This Will Be The Race Of The Year

Valencia just dropped its elite headliners for the December 2026 marathon, and it might be the biggest race of the year. Thomas Watson and Jessy Carveth break down why Valencia, not a World Marathon Major, has become the sport's premier speed showcase, built around a €1 million bonus for anyone who breaks the world record.

On the men's side, Yomif Kejelcha (runner-up to Sebastian Sawe's sub-2 in London) is set for a showdown with defending champion John Korir, fresh off his Boston course record. Alexander Mutiso and Dawit Wolde lurk as dark horses. On the women's side, all eyes are on Fotyen Tesfay, who ran the second-fastest marathon in history (2:10:51) in her Barcelona debut, and defending champ Joyciline Jepkosgei.

Thomas and Jessy dig into the tech arms race (super shoes, lactate gels), why organizer Juan Roig (the billionaire behind Mercadona) has built Valencia around pure speed instead of major-marathon spectacle, and why Nike's biggest names are notably absent from the field. Plus: quick-fire predictions, and Thomas reveals he's got his own bib for race day.

The Valencia Marathon takes place December 6, 2026.

Chapters:
00:00 Why Valencia could be the race of 2026
00:50 Valencia announces its elite headliners
02:25 Setting up a Kejelcha vs. Korir showdown
04:08 Two near-misses with marathon history
05:15 How Kejelcha is building toward December
06:17 Super shoes, lactate gels and the tech arms race
07:28 Dark horse alert: Alexander Mutiso
08:16 The women's field: Fotyen Tesfay chases the world record
09:41 Wiping the slate clean on a tainted world record
10:37 Why Valencia isn't chasing World Major status
11:34 Juan Roig's €1M bonus and his dream for the city
12:16 Meet Juan Roig, the "Sam Walton of Spain"
13:57 Pure racing over spectacle — and a new ballot system
16:30 Quick-fire predictions: the men's race
17:25 Quick-fire predictions: the women's race
18:21 Will more big names join before the October field release?
19:01 Nike's curious absence from the elite list
20:03 Thomas's own Valencia bib, and closing thoughts

Jessy's Interview:
marathonhandbook.com/inside-the-two-year-courtship-that-brought-yomif-kejelcha-to-the-valencia-marathon