VALENCIA, Spain — Rodrigue Kwizera will chase a breakthrough Spanish victory and the European record at the 2026 Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday, Oct. 25, leading the men’s field with a personal best of 58:16.

Kwizera, the runner-up in 2025, is the fastest entrant on the organizers’ Oct. 16 list. Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer and Tadese Worku and Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo are among his leading challengers, while Kenenisa Bekele adds another prominent name to the lineup.

The 35th edition of the World Athletics Gold Label road race is scheduled to start at 8:25 a.m. local time and is expected to be streamed live for free worldwide on YouTube and À Punt Media. Organizers believe Kwizera could become the first Spanish man to win since the event adopted the official half-marathon distance, and local supporters are hopeful that this prediction will come true.

Kwizera targets victory and European record

Kwizera’s 58:16 gives him a 17-second advantage over top rival Yimer, but winning and breaking the European record would require different measures of success.

Sweden’s Andreas Almgren lowered the European record to 58:06 while winning the world half-marathon title in Copenhagen in September. Kwizera would need to improve his personal best by more than 10 seconds to move below that mark.

Kwizera also gives the home crowd a leading contender alongside Thierry Ndikumwenayo, whose listed best of 59:42 puts another Spanish runner among the sub-hour entrants.

Yimer, Worku and Ebenyo lead the challengers

Yimer brings a personal best of 58:33 and experience winning in Valencia, having taken the title in 2018. Worku supplies another Ethiopian challenge, while Ebenyo’s 59:04 and Alex Matata’s 59:11 strengthen Kenya’s prospects, along with Owen Kapkama, who comes in with a 58:58 best.

Bekele is also entered, with a listed half-marathon best of 1:00:22. His inclusion adds depth to a field headed on personal-best times by Kwizera and Yimer.

Valencia Half Marathon 2026: Leading men’s entries

• Rodrigue Kwizera, Spain — 58:16.
• Jemal Yimer, Ethiopia — 58:33.
• Tadese Worku, Ethiopia — 58:47.
• Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia — 60:22.
• Owen Kapkama, Kenya — 58:58.
• Daniel Ebenyo, Kenya — 59:04.
• Alex Matata, Kenya — 59:11.
• James Kipkogei, Kenya — 59:31.
• Emmanuel Roudolff, France — 59:37.
• Samuel Barata, Portugal — 59:40.
• Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Spain — 59:42.
• Moses Cheruiyot, Kenya — 60:00.
• Tomoya Ogikubo, Japan — 60:22.
• Mohamed Ismail, Djibouti — 59:45.
• Pasquale Selvarolo, Italy — 60:32.
• Jacob Simonsen, Denmark — 60:44.
• Melkeneh Azize, Ethiopia — 60:47.
• Ben Connor, Britain — 60:55.
• Senay Fissehatsion, Eritrea — 60:55.

Debutants bring speed over shorter distances

South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton and Kenya’s Victor Kipruto are two half-marathon debutants highlighted by organizers. Chaumeton brings a 10-kilometer best of 26:55, while Kipruto has run 27:10 over that distance.