Kenya&rsquo;s Abel Kipchumba and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Zeineba Yimer were overwhelming winners at the Valencia 15km Banco Mediolanum, beating quality fields at the IAAF Bronze Label event on Saturday (8).
<h3>Kipchumba unopposed</h3>
The men&rsquo;s race began at a steady 2:47-per-kilometre pace and the large 10-man pack went through the opening 5km in 13:54, well on schedule to finish inside the target 42 minutes. All the main favourites were in the lead pack, led by Kipchumba and fellow Kenyan Henry Ronoh.
That kind of rhythm proved too strong for everyone except for Kipchumba, who maintained his speed to reach the 10km checkpoint in 27:43 with an eight-second advantage over compatriot Alfred Barkach and 22 seconds ahead of Ronoh, whose last appearance had been another 15km event in 43:26 last month.
Over the closing kilometres &ndash; and despite being a night event which finished shortly before midnight &ndash; Kipchumba managed to keep a brisk pace and romp home in a course record of 41:55. In a Kenyan podium sweep, Kipchumba finished 33 seconds ahead of Barkach and 1:04 over Rono, all of them recording PBs at the rarely held distance.
Kipchumba holds a fine 59:29 clocking over the half marathon precisely set in Valencia last November; he commented:
&ldquo;I already knew the city of Valencia and I love it,&rdquo; said Kipchumba, who clocked his half marathon PB of 59:29 in the Spanish city. &ldquo;Both the circuits (half marathon and 15km) are pretty fast and ideal to set personal times, I hope to come back here many times.&rdquo;
<h3>Yimer in a class of her own</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Zeineba Yimer and Kenya&rsquo;s Dorcas Jepchumba Kimeli, both paced by Morocco&rsquo;s Hassane Ahouchar, were the early leaders in the women&rsquo;s race, which was held alongside the men&rsquo;s event.
The opening and slightly uphill first 5km of 15:26 suggested that the top contenders could challenge the Spanish 15km all-comers&rsquo; record of 46:14 set by Florence Kiplagat en route to breaking the then world half marathon record in Barcelona four years ago. 
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Zeineba Yimer wins the Valencia 15km Banco Mediolanum</div>
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However, the speed decreased in the following kilometres as the leaders covered the second 5km in 15:52, bringing them to 10km in 31:18. By then, the third-placed runner, Jebesa Zenebu Fikadu of Ethiopia, was some way behind the leaders with 32:45.
The key move came shortly after the 12th kilometre when &ndash; still paced by Ahouchar &ndash; Yimer managed to break away from a tiring Kimeli and then upped her pace over the closing stages to finish inside 47 minutes with a course record of 46:52. Kimeli followed 40 seconds later while Fikadu secured the third spot in 49:15.
The 20-year-old victor is one of the 20 quickest ever women over the half marathon courtesy of her 1:05:46 career best set in Ras Al Khaimah last February to take third.
More than 10,000 runners took part in the event.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 41:55 2 Alfred Barkach (KEN) 42:27 3 Henry Rono (KEN) 42:59 4 Afewerki Berhane (ERI) 43:40 5 Peter Kiprotich (KEN) 43:42
Women 1 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 46:52 2 Dorcas Jepchumba Kimeli (KEN) 47:33 3 Jebesa Zenebu Fikadu (ETH) 49:15 4 Sandrafelis Chebet Tuei (KEN) 49:19 5 Juliet Chekwel (UGA) 50:09

Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba and Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer were overwhelming winners at the Valencia 15km Banco Mediolanum, beating quality fields at the IAAF Bronze Label event on Saturday (8).

Course records for Kipchumba and Yimer over 15k in Valencia

Double Ethiopian cross-country champion Getaneh Molla and teenager Zeineba Yimer took impressive wins at the 11th Ethiopian Half Marathon Championships in Legetafo, about 10 kilometres east of the capital Addis Ababa, on Sunday (28).
The event, which served as the official trial race for the IAAF/Trinidad Alfonso World Half Marathon Championships Valencia 2018 in March, drew a competitive field of cross-country and road runners hoping for a place on Ethiopia&rsquo;s competitive team as they aim to take advantage of a year in which the World Cross Country Championships will not take place.
Following his win at the Safi Half Marathon in Morocco three weeks ago, Molla was the overwhelming favourite for the men&rsquo;s title. The 22-year-old lived up to expectations with an impressive victory to complete a unique 5000m, cross country and half marathon domestic treble within the space of a year.
After a tepid start, the men&rsquo;s race was dispersed after five kilometres when just eight runners stayed in contention at the head of the pack. The group stayed together until the final kilometre when Molla, Betesfa Getahun and Dawit Fekadu opened up a significant lead over the chasing pack.
The three-way contest ended when Molla produced a strong finish in the final 400 metres to take victory in 1:01:25, one of the fastest times recorded for a half marathon in Ethiopia. Getahun finished eight seconds behind to take the runner-up spot while Fekadu was even further back in third, clocking 1:01:44.
&ldquo;The weather was very good,&rdquo; said Molla. &ldquo;The topography was a bit challenging with some uphill and downhill [sections]. But I was very relaxed in the last two kilometres.&rdquo;
<h3>Yimer&rsquo;s patience pays off</h3>
From a large group at the start of the women&rsquo;s race, a pack of 15 runners remained in contention after five kilometres.
This group, led by Etaferahu Wedajo and with Meseret Belete and Bekelech Gudeta in close attendance, dwindled down at the 10-kilometre mark with national junior cross-country silver medallist Zeineba Yimer tucking behind the leaders.
The 2017 Great Ethiopian Run 10km winner did not show any interest in hitting the front until the leaders started to tire at about 17 kilometres. Three minutes later, she pushed harder on the uphill part of the course and took a slight lead against the resilient Belete.
Belete continued to lead as Yimer kept running economically before storming ahead in the final kilometre. Belete&rsquo;s effort to hang on, however, was in vain as Yimer overtook her rival in the final stretch to take victory in a PB of 1:10:24 ahead of Belete with Gudeta coming home in third.
&ldquo;The opponents were very tough,&rdquo; said Yimer, the 10th-place finisher in the junior race at last year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships, who won the Egmond Aan Zee Half Marathon two weeks ago. &ldquo;I am glad I won here.&rdquo;
Elshadai Negash (with assistance from Abiy Wendifraw) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Getaneh Molla 1:01:25 2 Betesfa Getahun 1:01:33 3 Dawit Fekadu 1:01:44 4 Jiksa Tadesse 1:02:13 5 Ayitolegn Kasew 1:02:17 6 Assefa Tefera 1:02:39
Women 1 Zeineba Yimer 1:10:24 2 Meseret Belete 1:10:35 3 Bekelech Gudeta 1:11:19 4 Zinash Mekonnen 1:11:27 5 Yeshi Kalayu 1:11:32 6 Etaferahu Wedajo 1:11:39

Double Ethiopian cross-country champion Getaneh Molla and teenager Zeineba Yimer took impressive wins at the 11th Ethiopian Half Marathon Championships in Legetafo, about 10 kilometres east of the capital Addis Ababa, on Sunday (28).

Course records for Kipchumba and Yimer over 15k in Valencia

Molla and Yimer win Ethiopian Half Marathon titles