Valencia Half Marathon 2026: Bekele Returns From Injury as Kwizera Leads the Field
The Valencia Half Marathon 2026 takes place on Sunday, October 25 at 8:25, and the official entry list includes a name few expected a month ago: Kenenisa Bekele. The 44-year-old Ethiopian, a three-time Olympic champion and former world record holder at 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is listed with bib 18, four weeks after pulling out of the Berlin Marathon with an Achilles injury. About sixty Spaniards are on the elite lists, and the course is one of the fastest in the world.
Bekele returns to racing in Valencia
According to the Berlin Marathon organizers, Bekele injured his left Achilles tendon in one of his final workouts before travelling and did not start on September 27. His name now appears on the official entry list for the Valencia Half Marathon 2026, published on October 16, with a best of 1:00:22.
Bekele won the 10,000 m in Athens in 2004 and both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m in Beijing in 2008, and his world records at those distances stood for more than fifteen years. His marathon best is 2:01:41 from Berlin in 2019. At 44 he is not a contender for the win, since much of the field has a faster best. What remains to be seen is how his tendon responds and what pace he can hold, because a half marathon is often the step before an autumn or winter marathon.
The Valencia Half Marathon 2026 elite field
| Men | Country | Best | Women | Country | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodrigue Kwizera | Spain | 58:16 | Yalemzerf Yehualaw | Ethiopia | 1:03:51 |
| Jemal Yimer | Ethiopia | 58:33 | Tsigie Gebreselama | Ethiopia | 1:04:21 |
| Tadese Worku | Ethiopia | 58:47 | Ftaw Zeray | Ethiopia | 1:05:12 |
| Thierry Ndikumwenayo | Spain | 59:42 | Carla Gallardo | Spain | 1:08:30 |
| Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 1:00:22 | Laura Luengo | Spain | 1:08:50 |
The fastest man on the Valencia Half Marathon 2026 list is Spain’s Rodrigue Kwizera at 58:16. Next come Jemal Yimer and Tadese Worku, who was second in Buenos Aires in August when Yomif Kejelcha ran 56:51. In the women’s race the favorite on paper is Yalemzerf Yehualaw (1:03:51), the Ethiopian who held the Amsterdam Marathon course record until last Sunday.
The organizers have entered four pacers in two groups for the men, and there are pacers in the women’s race too, which points to a fast race from the gun.
The Spanish entries
The Spanish presence at the Valencia Half Marathon 2026 is large: about forty men and twenty women on the elite lists. Besides Kwizera and Ndikumwenayo, the names to watch are:
- Men: Yago Rojo (1:01:57) and Adel Mechaal (1:02:30).
- Women: Carla Gallardo (1:08:30), Laura Luengo (1:08:50), Irene Sánchez-Escribano (1:09:10) and Catalans Marta Galimany (1:09:22) and Meritxell Soler (1:09:30).
Why the Valencia Half Marathon is so fast
The previous ratified world record was set on this course: Yomif Kejelcha’s 57:30 in 2024, which stood until Jacob Kiplimo ran 57:20 in Lisbon in March. I cover the whole story in the article on the half marathon world record.
The Valencia Half Marathon 2026 course is flat, with few tight turns, and the mornings are usually cool at this time of year. It is the same combination that has made the December marathon one of the fastest in the world, as explained in the Valencia Marathon guide.
What recreational runners can learn from Bekele
Bekele’s injury is very common among veteran runners. The Achilles tendon adapts more slowly than muscle and handles sudden changes in load badly, something that shows more with age. If you are dealing with something similar, the article on Achilles tendinitis covers what the research says about treatment and returning to running.
His choice also makes sense at any level: coming back with a half before a marathon lets you test the tendon with less risk. If you are preparing a half this autumn, the half marathon training plan lays out the weeks.
FAQ
When is the Valencia Half Marathon 2026?
Sunday, October 25, 2026, starting at 8:25.
Is Kenenisa Bekele running the Valencia Half Marathon 2026?
He is on the official entry list published by the organizers on October 16, with bib 18. Whether he races depends on how the Achilles injury that kept him out of Berlin responds.
What is the Valencia Half Marathon course record?
For men, Yomif Kejelcha’s 57:30 from 2024, which was a world record at the time.
