VALENCIA, Spain — Chandler Gibbens and Emily Venters headline five Americans named to the elite fields for the 2026 Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday. The race, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, is scheduled to start at 8:25 a.m. local time on a course known for producing fast times.
Gibbens leads the American men in his first major international start since leaving the NCAA ranks, entering with a personal best of 1:01:57. He is joined by Jacob Thomson at 1:02:26 and Anthony Raftis at 1:02:46, leaving less than a minute separating the three U.S. entries. Thomson will be racing in his third half marathon this season and his first since March, with Raftis, who owns a season best of 1:03:39, also contesting his third appearance over the distance in 2026.
On the women’s side, Venters brings the fastest American time at 1:08:48. The reigning U.S. champion at 10K and 6K on the roads ran a season best of 1:09:46 at the United Airlines NYC Half earlier this year.
Three-time NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase champion Allie Ostrander is the second American woman in the field, entering with a personal best of 1:10:11 from her 18th-place finish at the Chevron Houston Half Marathon. The former Boise State standout will look to build on that performance in Valencia and challenge the 70-minute barrier.
The flat course and deep international fields should give both Venters and Ostrander a strong opportunity to lower their personal bests. Ostrander, who is building towards her first marathon later this winter, admits that the 2026 Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich is the ideal competition to test her fitness, and she is ready to “take on one of the fastest half marathons in the world.”
Read Also: Valencia Half Marathon 2026 top entries: Rodrigue Kwizera leads men’s field, Bekele entered
Men — USA Entries
Chandler Gibbens — Bib 32; personal best: 1:01:57.
Jacob Thomson — Bib 54; personal best: 1:02:26.
Anthony Raftis — Bib 61; personal best: 1:02:46.
Women — USA Entries
Emily Venters — Bib 234; personal best: 1:08:48.
Allie Ostrander — Bib 245; personal best: 1:10:11.
