Agnes Ngetich stormed to a world lead in 1:03:08 as she dominated the women’s field and Yomif Kejelcha cruised to a 58:02 win at the Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday.
Ngetich was locked in from the start and with a world record time in her sights with her pacers helping set the stage as she soared through the 5km mark at 14:38. She already separated herself from the rest of the elite women and her closest competitor, Fotyen Tesfay, was behind at 14:49 and trailing.
For Tesfay, who grabbed the world lead in in Berlin in April at 1:03:35, it would be the closest she would get to Ngetich.
By the 10km point, Ngetich expanded her lead over Tesfay to 37 seconds at 29:28 and surging closer to a new record, which was set by Letesenbet Gidey in 2021 at 1:02:52. But she began to fade shortly after despite being in a complete command of the race. And strong headwinds added an extra layer of drama for the pro men’s and women’s fields.
Still, Ngetich held steady and at 15km (44:36) she continued to push alongside her pacers and a crowded group of participants in the men’s group. In the closing stages, the world record was out of reach but Ngetich powered herself to the win in 1:03:08 as she defended her title, which is third-fastest performance ever.
Fotyen Tesfay finished second in 1:05:11 while Veronica Loleo took third in 1:05:46.
In the men’s race Kejelcha also set out to defend his title in Valencia, where he set the world record in 57:30 last year.
His mark had since been taken down by Jacob Kiplimo in 57:30 in Barcelona in February, so Kejelcha had plenty on his agenda.
Kejelcha kicked the race off with poise and coasted through the 5km mark in 13:35, which put him on pace of last year’s record performance as Rodrigue Kwizera was a distant second in 13:42. But Kejelcha kept his foot on the pedal with little challenge through 10km (27:13) while being just a second behind his time at the same point in 2024.
Kwizera continued to fade by 10km as Kejelcha’s lead opened to 25 seconds while the winds whipped along most of the course.
Kejelcha saw his shot at a new record dip by the 15km mark when he passed that point in 40:59 as he settled into staying consistent to the end of the race. He finished in 58:02, which was 32 seconds slower than his world record stunner last year but the performance was still a commanding win despite the weather playing a noticeable factor.
Kwizera and Brian Kibor took the battle for the remaining podium spots down to the wire late in the race with Kwizera slipping in for seconds place in 58:38 while Kibor took third in 58:39.
Women’s elite finishers
1. Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) – 1:03:08
2. Fotyen Tesfay (Ethiopia) – 1:05:11
3. Veronica Loleo (Kenya) – 1:05:46
4. Gladys Chepkurui (Kenya) – 1:06:58
5. Mulat Takele (Ethiopia) – 1:07:08
6. Emma Hurley (USA) – 1:08:02
7. Klara Lukan (Slovenia) – 1:08:04
8. Alessia Zarbo (France) – 1:08:20
9. Caroline Nyaga (Kenya) – 1:08:40
10. Carla Gallardo Puebla (Spain) – 1:09:14
11. Fadouwa Ledhem (France) – 1:09:24
12. Yumi Yoshikawa (Japan) – 1:09:28
13. Katie Izzo (USA) – 1:09:37
14. Meritxell Soler Del Pozo (Spain) – 1:09:46
15. Lily Partridge (Great Britain) – 1:09:52
16. Kristine Eikrem Engeset (Norway) – 1:10:33
17. Alicia Berzosa Martín (Spain) – 1:10:37
18. Liza Sajn (Slovenia) – 1:10:39
19. Ester Navarrete Santafé (Spain) – 1:10:46
20. Kiara Nahen (German) – 1:10:47
21. Nora Szabo (Hungary) – 1:11:05
22. Sarah Lahti (Sweden) – 1:11:18
23. Verity Hopkins (Great Britain) – 1:11:43
24. Fabienne Vonlanthen (Switzerland) – 1:12:40
Men’s elite finishers
1. Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia) – 58:02
2. Rodrigue Kwizera (Burundi) – 58:38
3. Brian Kibor (Kenya) – 58:39
4. Andreas Almgren (Sweden) – 58:41
5. Adriaan Wildschutt (South Africa) – 59:13
6. Nicholas Kipkorir (Kenya) – 59:44
7. Mohamed Ismail (Burundi) – 60:03
8. Gideon Kiprotich (Kenya) – 60:03
9. Filmon Tesfu (Netherlands) – 1:00:46
10. Carlos Mayo (Spain) – 1:00:47
11. Said Mechaal (Spain) – 1:00:48
12. Nassim Hassaous (Spain) – 1:00:55
13. Efrem Gidey (Ireland) – 1:01:02
14. Alfie Manthorpe (Great Britain) – 1:01:26
15. Shuaib Aljabaly (USA) – 1:01:27
16. Charles Wheeler (Great Britain) – 1:01:28
17. Alex Yee (Great Britain) – 1:01:30
18. Ben Connor (Great Britain) – 1:01:32
19. Abderrazak Charik (Algeria) – 1:01:35
20. James Whelan (Australia) – 1:01:37
21. Zakariya Mahamed (Great Britain) – 1:01:44
22. Jorge Gonzalez Rivera (Spain) – 1:02:12
23. Isaac Heyne (Australia) – 1:02:13
24. Jesus Ramos Reviejo (Spain) – 1:02:15
