MADRID, 5 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish athlete Hamid Ben Daoud equaled the national record in the Trinidad Alfonso EDP Valencia Marathon on Sunday, tracing the 2:06:35 that Ayad Lamdassem signed last year in the traditional Valencian event, while the Kenyan Lawrence Cherono and Nancy Jelagat champions were proclaimed.
Hamid was the great national asset to fight with the Africans, witness just a year ago to Lamdassem’s record. The athlete of Moroccan origin trained in Vizcaya could not follow the leading group but gritted his teeth as he watched the finish line in search of a record that he will share historically.
The prestigious appointment of Valencia, back to the streets in its popular and massive format after the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, was left by Cherono, one of the great favorites and who in 2020 was left with honey on his lips. From being second to conquer the city of Turia, the Kenyan left a time of 2:05:10.
The champion, who was also a champion in Seville in 2015, had to beat the srpint against the Ethiopian Chalu Deso and his compatriot Philemon Cachera. The Valencian event, with the Platinum World Athletics label, crowned the Kenyan Nancy Jelagat (2:19:31) in the women’s event, ahead of Etagegne Woldu and Beyenu Degefa.
After Ben Daoud’s record, the second Spaniard on the finish line was Abdelaziz Merzougui, with 2:08:51, and the third, Yago Rojo, improving his personal best with 2:08:56. Meanwhile, in the women’s event, the best national athletes were Irene Pelayo (2:29:16), Cristina Giurcano (2:38:37) and Bárbara Ramón (2:42:08).
The spectacular blue catwalk of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències was also enjoyed by the more than 14,200 runners who took the start at Plaça de la Marató, a moment full of emotion without forgetting the protection measures in times of pandemic.