A total of 19 Kenyans have confirmed participation at the Valencia Half Marathon on October 23.
This will include six ladies and 13 men with Kibiwott Kandie is the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 57:32 which he ran in Valencia in 2020.
Kandie is the Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist and he placed second at this year’s Semi Marathon de Lille in March.
Daniel Mateiko is the second fastest in the field with a personal best of 58:26 that he ran in Valencia last year. Mateiko also participated at the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon and placed second in 1:00:05.
Ethiopian trio of Milkesa Mengesha, Yomif Kejelcha and Tadese Worku is also one to watch when the race kicks off. Mengesha has a personal best time of 58:58 which he ran to win this year’s Copenhagen Half Marathon. He is also the winner of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon (1:00:24).
Kejelcha has a personal best time of 59:05 and he won the 2019 edition of the Valencia Marathon. Worku will be debuting in the distance after registering a good run on the track.
Other Kenyans in the field will be Kennedy Kimutai (58:28), Rodgers Kwemoi (58:30), Bernard Ngeno (59:07), Alfred Barkach (59:36), Ronald Kirui (59:38), Isaac Kipkemboi (1:00:30), Edward Cheserek (1:00:37), Boniface Kibiwott (1:00:52), Weldon Langat (1:00:57), Sebastian Sawe and debutant Laban Kiplimo.
In the women’s field, Vicoty Chepngeno is the fastest in the field with a personal best time of 1:05:03 which she ran to win the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January. She also participated at this year’s N Kolay Istanbul and Copenhagen Half Marathon and placed fourth (1:06:58) and ninth (1:08:22) respectively.
Margaret Chelimo is the second fastest in the field with a personal time of 1:05:26 which she ran to win this year’s eDreams Barcelona Half Marathon. Chelimo is also the World 10,000m bronze medallist.
Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa will also be lining up with a personal best time of 1:05:41 that she ran to place second at the 2021 edition of the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
Other Kenyans in the race will be Irene Kimais (1:06:34), Purity Komen (1:07:10), Vivian Melly (1:08:17) and Agnes Ngolo (1:09:15).
