Spanish roads could see record-breaking performances on Sunday as athletes lace up their super-boots instead of cross-country stakes.
The World Cross Country Championships ended in more mud this week with Britain’s top distance runners opting for the roads of Valencia, Spain, rather than this weekend’s off-road global gathering in Tallahassee, Florida.
Eilish McColgan, Emile Keires, Scott Beattie, Abbie Donnelly, Hugo Milner, Zach and Mohamed Mohamed are among the Brits in the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun on Sunday (January 11).
They are part of a field of 16,000, with Britain second only to host nation Spain when it comes to the number of runners taking part.
Instead of chasing medals and prestige in Tallahassee, Valencia athletes are looking for national or European records, in some cases world records or at least a PB.
Valencia have some form in this area. Both of the current 10km world records, 26:38 by Joshua Cheptegei and 28:46 by Agnes Ngetich, were set in Valencia in addition to the men’s European record.
Andreas Almgren holds the latter at 26:53 and will look to improve on that mark on Sunday.
McColgan saw him On January 4, Belgian Jana Van Lent broke the European record but will try to restore it on sunday. The 35-year-old was busy training at altitude over the festive period, at one point clearing snow from the inside lanes of the track to finish off the session.
McColgan’s best time of 30:19 was set in the women’s only race in Manchester in 2022.
Other notable Britons include Keires, who did not compete in the Tokyo World Championships after being eliminated in the final stages of the marathon, although he did pace Alex Yee and Phil Sesemann deep in the Valencia Marathon last month.
Beatty finished fourth at the European Championships in Portugal in December, but as we enter the new year, he clearly prefers to compete in Valencia rather than Tallahassee. The long flight to the United States may have had something to do with his decision.
In a race with Caress and Beatty, Rory Leonard’s British record of 27:38 was also set in Valencia 12 months agois in danger.
Other Brits in Valencia include Alice Goodhall, Lizzie Wellstead, Natasha Phillips, Hannah Irwin, Andy Butchart, Alfie Manthorpe, Charlie and George Wheeler.
Valencia Race Director Jose Enrique Muñoz Acuña says: “The response from the runners has been impressive, with record numbers of entries and an elite group poised to set historic records. Valencia has established itself as one of the fastest circuits in the world and we expect to see some great performances on January 11.”
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