeping tabs on each other and what I did was also thanks to him. I gave everything. He gave everything. And we reached our limits.”

Kejelcha’s withdrawal: what the organisers have said

On Friday 13 November, the organisers confirmed through their social media that Kejelcha will not start. Their statement read:

“Sadly, we must announce that Yomif Kejelcha (…) will not be on the start line of the Valencia Marathon on 6 December due to injury.”

The nature and severity of the injury, and the recovery time, have not been specified. Kejelcha, a 29-year-old Ethiopian and two-time world silver medallist over 10,000 metres, was coming in with the 1:59:41 from his London debut and had been announced in the first elite preview on 2 July. On his situation, he said: “I need to stop now, recover well and work hard.” The organisers hope to have him back in future editions.

At Valencia, Kejelcha won the Half Marathon three times in the five he ran, the latest in 2025 with 58:02, and in 2024 he ran 57:30. In late August he broke the half marathon world record in Buenos Aires with 56:51, a time World Athletics ratified on 9 November.

Korir, aiming to be the first back-to-back champion since 2003

Korir, who turns 30 four days before the race, arrives as the man with the best time among the entries. At Valencia 2025 he went through halfway in 1:01:47, took the lead when the pacemakers dropped out at kilometre 25 and ran the second half in 1:00:37. This year he won the Boston Marathon in 2:01.52, six days before London, a time that does not count in the rankings because of the course characteristics. After that race he said:

“I know it was Sawe’s day, but I think mine will come soon.”

He had previously won Boston 2025 in 2:04:45 and Chicago in October 2024 in 2:02:43; he did not finish Chicago in October 2025. If he wins again in Valencia, he would be the first men’s back-to-back champion since Samuel Tangus, who won in 2002 and 2003. Only three men have won the race twice: Teodoro Pérez (1981 and 1983), Eduardo Alcaína (1996 and 1997) and Tangus himself.

Korir’s rivals and the course record

Among the entries, Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso (2:03:11) and Ethiopians Dawit Wolde (2:03:48) and Nibret Melak (2:04:00) stand out. The list is completed by Leul Gebreselassie, the 2018 winner, with 2:04:02, and Norway’s Awet Kibrab, third in 2025, with 2:04:24. The first elite announcement spoke of seven runners under 2:04:30 and said more contenders would be added.

The men’s course record is Sisay Lemma’s 2:01:48 from 2023. Among the Spaniards are Ibrahim Chakir (2:07:21) and Yago Rojo (2:07:47), while Adel Mechaal will make his debut at the distance.

The challenge of pacemakers and nutrition

The organisers must hire pacemakers able to run to kilometre 30 or beyond after passing halfway at around one hour or even under. Halfway is at kilometre 21.97. In Valencia, the second part of the course is also more favourable.

In-race fuelling is also being prepared. Maurten spent 32 days in Kenya with Sawe’s team to fine-tune the nutrition strategy.

Women’s record: Chepngetich, Tesfay and Agnes Ngetich

The women’s record of 2:09.56 belongs to Ruth Chepngetich, who has been banned for three years for violating anti-doping rules. It was the first time a woman had gone under 2:10.

Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay ran 2:10.52 on 15 March at the Barcelona Marathon, the second-fastest mark of all time. It was the best debut in history, and she held world record pace for 35 kilometres before fading.

At the last minute the organisers have added Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich, who will make her marathon debut. She is the world record holder for 10 km on the road (28:46, Valencia 2024) and has run 1:03:04 for the half marathon in Valencia.

Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, the 2025 champion with 2:14:00, the women’s course record, is back on the start line. Emily Sisson, Lilian Kasait and Alisa Vainio are also entered, and the leading Spaniards include Laura Luengo (2:22:31) and Meritxell Soler (2:23:49).

A flat course finishing at the City of Arts and Sciences

The official website describes the Valencia Marathon course as the fastest and flattest in the world. It also features a unique poster by Valencian illustrator Lawerta, showing runners crossing that finish line.

New Balance is running its promotion again this year to send four Valencia Marathon participants to New York and London.