Valencia Marathon
Sunday, December 6, 2026 · Valencia, Spain · 8:15 AM first wave, 9 waves 10 minutes apart until 9:35 AM
Updated Oct 17, 2026
Offers the biggest single performance bonus in the sport: €1,000,000 for a world record. Exceptionally flat layout attracting phenomenally deep elite fields. Course record dropped consecutively in 2020, 2022, 2023.
Valencia Marathon course and distance
The Valencia Marathon is 26.2 miles (42.195 km).
Is the Valencia Marathon hard?
No, not as marathon courses go. The Valencia Marathon scores 1.4/10 on the Kenyan Running Difficulty Index, the 3rd easiest of the 12 marathons we rate.
The median race-day temperature is 15°C (59°F).
The score is built from four factors: hills, race-day weather, turns and bridges, and the late miles where a runner is most likely to lose time. See the score breakdown.
Pacing the Valencia Marathon
Training for the Valencia Marathon?
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The score breakdown
The Kenyan Running Difficulty Index combines four weighted factors. The heaviest weight (35%) is on Tactical Brutality. That is what a Kenyan coach watches first: where the field actually blows up.
- €1M WR bonus drives Elite Field Index up despite smaller current purse than WMMs.
Score confidence: preliminary. Computed from public course, weather, and prize data.
Course profile
- Elevation gain
- —
- Elevation loss
- —
- Surface
- paved smooth
- Late-stage climbs (after mile 18)
- None.
- Profile notes
- Exceptionally flat across all splits; exact elevation gain/loss not published.
Race day
- Date
- Sunday, December 6, 2026
- Start time
- 8:15 AM first wave, 9 waves 10 minutes apart until 9:35 AM
- Maximum field (bibs)
- 36,000
- Time limit
- 5:30:00, with a cutoff at km 25 at 12:57 PM
- Aid stations
- 9 refreshment points with Aquabona water and Aquarius sports drink, plus 3 Enervit gel points (with and without caffeine).
Weather (historical)
- Median temp
- 15°C
- Temp range
- 11°C to 22°C
- Humidity
- 71%
- Wind
- ~7 mph west
Prize money
- Total purse
- Up to ~$455K (heavily dependent on finish times; €417K original)
- Winner
- $82.5K
- Course record bonus
- $33K
- World record bonus
- $1.1M
- Time bonuses
- €75,000 winner's prize is conditional on sub-2:04:30 (M) / 2:20:00 (W). €25,000 bonus for Spanish national record.
- Notes
- World record bonus of €1,000,000 is the largest in marathon running.
Course records
Recent winners
Top East African winners (Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda) across the last 10 verified editions: 10 men, 10 women.
| Year | Men's winner | Time | Women's winner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | John Korir (KEN) | 2:02:24 | Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) | 2:14:00 |
| 2024 | Sabastian Sawe (KEN) | 2:02:05 | Alemu Megertu (ETH) | 2:16:49 |
| 2023 | Sisay Lemma (ETH) | 2:01:48 | Worknesh Degefa (ETH) | 2:15:51 |
| 2022 | Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) | 2:01:53 | Amane Beriso (ETH) | 2:14:58 |
| 2021 | Lawrence Cherono (KEN) | 2:05:11 | Nancy Jelagat (KEN) | 2:19:30 |
| 2020 | Evans Chebet (KEN) | 2:03:00 | Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) | 2:17:16 |
| 2019 | Kinde Atanaw (ETH) | 2:03:51 | Roza Dereje (ETH) | 2:18:30 |
| 2018 | Leul Gebresilase (ETH) | 2:04:31 | Ashete Bekere (ETH) | 2:21:14 |
| 2017 | Sammy Kitwara (KEN) | 2:05:15 | Aberu Zennebe (ETH) | 2:26:17 |
| 2016 | Victor Kipchirchir (KEN) | 2:07:36 | Valary Aiyabei (KEN) | 2:24:46 |
Training for Valencia Marathon?
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