Press Release - Frankfurt Marathon - 10/23/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                   Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday:                

   Elisha Rotich and Yeshi Chekole head strong elite fields in Frankfurt

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. Five women have entered the race featuring 
personal bests of sub 2:23:00. Additionally Ethiopia's Hawi Feiysa might 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. Additionally 
Hawi Feiysa 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

Further information and online registration is available at: 
www.frankfurt-marathon.com 

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