Ethiopian Excellence in the Ciudad del Running
The 2023 Valencia Marathon was headlined by Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma and Worknesh Degefa, who led an avalanche of fast times in the Ciudad del Running (City of Running). With mild temperatures, no wind, and crystal blue skies, a record 33,000 runners took part in what is quickly becoming one of the biggest marathons in the world.
Elite Men
The men’s race was an intriguing one. Joshua Cheptegei was making his much-anticipated debut, Kenenisa Bekele was trying to stay relevant after more than two decades atop the distance running world, and half marathon record holders like Kibiwott Kandie were stepping up to confront the full distance.
Despite only Bekele having a personal best anywhere close to Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:01:53 course record, the large lead group quickly found themselves tracking ahead of this mark. With only a quarter of the distance run, Kandie and veteran marathon runner, Sisay Lemma, urged the pacemakers on and pushed the group six seconds inside the world record split by 15km. Bekele, 41, was the sole casualty of this move and fell half a minute adrift of the leaders, who passed the halfway point in 1:00:35 at what would prove to be an unsustainable pace.
Kenenisa Bekele finishes the 2023 Valencia Marathon
(Photo credit: Sportmedia)
Perhaps sensing this, Kandie retreated into the pack, apparently satisfied to let the pace settle, while Lemma continued on at the front and drove a gap between himself and the rest of the field. Kandie, dragging Dawit Wolde with him, was able to force himself back onto Lemma’s shoulder by 30km, but the rest of the field was left strung out behind the leading trio on account of the overambitious early pace. Cheptegei suffered particularly badly and would go on to finish 37th, closing the second half of his marathon almost eight minutes slower than the first.
The three at the front traded the lead for a few minutes, but ultimately, it was Lemma, who had skilfully deconstructed the rest of the field, that would use his experience to dispose of his two remaining rivals. By 35km, the Ethiopian was alone and had only the ghost of Kiptum’s course record for company, which he eclipsed by five seconds at the finish, clocking 2:01:48 and moving to number four on the all-time list.
“It’s my first time in Valencia and I’m very happy to win and break the course record,” beamed Lemma in a post-race interview.
Sisay Lemma wins the 2023 Valencia Marathon and sets a new course record
Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso rallied over the closing stages to finish second, while Wolde held on for third. Kandie, who led the race with 10km remaining, faded to sixth.
Almost as impressive as Lemma’s victory was Bekele’s patience. The greatest of all time proved once again why he is worthy of that title, passing the entire elite field save for the eventual podium in the second half of the race despite losing touch with the leading group after less than 15km. He crossed the line in 2:04:19, finishing fourth and breaking the master’s marathon world record. Crucially, he also put himself in the conversation for 2024 Olympic selection.
Bekele has publicly announced his dream to compete at one more Olympics before he retires. The Ethiopian has a well-established history with the Games, representing his country in Athens, Beijing, and London, winning four medals and three titles in the process. However, after missing out on a spot in the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo teams, it seemed his Olympic career was destined to be confined to the track.
Ethiopia has unlocked three spots in the marathon for Paris 2024. Lemma is an obvious choice for the team: his 2:01:48 performance this weekend and his 27 career marathon starts means he has more experience and speed than anyone else in his country. Other than Lemma, two Ethiopians have run faster than Bekele this year: Tadese Tekele, who clocked 2:03:24 to finish third in Berlin, and Dawit Wolde, who beat Bekele by one place in Valencia, running 2:03:48. Tamirat Tola will also be in the conversation with his 2:04:58 course record performance in New York last month and his marathon world championship title last year. The two remaining spots will likely be filled by two of these four athletes, which means if Bekele can put together another strong marathon early next year, we could see him return to the Olympics for a fourth and final time.
Elite Women
Worknesh Degefa has returned to the marathon running world as though she never left.
If you read the preview, you will know Degefa has not run a marathon in over three years. The Ethiopian took time off to have children after winning the Dubai Marathon in January 2020, at which point she was ranked fourth on the all-time list. In her time away from professional running she slipped to 18th, largely courtesy of the emergence of supershoes. Her decision to return to the marathon raised some questions as to whether she would be able to compete in what is a vastly changed marathon running landscape.
In Valencia, a group of four athletes made an early statement: Degefa, compatriots Almaz Ayana and Hiwot Gebrekidan, and Germany’s Melat Kejeta were alone in front by the 10km mark.
Ayana, who boasted the quickest personal best in the field, ran closest to the pacemakers throughout the opening stages and was seemingly determined to run the race on her own terms. However, with a little under 10km remaining, Degefa eased past Ayana and splintered the quartet with a deliberate injection of pace. Ayana briefly clawed her way back to Degefa’s shoulder, but a small four-second gap reopened by 35km and would only grow as the race progressed. Behind them, Gebrekidan was another 51 seconds in arrears, and Kejeta had dropped out.
The medals stayed in that order for the rest of the race, with Degefa leading an Ethiopian clean sweep as she crossed the line in a new lifetime best of 2:15:51 and moved to number seven on the all-time list. Ayana moved to number eight on that list as she picked up silver in 2:16:22, and Gebrekidan clocked 2:17:59 for third.
Worknesh Degefa wins the 2023 Valencia Marathon
Former middle-distance star Genzebe Dibaba, racing in her second marathon in as many months, only stayed with the leading group for six kilometres. She reached the halfway point some two minutes off the pace and eventually dropped out of the race, ending her 2024 Olympic campaign in disappointing fashion.
The top 10 results from the 2023 Valencia Marathon
Men
1. Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48
2. Alexander Mutiso (KEN) 2:03:11
3. Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48
4. Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:04:19
5. Gabriel Geay (TZ) 2:04:33
6. Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 2:04:48
7. Chalu Deso (ETH) 2:05:14
8. Mohamed Esa Huseydin (ETH) 2:05:40
9. Mehdi Frere (FRA) 2:05:43
10. Gashau Ayale (ISR) 2:05:46
Women
1. Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 2:15:51
2. Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:16:22
3. Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:17:59
4. Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:20:46
5. Majida Maayouf (ESP) 2:21:27
6. Sultan Haydar (TUR) 2:21:27
7. Desi Mokonin (BRN) 2:22:29
8. Genevieve Gregson (AUS) 2:23:08
9. Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) 2:23:16
10. Isobel Batt-Doyle (AUS) 2:23:27