The Valencia Marathon did not disappoint this past weekend when it came to breaking records. The ideal conditions and fast course lent themselves to blistering paces in the men’s and women’s fields.
Kelvin Kiptum, 23, of Kenya, ran a 2:01:53, making him the fastest debut marathoner. Only marathon world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, and Kenenisa Bekele have run faster. Kiptum clocked 60:15 in the second 13.1 miles—the fastest ever for the second half of a marathon. He also beat the course record by more than a minute.
Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Shankule, 31, who ran 2:14:58, was within reach of the women’s world record (2:14:04). She’s now the third fastest woman in the marathon.
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Results from the Valencia Marathon
But it wasn’t just the top finishers who broke records in Spain.
Gabriel Geay ran a Tanzanian record of 2:03:00, and behind him, Kenyan Alexander Mutiso ran 2:03:29 in his debut marathon. To put that into perspective, Ethiopian world champion Tamirat Tola finished fourth in 2:03:40, according to Athletics Weekly.
The top six men broke 2:05 on the flat course.
Beriso smashed the course record, previously held by Peres Jepchirchir, by more than two minutes. In second, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, ran 2:16:49 in her debut, and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya came in third with 2:17:29.
Gidey, who holds the world records in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and half marathon, also ran the fastest female marathon debut.
Just missing a top 10 finish was Australian Sinead Diver, who ran 2:21:34, breaking the Australian record by more than a minute. Diver will be 46 years old in February.
American Jennifer Bergman ran 2:31:39, making her the first American woman to finish. She also nabbed a marathon PR and became the 97th American woman to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, according to back-of-the-envelope math by Fast Women.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
