Valencia Half Marathon Elite Start List Announced — image accompanying Marathon Handbook's report. Image accompanying Marathon Handbook’s report; reduced and presented for news commentary with the attributed report. View the complete source report.
Kenenisa Bekele joins the elite start list for the Valencia Half Marathon, despite a recent Achilles injury. The 44-year-old will compete with bib 4. Rodrigue Kwizera leads the men's field with a 58:16 best time.
Ethiopians Jemal Yimer and Tadese Worku follow Kwizera, with Kenyans Owen Kapkama, Daniel Ebenyo, and Alex Matata completing the top seven. Eleven of the 155 men have broken the hour mark. Read more culture coverage.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw heads the women's field, returning to racing post-pregnancy. Tsigie Gebreselama and Ftaw Zeray follow, with Kenya's Veronica Loleo also in the lineup. Related: Quebec City Marathon: Scenic Race and Fall Getaway.
This original Runner World brief is based on reporting from Marathon Handbook. Visit the source for its complete reporting, context and any later corrections.
Reader questions
Questions about this report
What should runners know about Valencia Half Marathon Elite Start List Announced?
Kenenisa Bekele set to compete after injury, race features top runners from around the world. Kenenisa Bekele joins the elite start list for the Valencia Half Marathon, despite a recent Achilles injury. The 44-year-old will compete with bib 4. Rodrigue Kwizera leads the men's field with a 58:16 best time.
When did Runner World publish this culture brief?
Runner World published this brief on October 24, 2026. The underlying Marathon Handbook report was dated October 24, 2026.
Where can readers find the complete original report?
This summary is based on reporting from Marathon Handbook. The attributed source link in the article leads to the publisher’s complete report.
THE WEEKLY BRIEFING
Start the week a step ahead.
A concise edit of the running stories worth knowing, sent every Monday.
