Press Release - Munich Marathon - 10/7/22

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                   Generali Munich Marathon on Sunday:                 

                   Both course records targeted in Munich, 
  unofficial world junior record holder Tsegaye Mekonnen heads men's field

With the strongest field in its history the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON will 
take place on Sunday. The unofficial world junior record holder Tsegaye 
Mekonnen and fellow Ethiopian Mare Dibaba, who was the marathon World 
Champion in 2015, head the start lists. Their personal bests of 2:04:32 and 
2:19:52 respectively make them the fastest runners ever entered in the 
traditional Bavarian race. For the first time in over 20 years an 
international elite field was assembled for the 36th edition of the 
GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON. Organisers hope that both course records will 
fall on Sunday. 

A total of around 18,500 runners are expected total part. About 5,000 of 
them will run the classic distance which starts and finishes inside the 
Olympic Stadium. The GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON is an Elite Label Road Race 
of the international athletics federation, World Athletics. The race will 
start at 9.00 am on Sunday and a live stream is available at: 
www.generalimuenchenmarathon.de

50 years after winning the Olympia marathon gold medal in Munich Frank 
Shorter is back in the city as a guest of honor. "I am very happy to have 
the opportunity to be back in Munich - the city where I was born in 1947 
and where I celebrated my biggest career win in 1972," said 74 year-old 
Frank Shorter.

"We are looking forward to the strongest elite line-up in our history. With 
the former World Champion Mare Dibaba and the runner who holds the 
unofficial world junior record, Tsegaye Mekonnen, we managed to get two big 
names to Munich for the return of the elite fields. Since weather 
predictions are favourable we hope that both course records will be broken 
on Sunday," said Race Director Gernot Weigl. 

Tsegaye Mekonnen caused a major upset when he took the Dubai Marathon in 
2014 aged just 19 years old. His time of 2:04:32 still stands as the 
unofficial world junior record (World Athletics does not ratify junior 
records in the marathon). In 2017 Mekonnen also won the Hamburg Marathon. 
Now 27 years old the Ethiopian has not competed over the classic distance 
since 2018 and now intends to come back with a strong performance in 
Munich. "I had injury problems and then the pandemic played its part as 
well, so I did not run a marathon for three years. Now my training has gone 
well and I intend to run a 2:06 on Sunday," said Tsegaye Mekonnen.

Two other runners are on the start list with personal bests of sub 2:10 and 
below the 2:09:46 course record: Ethiopia's  Mengistu Zelalem has a PB of 
2:08:48 while Kenya's Edwin Kimaiyo is in a similar range with 2:09:12. 
Current a half marathon split time of around 64:00 is targeted for the 
first group.

A big improvement of the course record seems possible for the women in 
Munich. Germany's Susanne Hahn established the current mark of 2:32:11 ten 
years ago. Mara Dibaba heads the women's field with a world-class personal 
best of 2:19:52. Besides the World Champion of 2015 and Olympic bronze 
medallist from 2016 there are two fellow-Ethiopians who have run under 
2:25: Atsede Bayisa has a fine personal best of 2:22:03 and Aberu Zennebe 
has a PB of 2:24:30. "I have prepared for three months and my goal is to 
run a personal best", said Aberu Zennebe. A winning time of sub 2:25 might 
well be within reach on Sunday since it is planned that the first group 
reaches the half way mark in around 71:30. There are eight athletes on the 
start list who have run under 2:30. 

Elite runners with personal bests:

Men:  
Tsegaye Mekonnen   ETH 2:04:32
Mengistu Zelalem   ETH 2:08:48
Edwin Kimaiyo      KEN 2:09:12
Meshack Koech      KEN 2:10:17
Emmanuel Sikuku    KEN 2:11:05
Ngonidzashe Ncube  ZIM 2:11:46
Justus Kangogo     KEN 2:13:34
Berhane Tesfay     ERI 2:14:42
Vincent Kiprotich  KEN Debüt
Philimon Kipchumba KEN Debüt
Rodgers Keror      KEN Debüt
Sebastian Hendel   GER Debüt

Women:
Mare Dibaba       ETH 2:19:52
Atsede Bayisa     ETH 2:22:03
Aberu Zennebe     ETH 2:24:30
Agnes Keino       KEN 2:25:08
Viola Yator       KEN 2:26:51
Mercy Kwambai     KEN 2:27:32
Souad Kambouchia  MAR 2:27:49
Helen Jepkurgat   KEN 2:29:10
Caroline Nahimana BUR 2:30:09
 
More information about the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON and online entry is 
available at: www.generalimuenchenmarathon.de

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