The Brit slashes six seconds off the mark after clocking 27:38, while the European men’s record also falls in the Spanish city
Rory Leonard kicked off his 2025 season in some style after setting a British 10km record in Valencia.
The Brit clocked 27:38 and took six seconds off the previous mark, which was held by both Mo Farah and Emile Cairess.
Farah ran 27:44 at the Vitality London 10,000 in 2010, before Cairess equalled that mark in Valencia three years ago.
The Spanish city is a hotspot for records and it’s no surprise that a myriad of Brits achieved big personal bests.
Charlie Wheeler, who was the second fastest Brit behind Leonard, also ran quicker than the previous British record.
Alex Yee (Getty)
Alex Yee, who is the reigning Olympic and world individual triathlon champion, was the third quickest Brit in the field and recorded a time of 28:07, which puts him joint-11th on the UK 10km men’s all-time list.
It was his first ever official 10km race – Yee boasts a personal best over 10,000m of 27:54.91 on the track – and is part of his preparation for the London Marathon in April.
Yee will making his debut over 26.2 miles in the British capital and plans to do at least one half-marathon ahead of London.
Elsewhere in Valencia, Phil Sesemann (28:10), Alfie Manthorpe (28;14), Ellis Cross (28:24), James Gormley (28:33), Logan Rees (28:35) and Jacob Allen (28:35) all achieved personal bests.
The fastest ever British male over 10km is still Nick Rose, who recorded a time of 27:34 in New Orleans in 1984, but it’s not officially recognised as the national record by UK Athletics.
Amy-Eloise Neale (Getty)
In the women’s field in Valencia, Amy-Eloise Neale ran 31:15 and went seventh on the UK 10km all-time list.
She was the fastest Brit in the field, with Jessica Warner-Judd, who is competing at next weekend’s Houston Half Marathon, clocking 31:54.
Andreas Almgren (Valencia 10km)
The European 10km men’s record tumbles in Valencia
In one of the all-time great finishes at the Valencia 10km, Andreas Almgren edged out Dominic Lobalu by just one second in a truly pulsating battle.
The pair clocked 26:53 and 26:54 respectively and both went well under the previous European 10km record of 27:04, which was held by France’s Etienne Daguinos.
Kenya’s Vincent Langat, who ran 26:55 and also came awfully close to winning, pushed Almgren and Lobalu but settled for third.
Almgren, who is a world junior 800m bronze medallist from 2014, has recently found his sweet spot as a distance runner – he just missed out on the 10,000m podium at last year’s European Championships.
Dominic Lobalu (Getty)
Lobalu meanwhile became European 5000m champion and finished fourth in the Olympic final over the same distance in Paris.
Almgren and him are now 10th and 11th on the global 10km all-time list.
Down the field, there were also a spate of national records, with one highlight being Ireland’s Efrem Gidey bettering John Treacy’s long-standing mark of 27:46 from 1985.
Gidey, who trains with Leonard at the Hoka supported Makou Endurance group, clocked 27:43 for 20th, highlighting the strength in depth of quick times in Valencia.
Spain’s Ilias Fifa, who is the 2016 European 5000m champion but also served a four-year doping ban between 2018 and 2022, set a national record on home soil of 27:41.
Hellen Ekalale Lobun (Valencia 10km)
East Africa dominate the women’s race
Hellen Ekalale Lobun clocked 29:30 to secure the victory at the Valencia 10km.
The Kenyan, who went fifth on the global all-time 10km list, beat Ethiopia’s Girmawit Gebrzihair – the 2019 world junior cross-country champion – by just four seconds.
Kenyan and Ethiopian runners dominated the top 10 with the top European being Slovenia’s Klara Lukan, who placed 12th and missed her own national record by three seconds with 31:07.
France’s Mekdes Woldu clocked 31:43 and Belgium’s Lisa Rooms ran 31:47.
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