‘The fastest 10km race in the world’. A bold claim to make, but one Valencia 2026 has more than lived up to once again. So what is it about this one race in particular that somehow manages to produce record after record? As Andreas Almgren of Sweden himself stated, the answer lies in the combination of both a fast track and an atmosphere fuelled by a record 16,000 participants. This helps bridge the gap between elite and everyday runners. Those, of course, are now the words of a two-time consecutive champion and two-time European record breaker over the 10km here in Valencia.
Let me lead with the stats: 2 European records, 14 national records (plus 1 equalled) and almost too many personal bests to count across those many participants. It should go without saying that these are not your typical figures, but then Valencia is not your typical race.
On the men’s side, Andreas Almgren’s victory was a smooth one. Having seen the footage of his last session in the run up to Valencia, which included 10 x 1km reps at about 2:30 pace with only 1 minute rest in between, this supreme display of control, and the resulting record, I doubt surprised anyone. It was a question of how much he would break the record by. Certainly not whether it would be broken. And the answer?
26:45.
A total of 8 seconds faster than his winning time from 2025. Moreover, placing him at 6th on the men’s 10km road all-time list. In second place, having followed closely behind Almgren throughout the course, was Khairi Bejiga of Ethiopia, who also clocked a personal best of 26:51. These were the only two men who managed to break 27 minutes. Third place went to Victor Kipruto of Kenya with 27:17, just outside his personal best of 27:10.
Honourable mentions must be made to the national records coming in thick and fast behind the leading men, including that of Saïd Mechaal of Spain, who clocked a time of 27:25, shaving 16 seconds off the previous record set by Ilias Fifa at this same race in Valencia just last year. Two national records, two years in a row is special for the home crowd, and proves that Spain as the host country itself is a big part of the race’s rapid legacy.
Other national records we saw fall were that of Ireland, whose very own record holder Efrem Gidey lowered his mark to 27:38. Then, Scotland’s Andy Butchart, who became the first Scot to break 28 minutes with 27:43. We also saw José Carlos Pinto of Portugal lower his own national record to 27:37 and Valentin Soca of Uruguay do the same with 27:22, a time equal to yet another national record by Magnus Tuv Myhre of Norway. Iceland’s Baldvin Magnusson finished off the long list of male national records with his 27:40 clocking.
The women’s race told a similar story, although perhaps with a more surprising finish, as it was Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir who took the lead early on and far from having to cling on to it, held it comfortably through to the finish. Having previously held a personal best of 30:04, this race marks a significant achievement for Jepchirchir, running under 30 minutes for the first time in her career with 29:25 and placing herself 4th all-time at just 20 years old.
In fact, each of the top three finishing women went sub-30, with Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia and Clare Chemtai Ndwia of Kenya clocking 29:29 and 29:49 respectively. This considering especially that going into the race only 2 women on the startlist, and of these top three only Amebaw, had previously run under 30 minutes.
In 8th place, we also saw a fantastic comeback performance from Scotland’s Eilish McColgan. Three years on from first setting her national and European record in 2022 of 30:19 in a female-only race, and exactly a week after Belgium’s Jana Van Lent laid down a record-breaking marker of 30:10 to chase in the mixed race, (which would likely have added some pressure to this performance), McColgan put her past 10km injury struggles to rest and claimed the mixed race European record, clocking a time of 30:08. She now therefore holds both female European 10km road records and has established herself once again as the one to beat.
Other national records we saw fall on the women’s side were most notably Portugal’s, with Mariana Machado matching her male compatriot’s achievement with 30:59, a first sub-31 clocking for her country, and Tereza Hrochová of Czechia lowering her own record to 31:06. Poland’s Aleksandra Lisowska did the same, taking the national record below 32 minutes for the first time with 31:51 and we also had a new record for Wales by Clara Evans with 31:18 and Hannah Irwin for Northern Ireland with 31:32.
Needless to say, Valencia 2026 was bursting with achievements, and if you were ever sceptical about its tagline, I think it’s safe to say this article serves as proof that it just might be the fastest 10 km race in the world. It only remains to be seen whether 2027 can produce as many, if not more, record-breaking performances…
Rosana is our social media manager intern, specialising in track and road racing. Having previously competed in the 200m and 400m, she keeps up her love for speed endurance with regular track sessions and interval runs. As well as running herself, Rosana is also an avid athletics fan, from volunteering at major track meets to officiating local competitions back in England.
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