Valencia Marathon: Epis 10″ from the Italian record, Kiptum and Beriso third ever

The 43rd Valencia marathon – very fast course, perfect weather conditions with temperatures around 10 degrees – updates the history of the Italian and world specialty. Giovanna Epis, with a great 2h23’54”, remains 10″ from the national record of Valeria Straneo (Rotterdam 2012). The winners, both in the men’s and women’s fields, are placed in third place on the world all-time list. Merit of the 23-year-old Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, making his debut over the distance, with 2h01’53” (only Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele better than him) and the 31-year-old Ethiopian Amane Beriso, who with 2h14’58”, improves by almost six minutes later almost seven years (stronger, in the past, only Brigid Kosgei and Ruth Chepngetich).

Epis

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The 34-year-old Venetian transplanted to Legnano (Milan), a pupil of the timeless Giorgio Rondelli, hits her ninth one-man show in eight years. This last very significant progress is 1’26 “(twelve months ago, again in Valencia, she ran in 2h25’20”) and seals a great 2022, with also fifth place at the European Championships in Munich. The carabiniere, who in mid-November had brought the personnel on the half to 1h10’15”, distributes in a very homogeneous way (1h11’54” the first half, 1h12’00” the second) and, 15a, misses the target for a blow, but third Italian ever after the unforgettable Maura Viceconte (2h23’47”), with this performance she enters a new dimension and can now look to the future with great confidence.

Men

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Other than negative splits: 1h01’38” the first half of the race, 1h00’15” the second, the fastest ever in an official practice. Kiptum makes the difference after the 30th km when he sets a 5 km split from 14′ 00” and 10 from 28’04”. With four athletes under 2h04′, behind him finish the Tanzanian Gabriel Geay (2h03’00, national record) and the Kenyan resident in Japan Alexander Mutiso (2h03’29”), in turn at his “first time” over the distance . Fourth is the Ethiopian world champion Tamirat Tola (2h03’40”), fifth the Turkish (of Kenyan origin) Kaan Ozbilen who, with 2h04’36”, remains 20” from his European record. Daniele D’Onofrio, with 2h12’47”, is 33rd.

Women

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In four under 2h18’00”, in seven under 2h19’00”: never had a women’s marathon offered such depth of results. The surprising Beriso and her eagerly awaited compatriot Letesenbet Gidey – world record holder of the 5000, 10,000 and of the half, also at their debut – after a passage to the half in 1h07’18”, up to the 35th km they travel together on the pace of 2h14’04” of the Kosgei world record. Then, in the key moment, the Beriso takes off. The pace drops, but the Ethiopian realizes one of the biggest surprises ever. He boasted a 2h20’48” (Dubai, January 2016), but since then he had achieved little or nothing, with a fourth place at the Rome-Ostia 2018 and an absence from competitions since January 2020, interrupted only by the success at the Città del Mexico on 28 August last in 2h25’05”. It’s hard to understand where she came from… Gidey, with 2h16’49”, has to settle for signing the best debut ever. Also noteworthy is the 2h17’29” of the Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, third, another newcomer. Among the many sensational results, the 2h21’34” (12th) of the 45-year-old Australian Sinead Diver, a national record.