FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday:
Frankfurt hopes to come back with a bang as Selly Kaptich
eyes the course record
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is the last major German city marathon to
make its comeback after a two-year break because of the Corona pandemic.
The 39th edition will be started on Sunday with a field of over 11,500
marathon runners. Including running events at shorter distances the total
number of participants is expected to be over 20,000 athletes. Elite
runners could bring the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon back in overdrive as
they are aiming for fast times. Ethiopia's Gebru Redahgne and Kenyan Selly
Kaptich head the start lists with personal bests of 2:05:58 and 2:21:09.
Weather conditions look very good although it may become warm towards the
end of the elite races. The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is an Elite Label
Road Race of World Athletics, the international athletics federation. A
live stream can be accessed on the event's website at:
www.frankfurt-marathon.com, however this will not be possible in
territories where there is live TV broadcast.
The women's race
Back in 2019 it was a woman who produced the highlight of the Mainova
Frankfurt Marathon: Kenya's Valary Aiyabei established the course record of
2:19:10, which was the first sub 2:20 time in the history of the race. It
could well be the women's race again that stands out on Sunday. Selly
Kaptich is ready for a very fast race. "I am confident that I can run a sub
2:20 personal best and I want to attack the course record - that is what I
am here for," said Selly Kaptich, who heads a field of eight women with
personal bests of sub 2:25. The former track runner mentioned a half way
split time target of 69:00, which caught Christoph Kopp, Frankfurt's Elite
Race Coordinator, by surprise. "We had not heard about these plans from her
management. However if she really wants to go that fast we will rearrange
pacemaking to support her," said Christoph Kopp.
Fellow-Kenyan Helah Kiprop travelled to Frankfurt with a PB of 2:21:27. The
marathon silver medallist from the World Championships 2015 ran this time
in Tokyo in 2016. Earlier this year she showed fine form again with a
2:24:10 victory in Copenhagen. The 37 year-old has competed in the Mainova
Frankfurt Marathon back in 2014 when she was fifth with 2:27:14. „I am
happy to be back here. In 2014 I ran a PB in Frankfurt, so I hope to do it
again here on Sunday," said Helah Kiprop.
Yoshi Chekole is the third woman in the field who has a PB of sub 2:22. The
Ethiopian improved to 2:21:17 in Sevilla this February. "My goal is to run
a personal best on Sunday and to finish in the best position possible,"
said Chekole, who prepared for four months for the Mainova Frankfurt
Marathon and feels she is in fine form.
A runner who might be in for a surprise is Gladys Chepkurui. The Kenyan ran
2:28:55 in Paris this spring. However her PBs at 10k (30:48) and and in the
half marathon (68:09) suggest that she could be able to run a time of
around 2:22.
The men's race
Gebru Redahgne is a newcomer to running at international level. The
Ethiopian only competed outside his country for the first time in 2021.
This spring he improved his personal best to 2:05:58 in Barcelona, the
second marathon of his career. Redahgne is seeking to run even faster on
the Frankfurt course which is renowned for speedy performances. "I've
trained well and want to break my personal best," he said, confidently. The
plan is for pacemakers to ensure the first half of the race is run in
62:45. "Gebru is not only the fastest but also the youngest on our list. It
all adds up to making him the pre-race favourite. If the result is a time
under 2:06, I'll be delighted," said Christoph Kopp.
One Kenyan is returning for his fifth attempt at winning the Frankfurt
title: Martin Kosgey has deservedly earned the title of "Mr Frankfurt" with
his consistently outstanding performances. He has twice finished runner-up
in the Festhalle (in 2016 and 2018) and fourth on another two occasions
(2017 and 2019). He ran what remains his personal best here in 2018 with
2:06:41. "I shall definitely run in the leading group. A new personal best
and also victory are possible," said the father of three with high
expectations. "Frankfurt is like a home town for me. I feel good, being
here."
His 29-year-old compatriot Charles Ndiema has a current personal best of
2:08:12, achieved this April in Vienna. His story of how he discovered the
Frankfurt Marathon is unusual, but reflects the modern age: watching the
race on YouTube three years ago created a long term goal for him. "I'm
ready to run fast and stay at the front as long as I can," said Ndiema. One
absentee will be the Ethiopian Betesfa Getahun, originally listed on the
start list as the fastest in the men's field with 2:05:28 but he cancelled
his participation at short notice.
Germany's Hendrik Pfeiffer intends to break his personal best of 2:10:18
and hopes to achieve a sub 2:10 time on Frankfurt's fast course. He was a
member of the German marathon team which took the silver medal in the team
event at the European Championships in Munich this summer. Pfeiffer
finished 24th in the individual event. Another German, Filimon Abraham,
targets a sub 2:10 time as well. He dropped out in his debut marathon in
Hamburg this spring. For the two German runners the qualifying time for the
2023 World Championships of 2:09:40 could become a target as well.
Elite runners with personal bests
Men:
Gebru Redahgne ETH 2:05:58
Martin Kosgey KEN 2:06:41
Balew Yihunie Derseh ETH 2:07:22
Asefa Mengisa ETH 2:07:47
Charles Ndiema KEN 2:08:12
Brimin Misoi KEN 2:08:41
Deresa Ulfata ETH 2:08:42
Dominic Letting KEN 2:09:30
Hendrik Pfeiffer GER 2:10:18
Stephen Mugambi KEN 2:11:39
Justino da Silva BRA 2:13:31
Edson Arruda BRA 2:14:35
Justin Mahieu BEL 2:14:43
Filimon Abraham GER - - -
Linus Maruka KEN Debut
Ashenafi Gebru ETH Debut
Eyob Solomun ERI Debut
Merhawi Ghebreslasie FRA Debut
Women:
Selly Kaptich KEN 2:21:06
Yeshi Chekole ETH 2:21:17
Helah Kiprop KEN 2:21:27
Atalel Anmut Dargie ETH 2:22:21
Juliet Chekwel UGA 2:23:13
Jackline Chepngeno KEN 2:24:21
Serdana Trofimova KGZ 2:24:38
Zinash Lema ETH 2:24:55
Meseret Abebayehu Alemu ETH 2:25:18
Caroline Jepchirchir KEN 2:26:11
Laura Hottenrott GER 2:28:02
Gladys Chepkurui KEN 2:28:55
Martha Akeno KEN 2:29:00
Sofiya Yaremchuk ITA 2:29:12
Thea Heim GER 2:36:10
More Information is available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com
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