FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mainova Frankfurt Marathon:
Hawi Feysa smashes course record with 2:17:25 in Frankfurt
Hawi Feysa took the 41st Mainova Frankfurt Marathon with a superb course
record: The 25 year-old Ethiopian ran 2:17:25 to improve the former women's
record by 1:45. It was also the 12th fastest performance this year.
Second-placed Kenyan Magdalyne Masai ran a big personal best of 2:18:58 and
also finished inside the former course record of 2:19:10. Ethiopia's Shuko
Genemo was third with 2:22:37.
The men's race had its surprise as well: the 22 year-old Kenyan debutant
Benard Biwott triumphed to cross the line in 2:05:54 in Frankfurt's
Festhalle. The Ethiopians Gossa Challa and Lencho Tesfaye took second and
third with 2:07:35 and 2:08:02 respectively. The combined winning times of
the women's and men's champions came to 4:23:19, the fastest aggregate time
ever in the history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Organisers
registered 13,939 runners from 113 nations. Adding events at shorter
distances, the total was 25,616 athletes.
"To have such as fantastic course record is so satisfying for all of us
involved. You can prepare a great deal in elite sport but nothing is
guaranteed. We had ideal conditions, many personal bests and many wonderful
scenes of celebration at the finish," said the Race Director Jo Schindler.
The Elite Race Coordinator Philipp Kopp added his thoughts: "Once again
we've shown that you can run fast in Frankfurt." The Mainova Frankfurt
Marathon had 13,939 runners from 113 countries and, taking into
consideration events held in conjunction, had in total 25,616 participants.
Women's Race: Feysa's breakthrough, Schwiening fastest European
Hawi Feysa achieved a sensational breakthrough in the marathon by running
2:17:25. The Ethiopian had shown highly creditable performances at shorter
distances and finished sixth in the World Cross Country Championships in
2023. Winning the marathon in a course record took her to a new level. "The
record was my goal and everything went perfectly. After 25 kilometres I had
enough energy left to run away from the group. I was very happy with my
race plan. The atmosphere along the course helped me a lot. You can
certainly run 2;16 on this fast course," Hawi Feysa reflected.
Right from the start the fastest runners set out to make a concerted attack
on the course record of 2:19:10. Although no runner had a personal best
faster than 2:21:17, the pace was consistently aimed at breaking the
record. "I wanted originally to run at my own pace alone at the head of the
field. But the organizers planned that we ran together as a group until 25
kilometres. The tactic proved very good," said Feysa, in praise of sporting
director Philipp Kopp.
Five women went through halfway in 69:19, among them Hawi Feysa and the two
sisters, Magdalyne and Linet Masai from Kenya. When Feysa increased the
pace after 25 kilometres, only Magdalyne Masai followed her. Until just
before 40 km, Masai was still in contention with the gap a few seconds. But
Hawi Feysa proved unbeatable and ran a clearly faster second half of the
race to finish in triumph in the Festhalle. Magdalyne Masai was a highly
creditable second in 2:18:58.
While it was the first time that two women ran below 2:20 in Frankfurt a
large number of elite runners achieved personal bests: Four women from the
top 5 and six from the top 10 ran PBs. British runners achieved a string of
great results in Frankfurt: Georgina Schwiening was the fastest European
with a strong PB of 2:25:46 in eleventh place. A staggering number of seven
British women finished inside the top 25 in the „Festhalle".
Men's Race: A day for the debutants
The men's elite field, featuring talent spread evenly throughout, set off
at a pace which made the target finishing time of under 2:05 a real
possibility. Split times of 29:38 for 10km and 44:30 at 15km pointed to a
time in the region of just under 2:05. Subsequently the pace dropped
somewhat, despite the excellent weather conditions with temperatures
between 12 and 15 degrees, overcast and almost no win. But with a number of
kilometre splits around 3 minutes, halfway was reached in 62:52. For much
of the time, the 13-strong leading group then stayed compact and there was
little change.
The first serious attack came only after 30 km but it proved decisive:
Bernard Biwott went to the front and only Gossa Challa proved capable of
going with the marathon debutant. But when the Kenyan forced the pace again
between 35 and 37 kilometres and covered the single kilometres in around
2:50, the Ethiopian had no reply. Biwott, who previously had shown highly
promising form at half marathon, achieving a best of 59:44, won with over a
minute and a half to spare. "I'm so happy because I didn't expect that I
could win on my debut. I want to thank the organizers and my manager Gianni
Demadonna for their support," said Bernard Biwott who had achieved a rare
win here on debut. The last occasion in the men's race in Frankfurt was in
2008 when a fellow Kenyan, Robert Cheruiyot, won in what was then a course
record of 2:07:21.
To add to the surprises, a marathon debutant was also the fastest runner
from Germany in the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. Jan Lukas Becker finished
17th in 2:15:20 and had been on course for a finishing time of under 2:11
for much of the race.
Results, Men:
1. Benard Biwott KEN 2:05:54
2. Gossa Challe ETH 2:07:35
3. Lencho Tesfaye ETH 2:08:02
4. Gerba Dibaba ETH 2:09:03
5. Aychew Dessie ETH 2:09:22
6. Workneh Serbessa ETH 2:09:30
7. Christopher Muthini KEN 2:09:31
8. Ebba Chala SWE 2:09:35
9. Tim Vincent AUS 2:09:40
10. Mulat Gebeyehu ETH 2:10:07
Women:
1. Hawi Feysa ETH 2:17:25
2. Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:18:58
3. Shuko Genemo ETH 2:22:37
4. Catherine Cherotich KEN 2:22:42
5. Agnes Keino KEN 2:22:53
6. Kidsan Alema ETH 2:23:27
7. Linet Masai KEN 2:23:52
8. Judith Kiyeng KEN 2:24:41
9. Betty Chepkwony KEN 2:25:13
10. Aberash Korsa ETH 2:25:43
Further information is available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com
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