<p>For members of the Athlete Refugee Team, each step they make, whether physical or symbolic, is a big one. The one that Paulo Amotun Lokoro and Ukuk Utho'o Bul are about to take this weekend is so big it leaves them both nearly doubling over in laughter.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Yes, it&rsquo;s a big difference,&rdquo; Amotun said, still smiling ear-to-ear after being reminded of just how far he&rsquo;ll be racing when the gun sounds the start of <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong>. &ldquo;But it is good. For me, I feel okay. I feel happy. Slowly I&rsquo;m training for longer events. I like it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>With appearances at the Olympic Games in 2016 and the IAAF World Relays and Asian Indoors Games under his belt, Amotun is the better tested of the pair. Bul, at 25 one year his junior, is making his second ART appearance after a notable debut at the Asian Indoor Games last September where he qualified for the 3000m final and ultimately finished seventh. That pair of 3000m contest, combined with Amotun&rsquo;s two 1500m races and a leg in the 4x800m relay, total less than half of the distance they&rsquo;ll each be expected to cover on Saturday.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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Athlete Refugee Team member Paulo Amotun Lokoro in Valencia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Bul shared the laugh, but also the enthusiasm.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s also my first time to participate in a half marathon,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This time I&rsquo;m glad to try something different, something farther, to see how it feels. I&rsquo;ll try my best, but I can&rsquo;t promise how fast I will run.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Late hour call-up</h3>
<p>Their light-hearted response doesn&rsquo;t mean they&rsquo;re not taking their appearance or team selection lightly. Amotun and Bul had initially been selected for the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham but couldn&rsquo;t travel there. So they were called up for Valencia, together with the camp&rsquo;s marathon/half marathon specialist, who ultimately couldn&rsquo;t travel to Spain.</p>
<p>&ldquo;To be able to participate here, we are so happy,&rdquo; Bul said. &ldquo;We have been preparing, so at least we can try.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Amotun has run some local road races in Kenya, 10-k and longer he said, but nothing approaching this level. "In Kenya we have local races, the same as this one, but local. But this one is big, international. They are all world class runners that are here. It is a big, big challenge for us."</p>
<p>Bul said they have put in some recent longer training runs, one as long as 18 kilometres, so he has some idea of what he&rsquo;s up against. &ldquo;So I will try. I want to finish the game.&rdquo;</p>
<p>That&rsquo;s how Bul describes any athletic endeavor, whether he&rsquo;s talking about football, taekwondo, or running. He refers to them all as games, perhaps since he&rsquo;s spent so much of his life running, if not racing.</p>
<h3>Bul's opportunity, after 12 years at the Kakuma refugee camp</h3>
<p>Like Amotun, <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/news/feature/athlete-refugee-team-2017-world-relays"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">whose story has become a familiar one</span></a> since his appearance on the global stage in the lead-in the Rio Games, Bul was 12 when he fled the conflict in South Sudan. But unlike his teammate, he hasn&rsquo;t seen his immediate family since. That was in 2005.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Even now I don&rsquo;t where they are,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I only know that they are in South Sudan, but I don&rsquo;t know the place.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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Athlete Refugee Team member Ukuk Utho'o Bul in Valencia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Unaccompanied, he made his way to a UN-run refugee camp in the northwestern Kenyan town of Kakuma where he hoped to find a cousin. Many who wind up in the Kakuma camp, presently home to a displaced population of more than 180,000, become long-term refugees, Bul, and the cousin with whom he was reunited, among them. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months into years. Then came his break, in the unanticipated but simple form of a footrace.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I was in school in Kakuma and played sports, football mostly, just to pass the time,&rdquo; he recounted, admitting to no perceived talent, imagined or real, for running. &ldquo;Then some races took place and I participated there. They said that the best people will be taken somewhere to train and to represent the refugee team. And I was among them.&rdquo;</p>
<p>That was in 2015, nearly 12 years after he arrived at the camp. He&rsquo;s been based at the Tegla Loroupe Training Camp for Athlete Refugees in Ngong, about 30 kilometres west of Nairobi, since.</p>
<h3>At Loroupe&rsquo;s camp, balancing athletics amibitions with educational aspirations</h3>
<p>That&rsquo;s where the work began. Bul also admits that he and his colleagues knew nothing about running but found the inspiration to learn and train simply because they were selected.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We wanted to show that refugees had the talent like other people had.&rdquo; Kindness helped too.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Madame Tegla,&rdquo; Bul said of Loroupe, the marathon legend, &ldquo;she is so lovely to us, she is so encouraging, teaching us that we can all be somebody.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Some of us went on to compete: In the Olympics, in the Bahamas, in London, in Ashgabat. This is the thing now that gives us hope. So from nowhere we are here now.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Loroupe, a three-time world champion in the half marathon, is accompanying the pair as the Athlete Refugee Team&rsquo;s team leader.</p>
<p>In 2014 the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation was given a US$20,000 grant through the IAAF Athletics for a Better World programme to help make the idea of a refugee team possible.</p>
<p>Then from 2017, athletes from the Athlete Refugee Team have been invited to all IAAF events, with the travel and accommodation for the athletes and officials covered by the IAAF.</p>
<p>At the Loroupe camp, the two are part of a group of 30 whose lives now rarely travel along divergent paths.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We live together, we train together, we eat together, go to school together, everything,&rdquo; Amotun said. They&rsquo;re roommates too, in a room of four.</p>
<p>They train twice a day five or six days a week, breaking up their workout sessions with sessions hitting the books.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWorldAthleticsClub%2Fvideos%2F1634255439956620%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=500" width="500" height="288" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>&ldquo;We wake up early in the morning to go to training so that after training we come back and prepare for school. All of us, we are in high school. So we go back home, get dressed, take tea and go to school.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The most difficult part of their lives, Amotun said, isn&rsquo;t the physical demands of their training but rather managing the balance between their athletic and educational aspirations. &ldquo;That is harder than the training, trying to find balance between running and school.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Their Valencia strategy</h3>
<p>Their strategy for Saturday is twofold: to run together and finish.</p>
<p>"We are just going to try our best. If they run faster than us, we'll follow them. We hope only to finish,&rdquo; Amotun said. Then Bul chimed in.</p>
<p>&ldquo;To finish, to get a feeling for the distance. So then next time, once we have that feeling, we'll be able to say, 'we will do this, this, this and this.' This time, we just plan to finish the game."</p>
<p>While they&rsquo;re not at the same level as the runners who&rsquo;ll be fighting for podium spots, their recent competitive experiences have boosted their confidence. They&rsquo;re neither star-struck nor intimidated by the athletes who they&rsquo;ll be facing this weekend.</p>
<p>"We're not afraid of them,&rdquo; Bul said. &ldquo;They are athletes and we are athletes. We know what an athlete is. If one is faster than me this time, it's no problem. He is still an athlete just like me. It is his time today. But maybe next time it will be my time.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Bob Ramsak for the IAAF</strong>&nbsp;</p>

For members of the Athlete Refugee Team, each step they make, whether physical or symbolic, is a big one. The one that Paulo Amotun Lokoro and Ukuk Utho'o Bul are about to take this weekend is so big it leaves them both nearly doubling over in laughter.

Next stop for Athlete Refugee Team: Valencia and their World Half Marathon Championships debut

<p>The focus of attention on Saturday will be on the runners competing at the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> but a day before the biennial spectacular, the men and women involved in the organisation of road running events around the world gathered in the Spanish city for the 2<sup>nd</sup> IAAF Global Road Running Seminar.</p>
<p>Following on from the success of the first such seminar in Cardiff two years ago, ahead of the last edition of the World Half Marathon Championships, the one-day event in Valencia adopted the theme &lsquo;Cool Runnings: fast, first and funded&rsquo;.</p>
<p>With an array of speakers from IAAF Label Gold Label road races and many other stakeholders from the world of road running among almost 200 delegates, the seminar addressed four main areas of interest: commercial aspects of road running, integrity, TV production and distribution, communications and elite athletes.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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IAAF Road Running Commission Chairman Carlo Capalbo at the IAAF Road Running Seminar in Valencia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>IAAF President Sebastian Coe outlined the importance of the seminar and road running&rsquo;s pivotal place in terms of the federation&rsquo;s activities and within sport generally.</p>
<p>&ldquo;More people on this planet run than do anything else. They don&rsquo;t buy horses or expensive yachts, they run,&rdquo; commented Coe.</p>
<h3>Challenging times</h3>
<p>&ldquo;Running has the lowest threshold of entry, the vast majority of us can run. The challenge we have as a federation (the IAAF) is how do we embrace that? We should be open to ideas.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Does the woman that is running marathon in five-and-a-half hours think that they have anything to do with our sport?&rdquo; Coe provocatively asked the audience.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Some do, and some don't but the challenge we have is to genuinely engage the masses. What is it that makes people want to run and what makes people want to run your events?</p>
<p>&ldquo;We started the ball running in 2013 when we staged the IAAF Global Cross Country Seminar after the European Cross Country Championships that December in Belgrade and I want to see these sort of events (seminars) enshrined in our major events.&rdquo;</p>
<p>A focal point of the first session, which was orientated around providing ideas and a framework relating to improving the business models of road running events, was a panel discussion involving some of the most influential and informed people in the world of running.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWorldAthleticsClub%2Fvideos%2F1633839433331554%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>&ldquo;Show me the money&rdquo;</h3>
<p>Nick Bitel (CEO Virgin Money London Marathon), Carlo Capalbo (President of RunCzech / Chairman of the IAAF Road Running Commission), Olivier Gers (CEO IAAF), Tad Hayano (Race Director Tokyo Marathon / member of the IAAF Road Running Commission), Valentijn Trouw (Global Sports Communication), Elana Van Zyl Meyer (Sanlam Cape Town Marathon / Ambassador for the Peace and Sport Foundation and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation) all contributed their views to how to improve the commercial income for road running.</p>
<p>The second session addressed integrity and saw a keynote speech from Brent Clothier of the independent Athletics Integrity Unit, who described the organisation&rsquo;s aims and objectives and how they operated with respect to road running.</p>
<p>&ldquo;And it&rsquo;s not just doping, we get intelligence and investigate corruption and gambling,&rdquo; Clothier reminded the delegates.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We are working very hard at finding out what is happening in countries like Kenya and Ethiopia and investigating any wrong doing. Of our testing programme, I am proud of what we have and believe it&rsquo;s the best in international sport.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Tom Grilk, CEO of the Boston Marathon, concluded the session by giving the philosophical and ethical reasoning about why integrity should matter to road race organisers.</p>
<h3>Time to improve TV</h3>
<p>TV coverage dominated the day&rsquo;s discussions and presentations and at no time more so than at the start of the third session when the well-known TV commentator Tim Hutchings stood up to provide what he termed a &ldquo;constructively critical analysis of how many races can do better with their TV production.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Too much time spent showing heads bouncing up and down, separate start times that seem almost deliberately designed to have races finish together and so depriving the audiences of the best coverage, advertisement breaks at crucial points in the race &ndash; don&rsquo;t have them for two-and-a-half minutes &ndash; and relatively meaningless interviews. Moments are missed too often, don&rsquo;t go back to the studio for a chat with a guest in the final part of the race,&rdquo; listed Hutchings, reviewing his frustrations with the TV coverage of many races.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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TV commentator Tim Hutchings at the IAAF Road Running Seminar in Valencia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;To be honest, road running in many cases has hardly moved on in terms of what appears on screen in 25 years,&rdquo; he added.</p>
<p>Bitel then returned to the stage to give a case study of how the Virgin London Marathon coordinates its TV coverage in conjunction with its rights holder and how the stories that emanate from the race grab the headlines and spotlight in a variety of media.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We learn from other sports and the arts, we learn from all sorts of sources, we never stop learning,&rdquo; concluded Bitel.</p>
<p>The last of the session saw another panel discussion, this time with road running guru Jeff Darman, TCS New York City Marathon elite athlete coordinator David Monti, Chinese race organisers Karen Lin and Paul Yang, road events consultant Rodolfo Eichler and IAAF Road Running Commission member and former international athlete Sonia O&rsquo;Sullivan.</p>
<p>Among other topics, the members expanded on road running perspectives in the USA, China and South America.</p>
<p>The closing address came from Michael Crawley of the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh, who talked in depth about Ethiopian distance runners.</p>
<p><strong>Phil Minshull for the IAAF</strong></p>

The focus of attention on Saturday will be on the runners competing at the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 but a day before the biennial spectacular, the men and women involved in the organisation of road running events around the world gathered in the Spanish city for the 2nd IAAF Global Road Running Seminar.

Road running under the microscope at 2nd IAAF Global Road Running Seminar

<p>The start list for the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> on 24 March are now available.&nbsp;A record 288 athletes --160 men and 122 women-- from 82 countries have entered.</p>
<p>Download the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/downloadresultinfo?filename=92409bdb-217e-4282-9acf-baf4a1597198.pdf&amp;urlSlug=mens-start-list">men's here</a></strong></span> and the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/downloadresultinfo?filename=67920909-2b19-4b93-8579-0eb840c2ffab.pdf&amp;urlSlug=womens-start-list">women's here</a></strong></span>.</p>
<p>You can also download the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/downloadresultinfo?filename=53f99183-f9c0-4826-b87a-577b666457cf.pdf&amp;urlSlug=mens-biographies">men's</a></strong></span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/downloadresultinfo?filename=7f435973-ffeb-4e6c-9801-64b849a8d758.pdf&amp;urlSlug=womens-biographies">women's</a></strong></span> athlete biographies.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/timetable/byday"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Timetable</strong></span></a>&nbsp;-</p>
<div>Women's race: 17:05</div>
<div>Men's race: 17:30</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>IAAF</strong></div>

The start list for the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 on 24 March are now available.

Start lists available - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p>Welcome to our comprehensive lead-in coverage to the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong>, the 23rd edition of these championships set for tomorrow, 24 March.</p>
<p>This page will be updated regularly throughout the day today and right up until race time tomorrow --that's 17:05 local (GMT+1) for the start of the women's race-- incorporating news gathered from our correspondents on the ground in Valencia and from IAAF, local organisers' and athletes' social media channels.</p>
<p>In short, a one-stop shop for all things Valencia 2018.</p>
<p>To get up to speed, first check out main <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/preview/men/half-marathon"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>men's</strong></span></a> and <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/preview/women/half-marathon"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>women's</strong></span></a> race previews and feel free to share it on social media.</p>

Welcome to our lead-in coverage for the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018.

Live updates - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p>Nearly 300 athletes have descended upon the central Mediterranean coast of Spain for the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong>, which get underway at 17:05 CET on Saturday 24 March.</p>
<p>A record 288* athletes --160 men and 122 women-- from 82 countries have entered. Here are some of the ways you can follow all the action from the event's 23rd edition.</p>
<h3>Television</h3>
<p>As part of the IAAF's broadcasting partnerships and agreements, media rights for the championships were distributed by EBU and ESPN for Europe and Africa and Dentsu Inc. for the rest of the world. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/broadcast-intentions-per-territory-iaaftrin">Here's a list of broadcasters per territory</a></strong></span> where fans can tune in watch.</p>
<h3>Live stream</h3>
<p>Action from Valencia's fast course will also be available to watch across all the IAAF&rsquo;s continental areas via a geo-blocked live stream in one of two ways: via the IAAF's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/IAAFathletics"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>YouTube channel</strong></span></a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Facebook page</strong></span></a>. Here's <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/territories-with-access-to-live-stream-iaaf2">a complete list of those territories</a></strong></span>.</p>
<p>Fans in the UK: BBC will broadcast the races on the Red Button, connected televisions and on the BBC Sport website and app.</p>
<h3>Live action</h3>
<p>We're providing several ways to get up to speed and stay up to speed.</p>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/timetable/byday"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Timetable and results</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/live"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Live blog</strong></span></a> (active during competition sessions)</div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/radio/broadcast-schedule/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Live radio</strong></span></a> (active during competition sessions)</div>
<div>- IAAF app:&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/iaaf.org/id681225974?l=en&amp;mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Store</a></strong></span>,&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.iaaf.applications.IAAF&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Play</a></strong></span>,&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/IAAF-IAAF-org/dp/B00ECCJL66/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1393595528&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=iaaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Amazon appstore</span></a></strong><br />If you already have the app, be sure to download the latest update to benefit from all the features.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<h3>Social media</h3>
<div>-Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/iaaforg"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>@iaaforg</strong></span></a><br />- Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">IAAF World Athletics Club</span></strong></a><br />- Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iaaf_athletics/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>iaaf_athletics</strong></span></a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<h3>More coverage</h3>
<div>- Race previews: <strong><u><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/preview/men/half-marathon">men</a></u></strong> | <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/preview/women/half-marathon">women</a></strong></span></div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/report"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Race reports</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/news/feature"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Athlete features</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/multimedia"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Media gallery</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://spikes.iaaf.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Spikes</strong></span></a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<h3>Statistics</h3>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-half-marathon-cham-6023/athletes"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Profiles of entered athletes</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/7354756d-7916-427b-949a-d202be201369.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Facts and figures: IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- Half marathon world lists: <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/half-marathon/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;drop=regular&amp;fiftyPercentRule=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2018-03-22"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>all-time men</strong></span></a>, <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/half-marathon/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;drop=regular&amp;fiftyPercentRule=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2018-03-22"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>all-time women</strong></span></a> | <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/road-running/half-marathon/outdoor/men/senior/2018?regionType=world&amp;drop=regular&amp;fiftyPercentRule=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2018 men</strong></span></a>, <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/road-running/half-marathon/outdoor/women/senior/2018?regionType=world&amp;drop=regular&amp;fiftyPercentRule=regular&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2018 women</strong></span></a></div>
<div>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-half-marathon-championships/history"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Past results</strong></span></a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<p>* Figures updated at 16:30 local time.</p>
<p><strong>IAAF</strong></p>

Nearly 300 athletes have descended upon the central Mediterranean coast of Spain for the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018, which get underway at 17:05 CET on Saturday 24 March.

How to follow the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p>The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Thursday (22) welcomed an extra voluntary financial donation of US $50,000 from the Local Organising Committee of the<strong> IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> to strengthen the out-of-competition testing programme for the event to be held on Saturday 24 March.</p>
<p>This exceptional contribution from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Valencia 2018 has allowed the AIU, which is in charge of the fight against doping in athletics, to implement a robust testing programme in the lead-up to the event.</p>
<p>In addition to the doping controls conducted as part of the usual out-of-competition testing programme on the elite athletes in the IAAF Registered Testing Pool, the AIU was able to conduct more than 120 no-notice out-of-competition doping controls on athletes who will take part to the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.</p>
<p>Over the past three-months, 68 urine samples, mainly for EPO detection, and over 54 blood samples, in the context of the Athlete Biological Passport, were collected in more than 15 countries in close cooperation with National Anti-Doping Agencies.</p>
<p>A further 50 blood tests have been planned immediately prior to the event with the assistance of the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency, and 20 more urine tests will be carried out after the Races.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Athletics Integrity Unit is very appreciative of the organising committee of Valencia 2018 for this voluntary financial contribution that helped in putting together a robust anti-doping programme for these championships,&rdquo; said AIU Head, Brett Clothier.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This is the first time that an LOC of a World Championships event contributes economically, and directly, to an out-of-competition doping control programme in the lead-up to the event. Such contributions go a long way in expressing the commitment and solidarity of the organisers and event sponsors towards ensuring a level-playing field for the athletes,&rdquo; added Clothier.</p>
<p><strong>AIU for the IAAF</strong></p>

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Thursday (22) welcomed an extra voluntary financial donation of US $50,000 from the Local Organising Committee of the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 to strengthen the out-of-competition testing programme for the event to be held on Saturday 24 March.

With strong financial support from Valencia organisers, AIU set up robust anti-doping programme

<p>Fans from the following territories and countries can tune in to coverage of the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> on Saturday 24 March.</p>
<h3>Broadcasters per territory</h3>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Africa</strong></div>
<div>&nbsp;- Pan Sub-Saharan Africa: Kwese Sport 1, Kwese Sport 2, Kwese Free Sports</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Americas</strong></div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Argentina and South America (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela): TyC Sports</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama: Spring Media (Sub-Licensee - TDN)</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Brazil: Globosat</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Canada: CBC, FloSports</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Jamaica: TVJ</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pan Caribbean: "Television Jamaica (Additional Sub-Licensees - tbc)</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Pan Latin America: ESPN</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pan Latin America: ESPN International (through ESPN Latin America, ESPN Dos and ESPN Caribbean)</div>
<div>&nbsp;- USA - NBC Universal, NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Asia</strong></div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;China: CCTV&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Democratic People's Republic of Korea &amp; Republic of Korea: IB Sports</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Japan: TBS</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pan Indian Sub-Continent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka): STAR Sports India</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Europe</strong></div>
<div>&nbsp;- Balkans: Arena Sports 2</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Denmark: TV2</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Italy: RAI Sport, RAI Sport +HD</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Spain: Teledeporte</div>
<div>&nbsp;- Sweden: Sportkanalen</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Middle East</strong></div>
<div>&nbsp;- Pan Middle East (UAE): Abu Dhabi 6</div>
<div>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pan Middle East: Abu Dhabi Media</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Pacific</div>
<div>-&nbsp;New Zealand: Sky Network NZ</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Timetable</h3>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Saturday 24 March (times are local, GMT+1)</span> -<br />Women&rsquo;s race: 17:05<br />Men&rsquo;s race: 17:30<br />Please check local listings for broadcast times in your area.</p>
<p><strong>IAAF</strong></p>

Fans from the following territories and countries can tune in to coverage of the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 on Saturday 24 March.

Broadcast intentions per territory - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p>Fans from the following territories and countries will be able to watch the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> on Saturday 24 March via live stream on the IAAF's official <a href="http://www.youtube.com/IAAFathletics"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>YouTube channel</strong></span></a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Facebook page</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Territories with access:</h3>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<h4><strong>Africa</strong></h4>
<div>Algeria</div>
<div>Angola</div>
<div>Benin</div>
<div>Burkina Faso</div>
<div>Burundi</div>
<div>Cape Verde</div>
<div>Central African Republic</div>
<div>Chad</div>
<div>Comoros</div>
<div>Cote d'Ivoire</div>
<div>Democratic Republic of Congo</div>
<div>Djibouti</div>
<div>Egypt</div>
<div>Equatorial Guinea</div>
<div>Eritrea</div>
<div>Ethiopia</div>
<div>Gabon</div>
<div>Gambia</div>
<div>Guinea</div>
<div>Guinea-Bissau</div>
<div>Jordan</div>
<div>Libya</div>
<div>Madagascar</div>
<div>Mali</div>
<div>Mauritania</div>
<div>Mauritius</div>
<div>Morocco</div>
<div>Mozambique</div>
<div>Niger</div>
<div>Republic of Congo</div>
<div>Sao Tome and Principe</div>
<div>Senegal</div>
<div>Seychelles</div>
<div>Somalia</div>
<div>South Africa</div>
<div>South Sudan</div>
<div>Sudan</div>
<div>Togo</div>
<div>Tunisia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><strong>Americas</strong></h4>
<div>Anguilla</div>
<div>Antigua</div>
<div>Argentina</div>
<div>Aruba</div>
<div>Bahamas</div>
<div>Barbados</div>
<div>Barbuda</div>
<div>Belize</div>
<div>Bermuda</div>
<div>Bolivia</div>
<div>Bonaire</div>
<div>British Virgin Islands</div>
<div>Cayman Islands</div>
<div>Chile</div>
<div>Colombia</div>
<div>Costa Rica</div>
<div>Cuba</div>
<div>Curacao</div>
<div>Dominica</div>
<div>Dominican Republic</div>
<div>Ecuador</div>
<div>El Salvador</div>
<div>Falkland Islands</div>
<div>French Guiana</div>
<div>Grenada</div>
<div>Guadeloupe</div>
<div>Guatemala</div>
<div>Guyana</div>
<div>Haiti</div>
<div>Honduras</div>
<div>Jamaica</div>
<div>Martinique</div>
<div>Mexico</div>
<div>Montserrat</div>
<div>Nicaragua</div>
<div>Panama</div>
<div>Paraguay</div>
<div>Peru</div>
<div>St Barthelemy</div>
<div>St Kitts and Nevis</div>
<div>St Lucia</div>
<div>St Maarten</div>
<div>St Martin</div>
<div>St Vincent and the Grenadines</div>
<div>Surinam</div>
<div>Trinidad and Tobago</div>
<div>Turks &amp; Caicos</div>
<div>Uruguay</div>
<div>Venezuela</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><strong>Asia</strong></h4>
<div>Bangladesh</div>
<div>Bhutan</div>
<div>Brunei</div>
<div>Cambodia</div>
<div>China</div>
<div>East Timor</div>
<div>Fiji</div>
<div>Guam</div>
<div>Hong Kong</div>
<div>Indonesia</div>
<div>Laos</div>
<div>Macau</div>
<div>Malaysia</div>
<div>Maldives</div>
<div>Micronesia</div>
<div>Mongolia</div>
<div>Myanmar</div>
<div>Nepal</div>
<div>New Caledonia</div>
<div>Pakistan</div>
<div>Papa New Guinea</div>
<div>Philippines</div>
<div>Republic of Korea and DPR Korea</div>
<div>Singapore</div>
<div>Sri Lanka</div>
<div>Taiwan</div>
<div>Thailand</div>
<div>Tonga</div>
<div>Vietnam</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><strong>Australia</strong></h4>
<div>Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)</div>
<div>Australia</div>
<div>Christmas Island</div>
<div>Cocos (Keeling) Islands</div>
<div>Heard Island</div>
<div>McDonald Islands</div>
<div>Norfolk Island</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><strong>Europe</strong></h4>
<div>Albania</div>
<div>Andorra</div>
<div>Armenia</div>
<div>Ascension</div>
<div>Austria</div>
<div>Azerbaijan</div>
<div>Belgium</div>
<div>Bulgaria</div>
<div>Cyprus</div>
<div>Czech Republic</div>
<div>Georgia</div>
<div>Germany</div>
<div>Ireland</div>
<div>Israel</div>
<div>Kazakhstan</div>
<div>Kyrgyzstan</div>
<div>Latvia</div>
<div>Lebanon</div>
<div>Liechtenstein</div>
<div>Lithuania</div>
<div>Luxembourg</div>
<div>Malta</div>
<div>Moldova</div>
<div>Netherlands</div>
<div>Romania</div>
<div>Slovakia</div>
<div>Socotra</div>
<div>St. Helena</div>
<div>Switzerland</div>
<div>Tajikistan</div>
<div>Turkey</div>
<div>Turkmenistan</div>
<div>Ukraine</div>
<div>Uzbekistan</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<p><strong>IAAF</strong></p>

Fans from the following territories and countries will be able to watch the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 on Saturday 24 March via live stream on the IAAF's official Facebook page.

Territories with access to live stream - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p>A total prize purse of US$245,000 is on offer at the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong> on Saturday 24 March.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Prize money (all amounts are in US$):</span><br />Individual<br />1st &ndash; 30,000<br />2nd &ndash; 15,000<br />3rd &ndash; 10,000<br />4th &ndash; 7000<br />5th &ndash; 5000<br />6th &ndash; 3000</p>
<p>Teams<br />1st &ndash; 15,000<br />2nd &ndash; 12,000<br />3rd &ndash; 9000<br />4th &ndash; 7500<br />5th &ndash; 6000<br />6th &ndash; 3000</p>
<h3>World record bonus</h3>
<p>An athlete who surpasses a world record in Valencia will be awarded a US$50,000 bonus by the IAAF.</p>
<div>The current ratified world records are:</div>
<div><strong>Men</strong>: Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 58:23<br /><strong>Women (single-sex race)</strong>: Lornah Kiplagat (NED) 1:06:25</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<p>The payment of all prize money is dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures.</p>
<h3>Previews published</h3>
<p>Previews of both the <a href="https://goo.gl/jp8aTZ"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>men's</strong></span></a> and <a href="https://goo.gl/q1i8Dn"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>women's</strong></span></a> races are now published. The statistical reference, 'IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018', compiled by noted statistician Mark Butler, is also available (<a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/downloadresultinfo?filename=7354756d-7916-427b-949a-d202be201369.pdf&amp;urlSlug=facts-figures-iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-ha"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>download</strong></span></a> | <a href="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/7354756d-7916-427b-949a-d202be201369.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>read</strong></span></a>).</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Timetable</span>:<br />Saturday 24 March (times are local, GMT+1)<br />Women&rsquo;s race: 17:05<br />Men&rsquo;s race: 17:30</p>
<p><strong>IAAF</strong></p>

A total prize purse of US$245,000 is on offer at the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 on Saturday 24 March.

$245,000 in prize money up for grabs in Valencia, previews published

<p>Geoffrey Kamworor may not be the fastest man in the field for the 23<sup>rd</sup> edition of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships but the two-time defending champion will certainly start as favourite on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Kenyan&rsquo;s margin of victory alone at the last two world half marathon championships &ndash; 13 seconds in 2014 when he won in 59:08 and then a massive 26 seconds two years ago when he crossed the line just two seconds slower than his 2014 mark &ndash; would have afforded him that status anyway but his form in recent months has reinforced the impression that he will be the man to beat.</p>
<p>After finishing sixth in the stunningly high-quality IAAF World Championships London 2017 10,000m last summer, he notched up a win at the New York City Marathon in November and in the last few weeks has sharpened up on home soil with two very good cross country wins including taking his national title in 28:32.</p>
<p>On the fast Valencia course, with almost perfect racing conditions predicted for the late Saturday afternoon start time with a temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius expected, and maybe some light rain, the two most pertinent questions are: can Kamworor add to his streak of winning a world title every year since 2014 &ndash; alternating between winning the world half marathon championships and world cross country championships &ndash; and can he improve on his five-year-old half marathon best of 58:54?</p>
<p>"The focus will be on me as usual. However, I have trained well and hope to travel to Spain without any concerns. I feel no pressure and will be running my own race," he told Kenyan media earlier this week.</p>
<p>With Kenya having won the team title on 15 of the previous 22 occasions this championship has been contested, it&rsquo;s no surprise that most of the main challengers to Kamworor on paper look as though they are going to come from his own team.</p>
<h3>Okombo the young pretender</h3>
<p>Jorum Okombo turned only 20 in December but has already run three races in under one hour in little more than the last six months.</p>
<p>He clocked a best of 58:48 when finishing second in the Copenhagen Half Marathon in September and more recently ran 59:36 to finish fourth in the RAK Half Marathon last month.</p>
<p>However, having run four quick half marathons since September, it is reasonable to ask how much Okombo will have left in his legs on his debut in a Kenyan vest.</p>
<p>The other three men in the Kenyan team &ndash; Alex Oloitiptip, Barselius Kipyego and 2017 world cross country championships silver medallist Leonard Barsoton &ndash; also all have career bests well under one hour.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="59bd97c567e8ee12d80966d2" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/77b4464e-bb0e-4d80-b6af-3d4adde073f3.png');">&nbsp;</div>
Barselius Kipyego wins the Usti nad Labem Half Marathon</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Oloitiptip impressed when finishing third in Copenhagen in September with a personal best of 58:51 but his two half marathon outings so far in 2018 have been much more modest.</p>
<p>Barsoton was two places behind his compatriot in the Danish capital in a best of 59:28 but, perhaps, the man who could be poised to make his mark in Valencia from this trio is Kipyego, who won the Usti Nad Labem Half Marathon in a personal best of 59:14 in September.</p>
<p>Other countries will inevitably feature although none have the strength in depth of Kenya.</p>
<h3>Cheroben has local knowledge</h3>
<p>The fastest man in Valencia will be Bahrain&rsquo;s Abraham Cheroben, who won in Copenhagen in an Asian Area Record and 2017 world-leading time of 58:40, which moved him up to third on the world all-time list for the distance.</p>
<p>Cheroben&rsquo;s international championship record is modest, highlighted by a 10<sup>th</sup> place in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games 10,000m, but he won at the 2017 Medio Maraton Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP in 59:11, an IAAF Gold Label road race and just a month after his victory in Copenhagen, and he will bring with him the advantage of knowing a lot about the championships&rsquo; host city and course.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="59beacae67e8ee0fe44065ab" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/674ae1e9-6faf-41c0-8981-4e664e17b37c.png');">&nbsp;</div>
Abraham Cheroben winning the Copenhagen Half Marathon</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He also won in Valencia in 2014 and 2015, setting the present course record of 58:48 at the former race, and although the course has been modified for these championships there will still be many landmarks that he will recognise and, in turn, Cheroben will be recognised and get plenty of cheers from the local running aficionados.</p>
<p>Ethiopia&rsquo;s Jemal Yimer, just 21, broke through to international recognition in 2017 helped by finishing fourth at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and then fifth &ndash; one place in front of Kamworor &ndash; in the IAAF World Championships 10,000m.</p>
<p>Yimer has continued his upward trajectory in the first few months of 2018 with an excellent second place at the RAK Half Marathon in 59:00.</p>
<p>On this occasion, Ethiopia have sent a relatively weak team in terms of depth but in Yimer and his compatriot Leul Gebresilasie &ndash; who was second in Valencia behind Cheroben in a personal best of 59:18 last October and then followed it up with a stunning marathon debut in 2:04:02 in Dubai two months ago &ndash; they have two men who should be part of the battle for individual medals.</p>
<p>No less than 12 men are entered with career bests under one hour.</p>
<p>Among them, and leading the North American challenge, will be the USA&rsquo;s Leonard Korir, who ran a personal best of 59:52 from the Delhi Half Marathon in November and who is undefeated in his three outings in 2018, while the top man from the old continent is Turkey&rsquo;s 2017 European cross country champion Kaan Kigen Ozbilen, who has a best of 59:58.</p>
<p><strong>Phil Minshull for the IAAF</strong></p>

Geoffrey Kamworor may not be the fastest man in the field for the 23rd edition of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships but the two-time defending champion will certainly start as favourite on Saturday.

Preview: men’s race - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p><br />Joyciline Jepkosgei will return to racing in Valencia on Saturday with fond memories of her last visit to Spain&rsquo;s third-largest city.</p>
<p>On that occasion, on 22 October last year, the Kenyan runner improved her own world record set in Prague back in April by one second when she crossed the line at the 2017 Medio Maraton Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP, an IAAF Gold Label road race, in 1:04:51.</p>
<p>If Jepkosgei was to go into new territory over the distance at the <strong>IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong>, for the third time in less than 12 months, it would not be the first time a world record has been set at these championships.</p>
<p>The Netherlands&rsquo; Lornah Kiplagat won the 2007 title in 1:06:25, still the world record for a women-only race. Kiplagat had also won the previous year when the event was contested for the only time over 20km in a world record for that distance of 1:03:21.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="59ec5d4774ff7b12806e8d15" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/cb0053b3-8f5c-4bb7-89ad-32ba4f731fc7.png');">&nbsp;</div>
Joyciline Jepkosgei breaks the world half marathon record in Valencia</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>However, it is a mark of how much the event has evolved in the past decade that Saturday&rsquo;s winner &ndash; whether it is Jepkosgei or anyone else &ndash; is expected to run something in the region of a minute faster than Kiplagat did in 2007 on the super-fast course close to the Mediterranean.</p>
<p>Despite her credentials and such a magnificent 2017, which also included a 10km world record, it is not a foregone conclusion that Jepkosgei will take her first world title. She showed she was far from invincible when she could only finish fifth at the RAK Half Marathon last month.</p>
<p>With the late-hour withdrawals of Fancy Chemutai and Mary Wacera, the Kenyan team is completed by 2017 Istanbul Half Marathon winner Ruth Chepngetich and Pauline Kamulu.</p>
<p>Netsanet Gudeta was Ethiopia&rsquo;s leading finisher in 2014 and 2016, finishing sixth and fourth respectively, and on both occasions led her country to team silver medals. She cannot be discounted from medal consideration, especially after her most recent half marathon outing, in Delhi last November, resulted in a personal best of 1:07:26.</p>
<h3>Chumba targets Bahrain&rsquo;s first medal</h3>
<p>After Kenya achieved a sweep of the individual women&rsquo;s medals in 2014 and 2016, it&rsquo;s not beyond comprehension that they might take the top three places again, but Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Chumba could possibly dent those hopes.</p>
<p>Chumba set an Asian record of 1:06:11 when winning in Copenhagen last September and will be bidding to become her country&rsquo;s first ever medallist at the championships. Her form since the start of the year, though, has been a little bit less formidable and she managed only sixth in Houston and then a relatively modest 11th at the RAK Half Marathon.<br /><br /></p>
<div id="59beac1567e8ee0fe44065aa" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/2069b04e-8ad7-417a-89a7-9a257c4a0409.png');">&nbsp;</div>
Eunice Chumba wins the Copenhagen Half Marathon</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Nevertheless, even if Chumba misses out on the individual medals, Bahrain has sent a squad with four women having run faster than 1:09:00 which suggests that they might take their first medals ever in the team competition.</p>
<p>Local Spanish star Trihas Gebre is the fastest European in the field. With a personal best of 1:09:57, Gebre is one of 14 women entered who have run faster than 70 minutes but even some of these runners could find themselves more than a kilometre down the road at the finish if Jepkosgei and her compatriots live up to their billing and challenge Kiplagat&rsquo;s championship and women-only race world record.</p>
<p><strong>Phil Minshull for the IAAF</strong></p>

Joyciline Jepkosgei will return to racing in Valencia on Saturday with fond memories of her last visit to Spain’s third-largest city.

Preview: women’s race - IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018

<p><strong>Facts &amp; Figures &ndash; IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018</strong>, the latest in a series of statistical reference books published ahead of IAAF World Athletics Series events, is now available.</p>
<p>The compendium, compiled by author, statistician and historian Mark Butler, includes just about everything you'd like to know about the championships, including lists of all past individual and team medallists, overall placing tables, statistics on the youngest and oldest participants a listing of national records for more than 200 member federations, and much more.</p>
<p>You can download it <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.iaaf.org/download/download?filename=92643881-0048-45fa-b4b9-532ce7557a22.pdf&amp;urlSlug=facts-figures-iaaftrinidad-alfonso-world-ha">here</a></strong></span>.</p>
<p>On Saturday 24 March, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships will celebrate their 23rd edition.</p>
<p><strong>IAAF</strong></p>

Facts & Figures – IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018, the latest in a series of statistical reference books published ahead of IAAF World Athletics Series events, is now available.

WORLD ATHLETICS HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Castillejo comes out from the crowd

How Gudeta went from Dubai disappointment to victory in Valencia

Successful observer programme concludes in Valencia

Hat trick of world half marathon titles for Kamworor

Gudeta shatters world half marathon record in Valencia