Valencia is renowned for hosting some of the flattest and fastest races in the world and always draws some of the fastest runners to the streets of southern Spain. The 2024 Valencia Marathon was no different and delivered a star-studded lineup that took advantage of the ideal December temperatures and fast course.
Despite the high hopes of breaking world records—fueled by a €1 million incentive from businessman Juan Roig, founder of the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation—record-breaking aspirations were riddled with setbacks. The recent world record set by Ruth Chepngetich led to the withdrawal of many female competitors, and the absence of other elite athletes due to the Paris Olympics were two of the main difficulties in achieving record times this year.
The Valencia Marathon Proceeds Despite Recent Flooding
This year’s marathon opened with an emotional tribute to the recent flood victims.
One month after 222 lives were lost to the raging storms in Spain’s third-largest city, the Valencia Marathon proceeded as usual, following doubts as to whether the race would even proceed.
However, many local participants made the decision to withdraw from the races as a result of the devastation.
“When you look around, the town you grew up in practically doesn’t exist anymore,” said Pau Gisbert, from the Valencia suburb of Paiporta to Reuters. “Although your instinct pushes you to run for those four hours to feel like a normal person, your mind’s elsewhere.”
Sabastian Sawe Defies Expectations In Debut Marathon
In his first-ever marathon, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe clocked one of the fastest debut times of 2:02:06. Not only was it one of the fastest debut times ever, but it was also the fastest marathon time of 2024. Sawe’s performance surpassed Benson Kipruto’s previous 2024 world-leading time of 2:02:16 from the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year and is the fifth-fastest marathon of all time.
Prior to his marathon debut, Sawe was already renowned for his success in the half marathon, where he previously won the inaugural Half Marathon World Championships in Riga, Latvia, back in 2023.
At 28, Sawe entered Valencia as somewhat of an underdog in a field that included seasoned marathoners like Keneisa Bekele and last year’s Valencia Marathon winner, Sisay Lemma. Despite the depth of experience in the field, Sawe was remarkably composed and showed tactical intelligence beyond his level of experience.
How The Race Played Out
The men’s race was quite a dramatic watch.
The race started with a strong field of elite athletes, but as the kilometers ticked by, key competitors began to fall off. Bekele, the veteran of the group, was the first to fade, followed by Lemma, who had set the course record in Valencia in 2023.
As the race entered its later stages, Ethiopia’s Daniel Mateiko launched an ambitious attack, briefly taking the lead. However, Sawe easily closed the gap and began maintaining a quicker pace. He waited for the right moment to surge ahead, leaving Mateiko behind, as he just couldn’t hang on any longer, and securing his position at the front.
Sawe’s final push was pretty unrelenting, allowing him to finish safely ahead of second-place runner Deresa Geleta, who clocked 2:02:38. Nearly two minutes behind him was Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko, who rounded out the podium in 2:04:24.
Women’s Race Sees A number Of Withdrawals
Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu claimed victory in the women’s field at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, finishing in 2:16:49. Despite her winning performance, it fell short of the newly set world record, as well as the Valencia course record. Just a month earlier, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich set a new world record of 2:09:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, an achievement that caused several elite women to withdraw from the race who intended to come with the ambition of setting a new world record.
Alemu’s time was nearly seven minutes behind Chepngetich’s recent world record, two minutes shy of the Valencia record of 2:14:57, and fifteen seconds behind her personal best of 2:16:34.
The women’s field saw many competitors withdrawing due to the challenging demands of chasing record times. Alemu capitalized on her position as one of the pre-race favorites, hiding herself well in the group before pulling ahead in the final stages to take a decisive solo victory.
Behind Alemu, Uganda’s Stella Chesang ran a personal best of 2:18:26 to take second place, while Ethiopia’s Tiruye Mesfin finished third with a time of 2:18:35.
Dear Jessy
Thanks for the competent comments on Valencia Marathon. You just missed one extraordinary performance in the men’s field: Tadesse Abraham, our Swiss marathon hero. Tadesse, a former European champion is at the same age as Bekele and in his last marathon at 42y he finished this year in Valencia in 5th place in an excellent time of 2h04.40 breaking his own national record in his last race of his fantastic career !!!!