FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday:
Aberu Kebede has another crack at the 2:20 barrier in Berlin
No rival in the women's field has such as successful record in the BMW
BERLIN-MARATHON as Aberu Kebede. The Ethiopian is also unmatched in her
knowledge of local conditions as she prepares to contest the most
spectacular German road race for the fourth time on Sunday. Her list of
achievements shows two wins and one second place and a third victor would
take her level to the women who hold the record number of wins at the BMW
BERLIN-MARATHON: Uta Pippig of Germany and Poland's Renata Kokowska each
have three titles to their name. German interest in the elite women's field
centres on Katharina Heinig who will be making her Berlin debut 22 years
after her mother won the title.
Berlin has once again attracted a massive turnout with 41,283 runners,
5,445 inline skaters, 185 handbikers and 37 wheelchair competitors while
over a million spectators will be expected along the course. The total of
participants doesn't finish there since 10,010 schoolchildren will take
part in the Mini-Marathon. The Breakfast Run on Saturday is likely to
feature around 11,000 participants and the various Kids Runs and Skating
events, also on Saturday, should attract more than 1,500. The BMW
BERLIN-MARATHON is Germany's biggest one-day sports event. It is part of
the Abbott World Marathon Majors which brings together the six most
important marathons in the world (Tokyo, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago
and New York) and is a IAAF Gold Label race, the highest category of road
event awarded by the governing body of world athletics.
The 43rd edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON begins at 0915, the wheelchairs
start at 0850 and the handbikers at 0858.
Ethiopia's top women runners have dominated the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in the
past ten years. While they have won the event six times, Kenya's women took
the event on three occasions. Germany's Irina Mikitenko is the only non
African winner in this period with her German record of 2:19:19 in 2008.
A year ago Kenya's Gladys Cherono clocked a world leading 2:19:25, beating
Aberu Kebede. The Ethiopian finished second with 2:20:48. However it is
likely that Ethiopian women will continue their Berlin success story on
Sunday.
"I have trained well and hope that this time I will finally break the 2:20
barrier," said Aberu Kebede, who won with a time of 2:23:58 in 2010. Two
years later she returned to the German capital and improved to 2:20:30,
winning the race for the second time. This still remains her personal best.
While fellow-Ethiopian Amane Beriso had to cancel her start due to an
injury it looks likely that another runner from this country will be the
main rival for Aberu Kebede: It will be a first start in Berlin for Birhane
Dibaba. "I know about the fast course and the great support from the
spectators. Additionally I have heard that the weather is ofter favourable
in Berlin," said Dibaba, who won the Tokyo Marathon in 2015 and features a
personal best of 2:22:30.
National interest in the women's race focusses very much on the daughter of
Katrin Dörre-Heinig. The former world-class marathoner won in Berlin back
in 1994 with a course record of 2:25:15. On Sunday her daughter Katharina
will run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON for the first time and hopes for a
significant improvement. So far the personal best of the 27 year-old stands
at 2:33:56. She may well run below 2:30 on the fast course.
Main women contenders with personal bests
Aberu Kebede ETH 2:20:30
Birhane Dibaba ETH 2:22:30
Reina Iwade JPN 2:24:38
Ruti Aga ETH 2:25:27
Janet Ronoh KEN 2:26:03
Charlotte Purdue GBR 2:32:48
Cassie Fien AUS 2:33:36
Katharina Heinig GER 2:33:56
New: Entertainment before the Start and Internet Streams
An innovation this year is Sunday's entertainment programme for
participants and spectators in the grandstand before the start. Seven giant
video screens will show live pictures from 0715 ranging including stories
about the marathon's history, important pre-race information and all the
emotions that go with Germany's biggest marathon. A live stream (Second
Screen) shows the mass runners on the course from midday on
www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com. This stream continues on a tape loop on the
website after the coverage is finished. "Almost Live" clips on Facebook
during the marathon show brief highlights of the race both from the elite
as well as the mass field.
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Press Conferences
All press conferences take place in the Charlottenburg Room of the Hotel
InterContinental. The media centre is also in the Hotel InterContinental.
Friday, September 23 at 1000 Elite Wheelchairs and Handbikers Participants:
Marcel Hug, Manuela Schär, Heinz Frei, Vico Merklein and Christiane Reppe
followed by (approx. 1100) Elite Men Participants: Wilson Kipsang, Kenenisa
Bekele, Emmanuel Mutai, Yuki Kawauchi and Steffen Uliczka
Saturday, September 24 at 1800 BMW Winter Sport Relay Miriam Gössner,
Biathlete, Sven Fischer, Biathlete, Tobias Wendl, Luge and Johannes
Lochner, Bob Sleigh
Saturday, September 24 at approx. 18.30 Inline Skating: Winners and Leading
Finishers
Sunday, September 25 at approx. 12.30 Winners and Leading Finishers
Further Information is in the Media Guide
The Media Guide for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
contains a wide range of information and statistics and is available on the
website to download.
More information is available online at: www.berlin-marathon.com
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