Sweden’s Andreas Almgren and Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan will be on the hunt for yet more fast times in the 10K FACSA Castellon, one of the fastest 10km courses in the world, on Sunday (22) morning.
The 10K FCSA Castellon will be streamed live without any geoblocking restrictions on the European Athletics YouTube channel from 8:50 CET and will be accompanied by English-language commentary.
Almgren: "Ready for another fast one"
Almgren rewrote the European record-books for the fourth time in twelve months in the 10K Valencia Ibercaja last month, shaving eight seconds from his previous European record with victory in 26:45 despite the handicap of the sole pacemaker dropping out midway through the fourth kilometre.
A deep field has been assembled alongside Almgren, including reigning European 10km champion Yann Schrub from France, who set a national 3000m short track record of 7:29.38 on home soil at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin on Wednesday.
From a non-European perspective, other potential challengers for the victory include Jack Rayner, who broke the Australian half marathon record with a 59:51 clocking in the Barcelona Half Marathon last weekend.
No less than seven men with personal bests of under 28 minutes, either on the track or the road, will be on the start line in Castellon.
McColgan vs. Van Lent in the women’s 10km
Eilish McColgan eclipsed the European record in the women’s race in the 10K Valencia Ibercaja with a 30:08 clocking, shaving two seconds from Belgian Jana Van Lent’s record which was set just one week prior in Nice.
McColgan and Van Lent will cross paths in the women’s 10km which is replete with European talent. The line-up also includes McColgan's compatriot and 2025 European cross country silver medallist Megan Keith.
The 10K FACSA Castellon, which is held in conjunction with the Castellon Marathon, is a race with a growing reputation in elite distance running circles.
In recent years, Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw broke the world record in the women’s 10km with a 29:14 clocking in 2022 while fellow Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha clocked the second fastest time in history to win the men’s 10km last year with 26:31.
Fellow Ethiopian Medina Eisa won the women’s race last year in 29:25 to move to fifth on the world all-time 10km list.