Kelvin Kiptum smashes Valencia Marathon record in spectacular debut

Twenty-three year old Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum made history on the streets of Valencia, running the fastest debut marathon in history to win the Valencia Marathon held on Sunday 4 December in 2:01:53. 

He is now the third-fastest marathoner ever after Eliud Kipchoge's world record time of 2:01.09 and Kenenisa Bekele's 2:01.53.

His, is also the second fastest time this year after the World Record set by his countryman. 

Ahead of the race, the men's course record of 2:03.00 set by Kenya's Evans Chebet, was expected to fall as the cast included 10 athletes who had run 2:05:30 or faster throughout their careers. 

The list was topped by Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla, who ran 2:03:34 in Dubai in 2019, closely followed by the reigning world marathon champion Tamirat Tola who has a PB of 2:03:39. 

The Kenyan trio of Kiptum, Alexander Mutiso and Philemon Kiplimo were racing the marathon for the first time, as was Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mengesha. 

A lead group of 20 men went through the opening 5 km in 14:40, which was 2:03:46 pace and a little slower than the pace organizers were targeting. 

Half way through the race, there were still 19 men in the leading pack, on pace to run 2:03:16 as they went past the 21km mark in 61:38. 

At 30km, the race was down to three men, the other 16 having withered as the leaders picked the pace. Kiptum, Tanzanian Gabriel Geay and world champion Tola were fighting for the title. 

Kiptum made his move before the 35km mark and none of the two men could go with him as he went on to win the race in record time.

He clocked 14 minutes between the 30 and the 35th km and 14:04 from 35th to 40th for a strong finish.

Geay followed him home in 2:03.00, equaling the previous course record but lowering his personal best time by over a minute. 

Meanwhile 26-year-old Japan-based Mutiso managed to pip the world champion Tola for third place in 2:03.29 on his debut. 

In the women's race, Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui placed third in 2:17.29 in what was her debut in the classic distance, having won bronze on the track as recently as the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

The 31-year-old was in the form of her life before the Valencia race, having lowered her half marathon PB in Ras Al Khaimah in February to 1:04:36, to elevate her to seventh place on the world all-time list. 

Chepkirui backed up that brilliant performance with a win in Berlin six weeks later thanks to a 1:05:02 run.

Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey was expected to challenge the world record of 2:14:04 in her debut and was on 2:14:10 pace through 30k. 

But, shockingly, Gidey still had company at that point of the race as her countrywoman Amane Beriso was still with her. And in the end, it was Beriso who would hold on best as she won in 2:14:58 to move to third on the world all-time list. 

Gidey would fade over the final 10k but still hold on for second in 2:16:49, the fastest debut ever by a woman.