Daniel Ebenyo at a previous race/ HANDOUTAfter shouldering pacing duties at the Chicago Marathon, Kenyan distance ace Daniel Ebenyo hopes to turn the experience into a springboard for success at next weekend’s Valencia Half Marathon.
Ebenyo was among the elite pacemakers at Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, working alongside compatriot Gideon Rono and Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo to set the pace during the opening stages of the 42km race.
The 31-year-old carried out his assignment up to the 30km mark, with the men’s elite pacing group tasked with reaching halfway in 1:00:15. While Ebenyo focused on his duties, compatriot Amos Kipruto produced a commanding performance to claim his maiden Chicago Marathon title in a lifetime best of 2:01:09.
Ethiopians Tadese Takele (2:02:56) and Milkesa Mengesha (2:03:46) completed the podium. Ebenyo will now shift his focus to Valencia, where he hopes to rediscover his winning touch over the half marathon following a disappointing outing at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on September 20.
In Copenhagen, the Kenyan faded to ninth place in the half marathon in 59:42, missing a podium finish. However, Ebenyo boasts an impressive record over the 21km distance, having won races in New Delhi in 2023 (59:27), Istanbul in 2023 (59:52), Berlin in 2024 (59:30) and Laayoune in 2019 (1:00:45).
He also won silver at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, clocking 59:14 behind compatriot Sebastian Sawe, who took gold in 59:10.
Ebenyo further finished second in Manama in 2022, where he set his personal best of 59:04 behind Sawe, who won in 58:58. Despite the Copenhagen disappointment, Ebenyo has had a mixed but eventful 2026 campaign, highlighted by a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, where he clocked 28:45.
His subsequent outings proved challenging, with a fifth-place finish at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country in 29:57 followed by 13th place at the New York Half Marathon in 1:00:50.
He responded with a second-place finish at the BOLDERBoulder 10K, clocking 29:06 behind winner Patrick Kiprop, who timed 28:35. Ebenyo then claimed victory at the Chicago Half Marathon in 1:00:39 before switching to the track to represent Kenya at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he finished sixth in the 10,000m in 27:56.35.
With his experience, proven pedigree over the half marathon and recent pacing assignment in Chicago, Ebenyo will be eager to turn the page in Valencia and reassert himself among the leading contenders over the distance.
