Weekend preview: Kenyans at the Itálica cross, Athens Marathon and the start of Dakar 2026 athletics

It is a busy weekend for Kenyan runners. Five Kenyans line up at the Cross Internacional de Itálica near Seville on Sunday 8 November, the Athens Authentic Marathon runs on the original course from Marathon to Athens the same morning, and the athletics programme at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games opens on Sunday, with Kenya hoping to add to the Rising Lionesses' rugby gold.

Cross Internacional de Itálica, Sunday 8 November

The 44th edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting is run over 9,550 metres in Santiponce, Seville. The women's race starts at 11:40 local time (13:40 in Kenya) and the men's at 12:25 (14:25), La Bolsa del Corredor reports.

Kenya's men are World U20 champion Frankline Kibet, Andrew Alamisi, second at Itálica last year, and Denis Kipkoech Kemboi, third last year, who won the San Sebastián cross last Sunday. They face Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia and the Spanish pair Rodrigue Kwizera, winner in 2021 and 2025, and Thierry Ndikumwenayo, winner in 2022 and 2024.

In the women's race Cynthia Chepkirui, last year's Cardiff Cross Challenge winner, and Maurine Jepkoech Chebor, who won in San Sebastián last Sunday, take on Ethiopia's Likina Amebaw, the world 5km road champion and third here last year, and World U20 cross medallists Wosane Asefa of Ethiopia and Charity Cherop of Uganda.

Athens Authentic Marathon, Sunday 8 November

The 43rd Athens Authentic Marathon starts at 08:30 local time, 09:30 in Kenya, half an hour earlier than in previous years. About 25,000 runners are entered in the marathon. The organisers expect about 20 elite men and women, around ten men with bests under 2:10 and ten women under 2:30, but had not named them by Thursday 5 November. The winners each receive US$15,000, Runner Magazine reports. The men's course record belongs to Kenya's Edwin Kiprop Kiptoo, who ran 2:10:34 in 2023, the last edition with an international elite field, Watch Athletics notes.

Other races with Kenyans to watch

Sunday also brings the Málaga Marathon (10:00 Kenya time), the Ravenna Marathon (11:00), the Cardiff Cross Challenge (13:00), the Guadalajara Marathon in Mexico (15:00), the Porto, Nice-Cannes and Indianapolis Monumental marathons, the Boston Half Marathon and the Cross della Valsugana in Italy. We will add the Kenyan names as the fields are published and report every result on our Results page.

At home, the 2nd Athletics Kenya Cross Country Weekend Meeting is at Amutala Stadium, Kimilili, on Saturday 7 November, and the Imani Seven Folks Half Marathon is at Kaburu Dam the same day.

Dakar 2026: athletics starts on Sunday

The Youth Olympic athletics programme runs from Sunday 8 to Tuesday 10 November at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop in Dakar. All 15 of Kenya's medals at earlier Youth Olympic Games came in athletics. Kenya's provisional athletics squad lists Abigael Kosgei, Abigael Chepkirui, Faith Cherotich Rono, Cecilia Wainaina, Wesley Kiplangat, David Sekento and Enock Tuitoek.

The headline name is 16-year-old David Sekento, the World U20 1,500m silver medallist, who has bests of 3:38.32 for 1,500m and 1:50.21 for 800m, according to World Athletics. An allAfrica profile, which names him David Kapaiko, says he will race the 800m in Dakar and that his coach Edcain Mutua is targeting 1:45 to 1:46.

On the provisional timetable, the boys' 3,000m final is on Sunday at 19:25 Kenya time, the girls' 3,000m final and boys' 1,500m final on Monday at 13:25 and 14:48, and the boys' 800m final on Tuesday at 15:15. Start lists are not yet published. Follow every Kenyan result, the medal table and the Games calendar on our Dakar 2026 page.