Press Release - Marathon Hamburg - 4/5/23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                 Haspa Marathon Hamburg on 23rd April 2023
				 
         Hamburg might be in for another Ethiopian marathon stunner

Another Ethiopian world-class runner could produce the headlines of the 
women's race at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on 23rd April. A year ago 
Yalemzerf Yehualaw smashed the course record with a sensational time of 
2:17:23 which was also an unofficial world debut record. This time 
youngster Tiruye Mesfin heads the women's start list with a world-class 
personal best of 2:18:47. With this time the 20 year-old is the fastest 
woman marathon runner ever entered into the race. Among a group of athletes 
with personal bests between 2:22 and 2:25 is Italy's Giovanna Epis, who 
might want to attack the Italian record on the fast Hamburg course.

Online registration for the 37th edition of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg is 
still possible at: www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de

"After last year's sensational race by Yalemzerf Yehualaw we are now 
looking forward to welcoming another super fast Ethiopian woman to Hamburg. 
It seems Tiruye Mesfin could produce something special here as well," said 
chief organiser Frank Thaleiser.

At the age of just 20 Tiruye Mesfin ran one of the fastest marathon debuts 
ever in Valencia in early December last year. In an extraordinary strong 
field she was sixth with 2:18:47. With such a time she would have won most 
of all other international marathons. Additionally Tiruye Mesfin, who 
started competing internationally in autumn 2021, showed very promising 
form little over three weeks ago, when she was fourth in the Lisbon Half 
Marathon with a personal best of 66:31. 

Tiruye Mesfin's strongest rival in Hamburg could well be a 
fellow-Ethiopian: Sintayehu Tilahun is still a newcomer to the 
international road running circuit as well. The Haspa Marathon Hamburg will 
be the third race over the classic distance for the 23 year-old. After a 
2:45:06 debut win in a small Italian race near Udine in 2021 she ran the 
Milano Marathon a year ago, finishing second with a huge PB of 2:22:19. 

It was in Valencia in December, when Giovanna Epis came agonizingly close 
to breaking the Italian marathon record. The 34 year-old improved to 
2:23:54, missing the record of Valeria Straneo by just ten seconds. The 
Haspa Marathon Hamburg could be the race for Giovanna Epis to give it 
another try. 

Stella Chesang will run her marathon debut in Hamburg on 23rd April. The 
multiple national record holder from Uganda has a half marathon PB of 
68:11. The Commonwealth Games 10,000 m champion from 2018 has shown strong 
form recently, when she took tenth place at the World Cross Country 
Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in February.  The Ugandan marathon 
record of 2:23:13 could be within reach for Stella Chesang.

More information about the Haspa Marathon Hamburg and online entry is 
available at: www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de 
 
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