Can there have been any previous races where two continental and 14 national records were set? Rory Leonard, of Morpeth Harriers, was among those to profit from the fast course, elite field, and benign weather conditions at the Valencia 10K on Sunday 12 January 2025 to smash the British 10K road record jointly held by Sir Mo Farah and Emile Cairess.

Leonard finished 15th in a stellar field with 27:38 on the clock – almost identical to his track 10,000m PB of 27:38.39 set in last year's Highgate Harriers Night of the 10,000m PBs, which incorporated the Olympic Trials.

Leonard has yet to make a Team GB Olympic squad but is a regular competitor at the World and European Cross Country Championships. His ninth place in Turkey at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships last month probably represents his best previous performance.

The 23-year-old stepped up several levels on Sunday to slice six seconds off the mark set by Sir Mo Farah (Newham & Essex Beagles) at the Vitality London 10000 in 2010 and equalled by Emile Cairess (Leeds City AC) in Valencia in 2022.

Almost as impressive was Charles Wheeler (Milton Keynes Distance Project) whose 27:42 was also inside the British best. Wheeler took nearly a minute off his personal best of 28:40 set in the Telford 10K in December 2023.

And what about the 2024 World and Olympic Triathlon champion Alex Yee, the third British finisher in Valencia? Yee, of Kent AC, ran a brilliant 28:05 in what appears to be his individual 10K race debut to send shock waves around the triathlon world. Yee will be among the elite starters when he makes his 26.2-mile marathon debut in London on 27 April 2025.

The best of British in the women's race was Amy-Eloise Neale (Wakefield Harriers, 31:15 PB) who is now seventh fastest all-time on the UK 10K rankings. Jessica Warner-Judd (Blackburn Harriers, 31:54) and Georgie Grgec (Herne Hill Harriers, 31:52) also went inside 32 minutes.

The race winner was Andreas Almgren (Sweden, 26:53) who broke the European and Swedish records. The women's champion was Kenya's Hellen Lobun (29:30) – the fifth fastest women's time ever. 

The final tally included the men's European and South American marks and new national men's records for Belgium, China, Denmark, Eritrea, Holland, Ireland, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom. National records were also set for Mexico and Tunisia in the women's race.

Full details and results are at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun website here.

Photo courtesy Valencia 10K press release