In Valencia, Spain

As the dust settles on an epic Valencia Marathon, the continuation of Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s remarkable string of performances cannot go unnoticed. 

Bekele, 41, just nine years shy of a half century, finished right outside the podium in fourth place with a time of two hours, four minutes and 19 second behind the top three, Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma (2:01:48) Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso (2:03:11) and another Ethiopian Dawit Wolde (2:03:48).

Running under 2:05 at over 40 years old is a testament to his incredible talent, dedication and enduring athleticism.

His accomplishment will likely be remembered as a significant milestone in marathon running, inspiring both seasoned athletes and aspiring runners to push their limits and strive for excellence regardless of age.

In a post-race interview, Bekele, who is also a five-time Olympic track champion, said he hopes the federation will select him to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics where he will be glad to run against Kenya’s and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge. 

New course record holder

It was evident that journalists present were interested with the athletics legend and were not even paying attention to the new course record holder Lemma who improved on Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum’s mark from last year. Lemma took off from the leading pack with seven kilometres to go with Kenya’s Mutiso second after a spirited fight.

Both Bekele and Kipchoge have had illustrious careers, dominating the track and later transitioning to excel in marathon running.

“Kipchoge has always inspired me and after meeting him in 2003 in the 5,000 metres during the World Championships in Paris, he has been a great friend and his running in the marathon has really inspired me. 

“I hope I will get a chance to compete with him at the Olympic Games which might be my last one before I retire and it will be an interesting and rich history in sport because sports is a unifying factor,” said Bekele.

He said that he pushed his limits and managed to get incredible results praising the Valencia Marathon course where he said that it is possible to get a world record if an athlete prepares well.

“Of all the courses I have competed in, this is the best I ran today (Sunday) and I’m confident that if an athlete prepares well and runs in such a course, definitely, he or she will clock a world record.

“On my part, I think my preparations were 75 percent and I’m happy with my results and as I head back home, I’m thinking of doing another marathon as I wait for the Olympic Games if I will be given a chance to represent my country,” said Bekele.

The Valencia Marathon known for its fast course attracted up to 33,000 participants.