Eilish McColgan will compete in Valencia for the first time when she competes at the Valencia Ibercaja 10K by Kiprun on Sunday 11 January. 

The Spanish city of Valencia has become synonymous with fast times in road races. That is set to continue next month with the Valencia Ibercaja 10K by Kiprun which takes place on Sunday 11 January. The event is no stranger to impressive performances by British athletes; the last edition saw Rory Leonard set a British Record of 27:38. Leonard will not return to Spain in a fortnight, instead racing at the World Cross Country Championships one day earlier. However, one athlete due to compete and chase a fast time is Eilish McColgan.

The race will be a maiden appearance for the Scottish athlete in Valencia. It comes having returned towards her best form during 2025 after an injury-impacted couple of years. One eye may be on her own European Record of 30:19, set at the Great Manchester Run in May 2022. Her form this year, combined with the fast course, usually good weather conditions and significant depth, may open the possibility. Her best this year is an encouraging 30:35 at the end of September, whilst she most recently raced at the Al Sharqiyah International Race in mid-December. There, she clocked 15:15 for 5k – her fastest time over the distance in almost three and a half years.

Full Fields to be Announced

The full elite field is yet to be announced. However, she will face Yasemin Can of Turkey and Spanish athlete Marta Garcia amongst others. Historically, a large number of British athletes compete. Similar is expected on Sunday 11 January. During the Valencia Marathon, commentators noted that Emile Cairess is due to compete. Scott Beattie, fourth at the European Cross Country Championships earlier this month, turned down automatic selection for the World Cross Country Championships taking place the same weekend.

This news was originally reported by CORREDOR.