Press Release - Frankfurt Marathon - 9/9/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Former Boston Champion Dire Tune and European Champion Zivile Balciunaite 
              Will Run in Frankfurt on 31st October

Former Boston Marathon champion Dire Tune and the reigning European 
Champion Zivile Balciunaite have been signed for the Commerzbank Frankfurt 
Marathon. Organisers, who annouced these two names today, are eager to 
improve their women's course record of 2:25:12. Recently Kenyans Wilson 
Kipsang (PB: 2:07:13) and Wilfred Kigen (2:07:33) had been signed to run 
the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon. The race, which boosts an IAAF Gold 
Label, will take place on 31st October. A record field of around 13,000 
runners is expected to take part in the race. Online entry is still 
available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

While the men's course record has been broken a couple of times in recent 
years and now stands at 2:06:14 the women's best stands for five years now. 
Russia's Alevtina Biktimirova had won in 2:25:12 in 2005. "We hope to 
finally see a women's course record this year. It is the goal to get a good 
sub 2:25 time," said Race Director Jo Schindler. 

With the signing of Dire Tune a fast women's race could very well 
materialize. The Ethiopian had some extraordinary success in the marathon 
in recent years. And her personal best of 2:24:40 is a good half minute 
faster than the course record of the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon. Around 
two and a half years ago Dire Tune was regarded as one of the favourites in 
the race for the Olympic marathon gold medal. She had started the Olympic 
year by winning the Houston Marathon in January (clocking her PB of 
2:24:40) and then taking the Boston title as well three months later with 
2:25:25. In this race she beat Frankfurt's course record holder Alevtina 
Biktimirova by just two seconds after a thrilling duel. 

But probably the effort it took to win in Boston harmed her form in the 
Olympic Marathon. In Beijing Dire Tune had to be content with 15th place. 
Additionally she then ran the New York Marathon as well, where she finished 
seventh. In 2009 Dire Tune returned to Boston and this time she was the one 
beaten in a sprint finish. It looked as if she would retain her Boston 
crown, but before she broke the tape Kenya's Salina Kosgei snatched 
victory. In the closest women's finish in the history of the Boston 
Marathon Dire Tune was beaten by just one second. In the summer she again 
could not show her potential in a major championship. In the Berlin World 
Championships she finished 23rd in 2009. 

This year however Dire Tune chose a different approach to the marathon. 
After running six races in less than two years in 2008 and 2009 the 
Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon will be her first one in 2010. Still only 25 
years old Dire Tune hopes to bring her marathon career back on track with a 
great performance on 31st October. She has run a couple of half marathons 
plus shorter distances in 2010. While her personal best in the half 
marathon stands at 67:18 she ran 67:58 in February finishing fifth in Ras 
Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates).

In contrast to Dire Tune Lithuania's Zivile Balciunaite achieved the 
biggest triumph of her career little more than a month ago. The 31 year-old 
took the gold medal at the European Championships in convincing style. In 
tremendous heat Balciunaite dominated the marathon in the final stages. She 
finished in 2:31:14 and was more than a minute ahead of her nearest rival. 

It will be exactly three months after her Barcelona race when she competes 
at the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon. On the fast course Zivile 
Balciunaite intends to transform her fine championships' form into a good 
time although it will already be her fourth marathon this year. Her 
personal best of 2:25:15, which she ran when placing second in Tokyo, is 
five years old. In between she also had another great championships' race, 
when she came in 11th at the Olympic Marathon in 2008. 

For more information and online registration visit: 
www.frankfurt-marathon.com

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