The elite of the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024: new names in search of new records

40 men and women will be the elite list of Barcelona’s half-marathon next 11th of February.

The elite of theeDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 share the same arguments for having chosen Barcelona’s half-marathon to try to achieve new challenges next Sunday: coming to Barcelona means enjoying the city and running on a Gold Label circuit, an international reference and very fast, ideal for achieving new records.

After the Kenyans Charles Kipkkurui Langat and Irine Jepchumba set the best male (58:53′) and female (01:04:37h) times of the race respectively in 2023, for the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 there will be new names that will try to beat these times. 40 men and women will be on the confirmed elite list for the 11th of February.

In the men’s field, the favorite to win will be Kenyan athlete Kibiwott Kandie, who holds the second best half-marathon time in the world (57:32′) and who has won the 2020, 2022 and 2023 editions of the Valencia’s half-marathon. “My goal is to win the race. I have just come from preparing in Xiamen (China) this January and I hope that the changes to the course this year will favor me”, explains Kandie. Four other Kenyan athletes are also in contention for the podium, all with sub-one-hour times.

Kandie’s direct competitor will be his compatriot Philemon Kiplimo, with a fifth position and personal best of 58:11′ in Valencia Half-Marathon 2020, who will also participate in the Zurich Marató Barcelona 2024 and who was seventh in the 10K of Valencia (27:44′) last 14th of January. He will be closely followed by his compatriots Mathew Kimeli, with a personal best time of 58:43′ in the Valencia’s Half Marathon 2021 and who finished in 59 minutes in 2023; Hillary Kipkoech, ninth in the last edition of the Valencian half-marathon, where he achieved his best time in this distance (59:22′) and ran as a pacer for the winners until kilometre 31; and Peter Mwaniki, third in the Valencia’s 10K in January (26:59′), who is in very good form and could be a surprise. It is also worth mentioning the participation of the Swedish Andreas Almgren, who also set a national record in the 10K in Valencia this January (27:20′) and who is now coming to the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks 2024 to try to beat the Swedish national record in half-marathon.

Otherwise, in the women’s category, there will be an athlete who will be fighting to get back on the podium, but this time she will be aiming for the top step: Joyciline Jepkosgei. This athlete, also from Kenya, was second in the Barcelona’s Half Marathon in 2023 (01:04:46h), held the 10km road world record with 29:45′ between September 2017 and October 2021, was the worldwide half-marathon runner-up in 2018 at Valencia and winner of the New York Marathon in 2019. “I am very happy to be back in this wonderful race. This year I feel ready to win“, commented the athlete.

Jepkosgei’s greatest rivals, with whom the favorite for the victory will share the pacer, will be the Kenyan Gladys Chepkurui, fourth in Barcelona’s Half Marathon of 2023 (01:05:46h) and the Ethiopian Senbere Teferi, winner of Valencia’s Half Marathon in 2019 (01:05:32h). In Europe, it is also worth mentioning the presence of the British Jessica Warner-Judd, who will prepare in Barcelona for her participation in 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where she will compete in the 10,000m race.