Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo will face world medallists when she takes part in the Valencia half marathon as the World Athletics Elite Label gets underway on Sunday, October 22, 2023.

Gotytom Gebreslase and Germany’s Melat Kejeta are Chelimo’s main rivals. Gebreslase won the 2022 World Marathon title in a personal best of 2:18:11 and took silver over the same distance at this year’s World Championships in Budapest.

Going into the Valencia competition, the Ethiopian will hope to improve upon the personal best of 1:05:36 that she set in Manama.

Chelimo’s season so far

On the other hand, Chelimo is heading to Valencia with a personal best of 8:21.53 for 3000m and 14:23.67 for 5000m, and took world silver over the latter distance in 2019. She won a 10,000m bronze last year before another medal at the World Road Running Championships in Riga in October.

It was in Valencia that Chelimo set her 10km PB of 29:50, and her personal best for that distance was 1:05:26.

Both Chelimo and Gebreslase will have to be on top form given the presence of Kejeta, who is the fastest woman in the field after posting 1:05:18, which is her personal best she clocked at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, where she won silver.

Kejeta returned to action this year after a maternity leave last year and went on to finish 11th in the marathon at the World Championships.

Chelimo’s teammate

Chelimo will have the company of Irene Cheptai, who placed sixth in the 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics before setting a half marathon personal best of 1L05:53 to win in Copenhagen.

Ethiopia will have three more contestants: Ftaw Zeray, Nigsti Haftu, and Tigist Gezahagn. Zeray, who placed sixth at the World Road Running Championships, has a personal best of 1:06:04, which was set this year in Ras Al Khaimah. Haftu boasts a personal best of 1:06:17 in Valencia in 2022.

The African representatives will face Britain’s Samantha Harrison, who set a half-marathon personal best of 1:07:17 earlier this year.

The Briton then finished ninth at the World Road Running Championships.

According to World Athletics, more than 100 nationalities will be represented in the mass race of 22,000 competitors.