Agnes Ngetich sets the year’s best time

The 2025 Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich has once again proven to be one of the fastest races in the world, even when weather conditions are not ideal.

Agnes Jebet Ngetich achieved the best time of the year and the third-fastest performance in history, clocking an impressive 1:03:08. In the men’s race, the winner was Yomif Kejelcha with 58:02.

Ngetich ran much of the race at a pace to break the World Record set right here in Valencia by Letesenbet Gidey (1:02:52) in 2021.

However, despite her excellent form, the Kenyan had to battle strong headwinds in the final kilometers and ultimately fell short by 16 seconds, though she still achieved a spectacular result.

Her time only bettered by Letesenbet Gidey’s world record of 1:02:52 set in Valencia in 2021 and Ngetich’s 1:03:04 run in the same city last year during her debut over the distance.

Just like last year, Ngetich – who was paced by Moses Ntaloishi this time – went out at a frantic pace as the clock read 14:38 at the 5km checkpoint, putting her 11 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay, who started as the world leader with 1:03:35 from Berlin in April.

Always paced by Ntaloishi and sandwiched between a large group of male athletes, the 24-year-old Ngetich continued her terrific speed to go through 10km in 29:28, well ahead of the world record pace, while Tesfay travelled 37 seconds behind her in 30:05.

Giving a sense of déjà vu of last year, when Ngetich reached 10km in 29:18 but could not maintain that pace to break the world record, the Kenyan began to slow and covered the next kilometres in the 3:00/3:05 range. By the 15km mark, which she reached in 44:36, she was still projected a world record time (1:02:43) but the pace of the world 10,000m fourth-place finisher gradually eased over the final section and she won unopposed in 1:03:08.

Fotyen Tesfay finished second in the women’s category with 1:05:10, and Veronica Loleo came third with 1:05:46.

In the men’s race, Yomif Kejelcha was also on pace to improve on his 2024 personal best (57:30) — the current ratified World Record — but weather conditions took their toll, and he crossed the finish line in 58:02. Rodrigue Kwizera finished second with 58:38, followed by Brian Kibor in third with 58:39.

Kejelcha was perfectly paced in the men’s race by Kenya’s Amos Kipkorir. Ethiopia’s world 10,000m silver medallist kicked off at a steady 2:43 rhythm, going through the opening 5km in a promising 13:35 – some three seconds quicker than his split last year when the 28-year-old set his world record of 57:30. No one dared to follow in his footsteps as Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera travelled seven seconds in arrears and one second ahead of Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir.

The pacemaker dropped out a short while later and so Kejelcha had to run on his own for much of the race. Even so, the three-time winner in Valencia maintained his frantic pace to reach the 10km checkpoint in 27:13, just one second slower than his split from last year and on a projected 57:25 pace. By then, a lonesome Kwizera ran way back, 25 seconds behind the leader, while Sweden’s Andreas Almgren moved up into fourth place, clocking 27:54 to run alongside Kenya’s Brian Kibor.

Over the second part of the race, the unseasonally good weather of 20ºC with some gusts of annoying wind and a humidity over 60% hampered Kejelcha’s effort and his speed began to decrease. At the 15km point he clocked 40:59 and despite fighting hard for the following kilometres, a 14:02 5km split ended his chances of beating his time from last year and he had to settle for a 58:02 victory to achieve his seventh sub-60:00 performances in as many appearances over the distance.

The Ethiopian’s time is the second quickest so far this year, behind Jacob Kiplimo’s 56:42 from Barcelona in February, which is pending ratification as a world record.

The wind also didn’t seem to bother Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, who broke the continental record, setting 58:41 as the new European Record.

Leading results

Women
1 Agnes Ngetich (KEN) 1:03:08
2 Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) 1:05:11
3 Veronica Loleo (KEN) 1:05:46
4 Gladys Chepkurui (KEN) 1:06:58
5 Mulat Takele (ETH) 1:07:08
6 Emma Hurley (USA) 1:08:02
7 Klara Lukan (SLO) 1:08:04
8 Alessia Zarbo (FRA) 1:08:20

Men
1 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 58:02
2 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 58:39
3 Brian Kibor (KEN) 58:39
4 Andreas Almgren (SWE) 58:41
5 Adriaan Wildschutt (RSA) 59:13
6 Nicholas Kipkorir (KEN) 59:44
7 Mohamed Ismail (BDI) 60:03
8 Gideon Kiprotich (KEN) 60:03