Press Release - Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon - 9/24/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

            Kiplagat and Maiyo Among Strong Kenyan Runners

A group of strong Kenyans have entered the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt 
Marathon on 26th October. Among them are William Kiplagat and Benjamin 
Maiyo, who feature personal bests of 2:06:50 and 2:07:09. This will make 36 
year-old Kiplagat the fastest runner ever at the starting line of the 
Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon. While the women's field will see the 
return of the defending champion Melanie Kraus the Kenyan men are looking 
to continue their win streak. They took the oldest German city marathon 
race six times in a row so far. In the past then years only twice was there 
a non-Kenyan winner. The race through Germany's financial capital is an 
IAAF Silver Label Road Race.

With a huge bonus on offer the 27th edition of the Dresdner Kleinwort 
Frankfurt Marathon is expected to become a fast race, in which the course 
record of Wilfred Kigen (Kenya), who clocked 2:07:58 a year ago, might well 
be broken. The winner will receive 95,000 Euros provided he breaks 2:07.

Of course William Kiplagat's personal best comes from a race, which was 
quite a while ago. In 1999 he was third in Amsterdam when he clocked his 
sub 2:07 time. But he had a major win in Rotterdam in 2003, when he ran 
2:07:42. Having started serious running only at the age of 25 William 
Kiplagat might still well be capable of producing a great race.

Ben Maiyo is a runner, who will desperately look for his first major 
marathon win. He had a number of fine races in recent years but could 
achieve the first prize yet. It was in Chicago where he clocked his 
personal best when coming in second in 2005. Half a year later he was again 
second at the Boston Marathon 2006, this time clocking 2:08:21. The 29 
year-old is coached by German Dieter Hogen, who had formed a number of 
world-class runners in the past. Uta Pippig, Sammy Lelei or Evans Rutto are 
among them. Hogen will have a second runner competing in the Dresdner 
Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon: Maiyo's training partner Stephen Kiogora. The 
33 year-old has a personal best of 2:09:21 so far. He won the Las Vegas 
Marathon in 2005 with 2:11:58, but his best performance came in New York in 
2006. Finishing second in 2:10:06 Kiogora  left behind the likes of Paul 
Tergat (Kenya), who at that time still was the world record holder, 
Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa) or Olympic Champion Stefano Baldini 
(Italy).

Coming from the same tribe as Paul Tergat Benson Barus could be in with a 
surprise in Frankfurt. So far the 28 year-old Kenyan has run three 
marathons, which he all finished inside 2:10. His personal best came in 
Milan in 2006, where he finished his debut race in second place with 
2:08:34. Sammy Kurgat's personal best is just very  slightly slower 
(2:08:38). The 33 year-old Kenyan ran that time at the Dresdner Kleinwort 
Frankfurt Marathon a year ago, when he finished third. Kurgat will return 
to the race through Germany's financial capital.

Entry figures for the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon suggest that 
the race will see a record field of about 12,500 marathon runners. This 
would be an increase of about ten percent compared to 2007. Adding all 
other running events the total field of the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt 
Marathon could well reach the 20,000 barrier for the first time. Entries 
for the race are still possible. For more information and online 
registration visit: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

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