Press Release - Munich Marathon - 9/21/22

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                  Generali Munich Marathon on 9 October:                 

 Munich restores its Elite Field, Former World Champion Mare Dibaba to run

For the first time in over 20 years, the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON on 
October 9 will take place with an international elite field. The start list 
includes a World champion from 2015, Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia. Her 
compatriot Mengistu Zelalem is currently the fastest man in the field with 
a best of 2:08:48. The GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON, which starts in the 
Olympic Stadium before making its way through the inner city and finishing 
in the imposing setting of the Olympic arena, is an Elite Label Road Race, 
a distinction awarded by World Athletics, the international governing body 
of world athletics. The organisers expect a total of 20,000 participants 
for the 36th edition of this historic race with around 5,000 running the 
marathon.

2001 was the last time the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON had an international 
field. The previous year the Kenyan Michael Kite had set what remains the 
men's course record of 2:09:46. Subsequently the organisers concentrated on 
the German National Championships for a number of years. Susanne Hahn set 
the women's course record of 2:32:11 at one of these races in 2012.

"Of course we hope that both course records will be broken when the winners 
cross the finish line in the Olympic Stadium on October 9," said the Race 
Director Gernot Weigl. "It's the right time to position the race more on 
the international scene. We'd become aware of interest abroad in the 
GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON and decided to join the Label Series of World 
Athletics for road races. For that reason alone we now have an 
international elite field and are hoping for fast races. With the help of 
top times we want to develop the marathon further and show that you can run 
fast in Munich."

A few years ago Mare Dibaba was among the best women marathon runners in 
the world. The 32-year-old crowned her career so far in winning the world 
title in Beijing in 2015. A year later Dibaba took a bronze medal at the 
Olympics in Rio. She also won the Chicago Marathon in 2014, has been second 
twice in Boston, in 2014 and the following year, and has a high quality 
personal best of 2:19:52. Since delivering another impressive performance 
to finish runner-up in the Berlin Marathon in 2019 with 2:20:21, she has 
run just one marathon during the Covid Pandemic, finishing 14th in Boston. 
A diminutive but powerful runner who stands 1.52m tall, the GENERALI MUNICH 
MARATHON offers Mare Dibaba the chance to re-establish herself on the 
international scene.

Among Mare Dibaba's rivals will be her fellow Ethiopian Aberu Mekuria who 
has won her last three marathons. Her personal best is 2:24:30 in winning 
in Chongqing in China in 2019 and she won in Osaka, Japan in the same year 
as well as triumphing in Riga in Latvia this spring. Another to watch 
should be Agnes Keino. The Kenyan has twice shown strong form in Copenhagen 
this year. She finished third in the marathon in May with a personal best 
of 2:25:08 and last Sunday also ran her fastest half marathon to finish 
tenth in 68:47.

Two runners in the men's field have personal bests faster than the course 
record in Munich. Mengistu Zelalem ran 2:08:48 for third place at Castellon 
in Spain in 2020. He was again in good form this spring as the Ethiopian 
again finished third at the same event in 2:09:34. Edwin Kimaiyo has a best 
of 2:09:12 which he set in finishing fourth in Shanghai in 2017. The Kenyan 
was fifth in in Copenhagen in spring with 2:09:44. His compatriot Meshack 
Koech is looking to break 2:10 for the first time in his career in Munich 
but he has gone close already, having clocked 2:10:17.

More information about the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON and online entry is 
available at: www.generalimuenchenmarathon.de

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