Days after race organizers confirmed Yomif Kejelcha would run the 2026 Valencia Marathon, the race’s CEO, Juan Manuel Botella, told Marathon Handbook that the booking is the culmination of a two-year conversation, and not just a snap reaction to Kejelcha’s sub-two-hour debut in London.
“Yomif has competed four times in the Valencia Half Marathon,” Botella said, “His record is three wins, one second place, and one world record. We’ve been discussing his future in marathon running for two years, so this has been a deliberate approach by both the Valencia team and Yomif’s team.”
The result is one of the most anticipated bookings on the fall marathon calendar. Kejelcha ran 1:59:41 in his April debut at the London Marathon, finishing 11 seconds behind Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe. Both men finished under two hours. It was the first time that had ever happened in an official race.
A world record on the table
Botella did not commit to a record attempt. He was, however, unusually direct about ambition.
“Talking is easy, running is hard,” he said. “Yomif has found his ideal event in the marathon. It was love at first sight, in his debut. This is what he tells us. He also tells us that he believes he can run faster on a course like Valencia, after his experience in London.”
The Valencia route is one of the fastest in the world. Sea-level, with less than 30 metres of total elevation change, and a cool early-December climate, the course has been the site of multiple half marathon world records and a long list of fast marathons. The current men’s course record is Sisay Lemma’s 2:01:48 from December 2023.
Asked directly whether Sawe’s 1:59:30 world record was the target on December 6, Botella did not say yes. He did not say no either.
“He wouldn’t come to a marathon like Valencia to easily win in 2:03, nor would we hire him to run at 95%,” he said. “So, yes. We aspire to everything and to 101%. Now the challenge is finding men capable of pushing him, and one or more other athletes who can challenge him.”
On Sawe, and the rest of the field
Sabastian Sawe, who made his marathon debut by winning Valencia’s 44th edition in 2024, will not be back this December. Berlin, in September, has him locked in. Botella was diplomatic about losing him for the autumn.
“Who wouldn’t want Sebastian Sawe in their race?” he wrote. “As organizers, we congratulate Berlin on booking him for September 2026. We’ll be watching the race like fans because, what’s more, we love the Berlin Marathon. Of course, we’d love to have Sawe back again in the future.”
Botella also flagged that more elite signings are coming, and that the women’s race will be an equally compelling story.
“We’ll be announcing names soon, but Yomif won’t be alone, and the men’s race won’t be stronger or more exciting than the women’s.” He declined to name names.
Money, openly
Most race directors will not discuss appearance fees on the record. Botella took a different approach.
“Of course, Yomif Kejelcha, as a professional athlete, receives a fee,” he said. “In Valencia, we believe in not being hesitant to say that we pay the best. If other sports aren’t afraid to admit they pay money, why is athletics afraid to acknowledge it?”
He stopped short of putting a number on it. “The figures are a private agreement, and with all due respect to your question, we’re not going to reveal them. We’ll only say that we pay him what an athlete who has just broken the two-hour marathon barrier deserves.”
Not chasing the Majors
The question that drew the strongest reply was about the World Marathon Majors. Valencia is routinely ranked among the best races in the world. It draws fields and finisher times that rival, and on some metrics surpass, the Majors. It is an obvious candidate for a slot as the series has begun to open up.
Botella was clear that this is not the plan.
“The Majors are a collection of wonderful marathons that we love,” he wrote. “We watch, learn, and feel passion for each edition of London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin. All those races are incredible. But Valencia is clear that, at this precise moment, it’s not interested in becoming a Major because we can’t afford it.”
It is a notable line from a race that has spent the last decade building one of the most ambitious elite marathon programs in the sport. Valencia will pay top-of-market money for Kejelcha and is openly chasing a sub-two record attempt on its course. It will not, evidently, pay what a WMM franchise costs.
The 2026 Valencia Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, December 6.
0 Comments