When it comes to city marathons, aside from the World Marathon Majors, none is more famous than the Valencia Marathon. On this fast course, in recent years runners have not only posted outstanding results like sub 2:02, but the race has also successively welcomed "rising stars" such as Kiptum and Savi who showed boundless potential in their debut marathons, giving it the feel of a "cradle of stars."
This year's Valencia Marathon will start at 8:15 AM local time on December 7，今年男女赛道纪录保持者西塞·莱玛（ Sisay Lemma ）与阿曼·贝里索（ Amane Beriso ）both return to Valencia, raising expectations for the race.
With yesterday's update to Valencia's elite entry list, course record holder Sisay Lemma迎来了a new strong rival John Korir( John Korir ), with both holding two World Marathon Major titles.
This year's elite field includes six male runners with PBs under 2:05. Although that's one more than last year, there are only two under 2:04, compared with five under 2:04 last year, so the overall standard of the men's field has slipped — it will come down to how the athletes perform on race day.
On paper, EthiopianSisay Lemma stands out most among the entrants, whether it's his significantly faster PB or his 2023 Valencia win and course record,both give him an edge.
However, over the past year he only finished tenth in Valencia with a time of 2:04:59, and he did not finish this year's Boston Marathon, so his condition for this race remains to be seen.
西塞·莱玛未在巅峰的情况，给到了其他 SUB 205 选手们很大的机会。
8月底时，基罗斯（ Hailemariam Kiros ）在悉尼马拉松上摘得了职业生涯首个大满贯冠军。他的 PB 成绩创造于去年的柏林，今年来到又一条高速赛道，能否实现成绩的新突破，很让人期待。而想要在瓦伦西亚再创 PB ，在悉尼之后快速地恢复好状态是他需要做好的。
Kenyan athlete Hillary Kipkoech made his marathon debut in Valencia last year, posting a strong 2:04:45. This September at the World Championships in Tokyo he failed to finish. Whether he can regain his form and, alongside 科利尔, lead Kenya in a showdown with Ethiopia remains to be seen.
In the SUB 2:05 list, a pleasant surprise is “Germany's No.1” Samuel Fitwi and “No.2”Amanal Petros（ Amanal Petros ）have come together in Valencia. At present, the two hold eight of Germany's top ten marathon performances.
At last year's Valencia Marathon,Samuel Fitwi set a PB and snatched the national record from Amanal Petros by two seconds. But based on this year's performances, Amanal Petros — who set the German half marathon record and won silver at the World Championships in Tokyo — looks stronger. Whether a new German record will be born in Valencia, whether the position of Germany's No.1 will change hands, and whether either of them can win the race all add extra intrigue to this event.
On the women's side, the battle for the titlewill most likelybe between Ethiopian Amane Beriso and two Kenyan runners, Peres Jepchirchir , Joyciline Jepkosgei
（ Joyciline Jepkosgei ）took place between.
The two athletes with the top PBs, Amane Beriso and Peres Jepchirchir, are the champions of the 2023 Budapest World Championships and the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, respectively. Both of their PBs were set last year,Berisois 78 seconds faster than Jepchirchir. The two faced each other once at last year's Paris Olympics, where Beriso placed higher.
Over the past two years the two have shown similar form, both posting around 2:16 performances and sometimes running well beyond 2:20.Peres Jepchirchir surged past world record holder Tigist Assefa in the final sprint to win at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, and that dominant performance surely leaves her brimming with confidence;Amane Beriso, as Valencia's women's course record holder, has the advantage of a course she knows well, and having not raced since the Boston Marathon in April she has enjoyed a longer preparation block.
Another strong contender for the title is the holder of two World Marathon Majors victories,Joyciline Jepkosgei. This year she took second at the London marathon in 2:18:44 and set a half marathon PB of 1:04:13 in Barcelona. The former world record holder in the 10km road and the half marathon, she continues to compete across 5000m and 10000m on the track, 10km road, half marathon, marathon, and even Cross Country — her high level of speed and endurance will be a real asset.
In the marathon discipline, following the two powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia, Japan and the United States also offer plenty of interest this time.
Japan's Suguru Osako, who domestic runners pay the most attention to, will make his first full marathon since he started wearing a full Li-Ning kit. This year he ran two half marathons — the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon and the Tokyo Heritage Half Marathon — and looked in good shape.
After the Tokyo Heritage Half in October, he didn't continue training at his previous base in the United States and instead went to Kenya to train further, which shows how determined Osako is about Valencia. Reportedly, Osako's performance in Valencia could become a turning point in deciding the direction of his career — we look forward to him producing another great result!
Japan's second-fastest ever, Yohei Ikeda（ Yohei Ikeda ） ran a PB of 2:05:12 at last year's Berlin Marathon, just 16 seconds shy of Japan's all-time number one, Kengo Suzuki. If he can surpass Kengo Suzuki's national record set four years ago in this race, the leadership of Japanese marathon running will complete a new generational handover.
On the American side, familiar names include male runner Clayton Young, and female runners Keira D’Amato, Emma Bates, who will all compete.
This year Clayton Young has set personal bests at the 10km road race, the half marathon and the full marathon; at the major global events of the past two years—the notoriously tough Paris Olympics and the Tokyo World Championships—he posted strong placings and times. However, a video he released two weeks ago showed he has been troubled by injury and is actively rehabbing, so hopefully he will head to Valencia in good shape.
41-year veteran Keira D’Amato was formerly the American record holder in the women’s full marathon and half marathon. Although she set a 10,000m personal best last year, she hasn’t had particularly standout marathon results over the past three years. However, as a ‘mom runner’ with two kids, her presence on the start line will be the greatest inspiration to countless people.
Emma Bates ran a PB of 1:08:21 at the New York Half this year, and finished the Boston Marathon in 2:25:10, more than two minutes faster than last year’s Boston; at Chicago last year she was only 42 seconds off her best time. If we use her Boston performance as a reference, Emma Bates might have a chance to notch another PB in the full marathon.
In addition, British athlete and Paris Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee ( Alex Yee ) is also one to watch. This yearhe has focused on road running, making his full marathon debut at the London Marathon in 2:11:08, and his Valencia half marathon debut in October in 1:01:29. Returning to the full marathon in Valencia this time, he will no doubt be aiming for a new breakthrough.
Recently he shared on social media that the Gaochi watch predicted his full marathon at 2:05:46, well ahead of the SUB 208 target he had set earlier. What he will ultimately deliver — we await the reveal on Sunday!
This year's Valencia Marathon may be a bit light on top men's stars, but that also creates more suspense — elites, dark horses, veterans and rookies: these varied elements bring a rich competitive charm to the race.
Beijing time Dec. 7 at 15:15, 2025 Valencia Marathon will kick off, will you be watching this "battle of speed" on your screen?
