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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