Seven runners with personal bests of sub 2:07 are on the start list of the 41st edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on 27th October. It looks very likely that the eventual winner will come from one of the two great running nations, Kenya and Ethiopia.
While Herpasa Negasa of Ethiopia remains the number one on the list with his world-class personal best of 2:03:40, Elisha Rotich is among the new additions. The Kenyan has a PB of 2:04:21.
Organisers expect a total of more than 25,000 athletes on the last Sunday of October. Among them will be over 14,000 marathon runners which is significantly more than in 2023.
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. Parts of the men’s elite field were announced today. The women’s field will be released next month.
For years Elisha Rotich has produced strong marathon races. His best race so far was at the 2021 Paris Marathon. The Kenyan won the race with 2:04:21 which remains his personal best and still stands as the Paris course record.
On the route through the French capital, which is not considered very fast, he ran another strong race this spring. Rotich was third with 2:06:53 in April.
Together with Eric Kiptanui (PB: 2:05:47), whose participation had been announced earlier, he looks to be the strongest Kenyan in the elite field of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. However a surprise might come from Benard Biwott, a Kenyan debutant who has run a 59:47 half marathon this year.
Besides Herpasa Negasa, Ethiopia will have four more runners with personal bests of sub 2:07 on the start line: Lencho Tesfaye (2:06:18), Aychew Bantie (2:06:23), Boki Assefa (2:06:46) and Birhan Nebebew (2:06:52) could attack their PBs on the fast Frankfurt course where Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang clocked the 2:03:42 course record in 2011.
“We expect a very open race since there is no major favourite. It is difficult to predict what might be possible with regard to times. But the field surely has the potential for a surprise,“ said Race Director Jo Schindler.
While Spain’s Abdelaziz Merzougui is the fastest European runner on the start list with a personal best of 2:08:00 there is a novelty in the history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon: Married couple Jake Robertson and Magdalyne Masai will be among the elite runners.
New Zealand’s Robertson has a personal best of 2:08:26 and could achieve a strong finishing position while his Kenyan wife has a PB of 2:22:16 and will be among the favourites in Frankfurt.
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