The Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich arrived at its sharpest point on Friday, with elite runners making the case that Sunday’s race could move the Spanish record books. At Expo 21K Feria Valencia, the conversation was not about participation. It was about times.
That is why the Valencia Half Marathon 2026 is drawing so much attention now. The men’s and women’s fields were presented as the strongest national lineups of the season, and the race sits on a course known for fast marks. The question is no longer whether the field is deep. It is how deep the clock can be pushed when the gun goes off on Sunday.
José Antonio Redolat said this is the year with the highest level among Spanish runners in both the men’s and women’s races, and the numbers back up that view. Rodri Kwizera brings the best mark in the men’s field at 58:16 and said he wants to go faster in Valencia. That puts Carlos Mayo’s Spanish record of 59:39, set in Valencia in 2023, within reach if Kwizera can produce a personal best. Thierry Ndikumwenayo also has a reason to chase the pace. He ran 59:42 in 2024 without half-marathon-specific training, but said he has done that work this year and would be very happy with 58:30.
The same pressure runs through the women’s field. Carla Gallardo owns the half marathon record at 1:08:30 and the 10K record at 31:11, and she said the build-up has been demanding. Gallardo believes she can run between 1:08 and 1:09 and wants to lower her personal best. Laura Luengo, whose best is 1:08:50, said she has not competed in a long time and feels lucky to be in Valencia; her target is simple, to stay with Gallardo for as long as she can. That kind of pairing is exactly what the meet is looking for, because the race is trying to produce more than one headline time.
There is still a gap between the ambition and the outcome. Ndikumwenayo says he is better prepared this year, but he is not alone in the chase, and Kwizera already holds the fastest mark in the field. On the same stage, Maxime Chaumeton described his half-marathon debut as a chance to reach the podium, Tadese Worku returned after finishing 4th in 2022 and 12th in 2023, and Tsigie Gebreselama came back to Valencia after winning in Lisbon in 2025 and 2026. Juan Botella framed it as a handover to a new generation. If Sunday delivers what these athletes are promising, Valencia will not just host a fast race. It will add another layer to a city that keeps asking runners to go after records instead of settling for place.
