Elisha Rotich of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Yeshi Chekole head the elite field of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon next Sunday.
Rotich has a personal best of 2:04:21 while Chekole’s personal record stands at 2:21:17. More than 14,000 marathon runners have entered the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon which is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race.
A number of athletes had to cancel their start recently due to either injury or visa problems. Among them are Ethiopians Herpasa Negasa and Tigist Abayechew as well as Eric Kiptanui of Kenya.
The men’s start list now features four runners with personal bests of sub 2:07:00 and another ten who have run below 2:10:00.
While the leading men will probably run a 2:05 pace and organisers hope that a winning time slightly below that mark might be possible, the women could produce the highlight at the 41st edition of Germany’s oldest city marathon.
They are expected to attack the course record of Valary Aiyabei. The Kenyan ran 2:19:10 in 2019. Additionally, five women have entered the race with personal bests of sub 2:23:00.
Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa might also do very well. She currently has a PB of 2:23:36. But her half marathon time of 65:41 suggests that she should be able to run much faster. Furthermore, Feysa ran a brilliant race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, last year when she placed sixth.
Tom Thurley and Laura Hottenrott lead the domestic challenge in Frankfurt. Thurley was second in this year’s national championships with 2:14:52 and Hottenrott ran 2:24:32 in Valencia a year ago. She competed in the Olympic marathon in Paris and finished 38th.
Elite runners with personal bests
MEN
- Elisha Rotich KEN 2:04:21
- Lencho Tesfaye ETH 2:06:18
- Aychew Bantie ETH 2:06:23
- Birhan Nebebew ETH 2:06:52
- Gossa Challa ETH 2:07:43
- Workneh Serbessa ETH 2:07:58
- Abdelaziz Merzougui ESP 2:08:00
- Gerba Dibaba ETH 2:08:25
- Jake Robertson NZL 2:08:26
- Belay Bezabeh ETH 2:08:58
- Ebba Chala SWE 2:09:06
- Reuben Narry KEN 2:09:06
- Bernard Muia KEN 2:09:17
- Vincent Ronoh KEN 2:09:21
- Tom Thurley GER 2:14:52
- Jonathan Dahlke GER 2:15:42
- Jan Lukas Becker GER Debüt
WOMEN
- Yeshi Chekole ETH 2:21:17
- Shuko Genemo ETH 2:21:35
- Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:22:16
- Kidsan Alema ETH 2:22:28
- Meseret Dinke ETH 2:22:52
- Betty Chepkwony KEN 2:23:02
- Agnes Keino KEN 2:23:26
- Hawi Feiysa ETH 2:23:36
- Linet Masai KEN 2:23:46
- Laura Hottenrott GER 2:24:32
- Tadelech Nedi ETH 2:26:23
- Georgina Schwiening GBR 2:26:28
- Aberash Korsa ETH 2:29:04
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