Valencia gives Chesang stellar birthday

And that could have been swept under the carpet for a while but the long-distance runner affirmed her career is just getting better after she came second at the Valencia Marathon in Spain at the weekend.

Chesang made a fourth successive top-10 finish in a 42km race after she broke her own national record (NR) by almost two minutes to two hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds.

“The race was not easy but we thank God for everything,” Chesang told this paper. “The course was super good and the conditions were nice. I feel so happy and I am hoping for more success in the future.”

The race was won by Ethiopian Megertu Alemu who had the aid of a bunch of male pace makers to post 2:16:49. However, Chesang’s resilience is worth a discussion.

During her days on track, Chesang is most remembered for winning the 10000-metre title during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.

After she became a mother, there came a transition to the road and she broke the NR to 2:20:23 via third place on her 42km debut at the Hamburg Marathon in Germany in early 2023.

On Sunday, Chesang only got a stellar 28th birthday present when she held firm in a strong field. And she admits she is enjoying the road better than the track. “I can say yes, because I am doing the marathon better than the track,” she said.

Her time beat the qualifying standard of 2:23:30 for a ticket to the Tokyo World Athletics Championships due September 13-21, 2025.

Now managed by Tom Broadbent from the UK, Chesang stuck in the lead group which started the race with a 3:12-minute pace for a kilometre.

They crossed 5km and 10km in 16:02 and 32:03 respectively with Chesang in company of Ethiopians Alemu and Tiruye Mesfin as well as Kenyan Evaline Chirchir.

The latter pair had fallen off and were about 18 seconds behind at 15km. Alemu and Chesang crossed the halfway mark in 1:07:15 but the former took advantage shortly after and held on to her lead up to the tape.

Meanwhile, Chesang’s former training partner Abel Sikowo powered to second place at the Singapore Marathon with a time of 2:16:12 behind Kenyan Geoffrey Yegon.

“A great job,” Sikowo’s coach Addy Ruiter described his performance. Since switching from 3000 metres steeplechase, Sikowo is known for pacing fields across the world including the last two London Marathon events and the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands.

On Sunday, he ran his second full career 42km event since finishing 42nd at the fast 2023 Valencia Marathon. “He has a lot of experience in the marathon by pacing. When the pressure is coming to you, it’s a different job. He handled that very well,” added Ruiter.

Sikowo took the front after one-and-a-half hours and only Yegon followed him, only out-sprinting him at the end. Sikowo is however still a distance away from the qualifying standard of 2:06:30 to the Tokyo Worlds.

2024 VALENCIA MARATHON

ELITE WOMEN’S RESULT

1 Megertu Alemu (ETH)                     2:16:49

2 Stella Chesang (UGA)                     2:18:26

3 Tiruye Mesfin (ETH)                       2:18:35

SINGAPORE MARATHON

MEN’S RESULT

1 Geoffrey Yegon (KEN)                   2:16:06

2 Abel Sikowo (UGA)                        2:16:12

3 Laban Kipngetich (KEN)                2:16:24

ROAD TO TOKYO 2025 WORLD CHAMPS - UGANDAN MARATHONERS

MEN’S QUALIFICATION

1 Stephen Kissa (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:22, Feb 25, 2024)

Entry Standard: 2:06:30, Qualifying window: Nov 5, 2023 - May 4, 2025

WOMEN’S QUALIFICATION

1 Stella Chesang (Valencia Marathon, 2nd, 2:18:26 on Dec 1, 2024)

Entry Standard: 2:23:30, Qualifying window: Nov 5, 2023 - May 4, 2025

CHESANG’S MARATHON CAREER PROGRESSION

2024 Valencia Marathon - 2nd (2:18:26)

2024 Paris Olympics - 8th (2:26:01)

2024 Osaka Women’s Marathon - 4th (2:23:36)

2023 Hamburg Marathon - 3rd (2:20:23)

SIKOWO’S MARATHON CAREER PROGRESSION

2024 Singapore Marathon - 2nd (2:16:12)

2023 Valencia Marathon - 42nd (2:10:33)