Press Release - Frankfurt Marathon - 6/21/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

               Champions Wilson Kipsang and Gilbert Kirwa 
                  return to Frankfurt, jubilee edition 
                offers world record bonus for first time

This year's jubilee edition will see a clash of the past two champions, who 
had both improved the course record by a significant margin: Kenyans Wilson 
Kipsang and Gilbert Kirwa will return for the 30th BMW Frankfurt Marathon 
on 30th October. Organisers of Germany's oldest city marathon, which boosts 
a Gold Label for Road Races awarded by the International Association of 
Athletics Federations (IAAF), expect a record number of around 14,000 
runners to compete on the fast city loop course. Online entry and further 
information are available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

"We are ready to make the next step," said Jo Schindler, the Race Director 
of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon. His race has made an astonishing progress in 
the past few years and has established itself as one of the fastest 
marathons in the world. After three course records in three years and an 
improvement from 2:07:58 to 2:04:57 the BMW Frankfurt Marathon has come 
quite close to the official world record time of Haile Gebrselassie 
(2:03:59). That is why organisers decided to offer a world record bonus for 
the first time in the event's history. If the record should be broken the 
winner would take a total of 145,000 Euros, which is the highest prize 
money available in marathon running on German speaking territory.

It was in October 2010 when the race got worldwide recognition because of 
Wilson Kipsang's sensational winning time. Clocking 2:04:57 the Kenyan 
became the eighth fastest marathon runner ever at that time. "Because of 
this superb time a lot more world-class athletes are now interested in 
coming to Frankfurt. They now know that it is possible to run very fast 
there," said Christoph Kopp, who is responsible for the elite field of the 
BMW Frankfurt Marathon. "Additionally we were able to further improve the 
course. This year there will be eight bends less in the inner city," he 
added.

This spring Wilson Kipsang took the Lake Biwa Marathon (Japan) with a 
course record of 2:06:13. When he now turns to Frankfurt again he is 
looking to further improve his personal best. "My aim is to get closer to 
the world record and to try to break it," he had said in Frankfurt last 
year, adding: "I think it is possible to run a world record here."

A very strong opponent has already been signed for the BMW Frankfurt 
Marathon as well: Gilbert Kirwa had won the race in 2009, when he improved 
the course record to 2:06:14. Coming back to Frankfurt two years later the 
25 year-old Kenyan also targets a very fast time after some weaker 
performances in the past 12 months. 

While Austria's national record holder Günther Weidlinger (2:10:47 in 
Frankfurt 2009) had much earlier agreed to return, a promising German 
runner has now been added to the field: Former European 10,000 m champion 
Jan Fitschen will run his second marathon in Frankfurt. He was unfortunate 
at his debut race in Düsseldorf in May, where very high temperatures made 
it extremely tough for all participants. Jan Fitschen finished with 2:20:15 
and will now target a time of around 2:15.

The women's race will see the return of a former champion as well: Sabrina 
Mockenhaupt intends to qualify for the Olympic Games in Frankfurt. In 2008 
she had surprisingly taken the event with a personal best of 2:26:22. She 
managed to improve this time by a single second in Berlin a year ago. But 
driving rain made it difficult in Germany's capital in 2010. Sabrina 
Mockenhaupt will now target a time of around 2:25 at the BMW Frankfurt 
Marathon.

For more information: www.frankfurt-marathon.com

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