John Korir Will Look To Defend His Valencia Title Against a Sub-2-Hour Marathoner

John Korir is heading back to Valencia to defend his marathon title, and this time he’ll have to get past a runner who has already done what almost no one else has: finish a marathon in under two hours.

The Kenyan announced his return to the Valencia Marathon on Instagram, tagging his management team and sponsors with a short message: “See you in Valencia marathon my next stop.” The race, known formally as the 42K Valencia, is set for December 6, 2026.

Korir won last year’s race in 2:02:24, finishing well clear of Germany’s Amanal Petros (2:04:03) and Norway’s Awet Nftalem Kibrab, who took third in 2:04:24.

A Hot Start to 2026

Korir has carried that form into this year. He opened his 2026 season with a win at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14, taking the men’s 10km title in 29:44, ahead of Amos Kiprotich (29:46) and Silas Senchura, who matched that time for third.

He followed that up with a statement win at the Boston Marathon on April 20. Korir broke the course record there, running a personal best of 2:01:52. Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu was second in 2:02:47, and Benson Kipruto took third in 2:02:50.

The Kejelcha Factor

This year’s Valencia field includes Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who will be running only his second career marathon. His first was extraordinary: on April 26 in London, Kejelcha ran 1:59:41, becoming just the second man in history to break two hours in a marathon. He finished behind world record holder Sebastian Sawe, who won that race in 1:59:30.

Kejelcha isn’t new to Valencia’s roads, though. He set the half marathon world record there in 2024, clocking 57:30 — a mark since broken by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who ran 57:20 in Lisbon this year. Kejelcha has also won the Valencia half marathon twice, in 2025 (58:02) and 2019 (59:05), with runner-up finishes in 2023 (57:41) and 2022 (58:32).

Also lining up in the men’s race is Alexander Munyao, the 2024 London Marathon champion. Munyao set his personal best of 2:03:11 in Valencia in 2023, finishing second, and was on the podium again in 2022 with 2:03:29. This year he placed third at the Tokyo Marathon in 2:03:38 and finished sixth at the Boston 10K in 28:24.

A Loaded Women’s Field

The women’s race carries its own high-profile matchup. Defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya will return after winning last year in a personal best of 2:14:00, ahead of Peres Jepchirchir (2:14:43) and Belgium’s Chloe Herbiet, who was third in 2:20:38. Jepkosgei opened 2026 with a third-place finish at the London Marathon in 2:15:55.

She’ll face Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay, currently the fastest woman in the marathon this year. Tesfay won the Barcelona Marathon on March 15 in 2:10:51 — a world-leading time and remarkably, her first marathon. She has run the Valencia half marathon twice, finishing second in both 2024 (1:03:21) and 2025 (1:05:10).

Also entered is Lilian Kasait, who will be racing just her second marathon. She won her debut at the Daegu Marathon on February 22 in 2:19:35 and has raced the Valencia half marathon before, placing third in 2024 in 1:03:32. Organizers also confirmed a marathon debut for Kenya’s Winnie Jepkosgei.

According to race organizers, the men’s field includes four more runners under 2:04:30 beyond the three headliners, and the full elite lineup will be released in October.

Impossible to Predict

Marc Roig, who selects the international elite athletes for the Valencia Marathon, said the depth of this year’s field makes it hard to call a winner.

“Both the men’s and women’s champions from 2025 are returning this year, but with Yomif and Fotyen now confirmed, defending those titles will be an immense challenge,” Roig said. “Once again, predicting a winner in Valencia is completely impossible, and that’s exactly the way we like it.”

The Valencia Marathon has built a reputation in recent years as one of the fastest courses in the world, regularly producing personal bests and podium times under 2:03. With Kejelcha’s sub-two-hour performance and Tesfay’s world-leading time both fresh from this spring, December’s race looks set to test that reputation again.