Press Release - Frankfurt Marathon - 10/2/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

               Makau Motivated for Frankfurt After Watching Berlin

Organisers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon have released the field of the 
elite runners today. World record holder Patrick Makau (Kenya) is the stand 
out competitor while in the women's event defending champion Mamitu Daska 
(Ethiopia) returns. Germany's next major international marathon will be 
started on 28th October. A capacity field of around 15,000 runners is 
expected at the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, which is an IAAF Gold Label road 
race. Adding other running events a total of 25,000 athletes will compete.

Regarding the very top of the men's field, this is the best ever in the 
history of the race. Five runners with personal bests of sub 2:05:45 will 
be competing in Frankfurt. Patrick Makau is looking forward to the 
challenge. After not being selected for the London Olympic Games the 27 
year-old intends to make a statement with a very good performance. He will 
be looking for a very good result on the fast Frankfurt course, where 
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) had established a 2:03:42 course record in 2011. 
This is just four seconds slower than Patrick Makau's world record of 
2:03:38, which he ran in Berlin. On Sunday Makau watched the Berlin 
Marathon, where fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai attacked his world record but 
had to be content with a world leading time of 2:04:15.

"I followed the marathon on TV – but I can not comment on the race. I can 
only speak for myself: My training went well. And having seen the Berlin 
race this has motivated me for Frankfurt," said Patrick Makau on the phone 
when talking to Frankfurt's elite race coordinator Christoph Kopp. The 
world record holder will be eager to establish himself as the world's 
fastest marathon runner of the year, a position he had had in the past two 
years. Targeting the 2:04:15 run by Geoffrey Mutai last Sunday in Berlin it 
may well turn out to become a world record chase if conditions are 
suitable. So far there are only five runners in history who have broken the 
men's world marathon record more than once.

MEN:
Patrick Makau      KEN    2:03:38 (WR)
Yemane Tsegay      ETH    2:04:48
Albert Matebor     KEN    2:05:25
Bazu Worku         ETH    2:05:25
Deressa Chimsa     ETH    2:05:42
Gilbert Kirwa      KEN    2:06:14
Wilfred Kigen      KEN    2:07:33
Abraham Kiprotich  FRA    2:08:35
Daniel Limo        KEN    2:08:59
Peter Some         KEN    2:10:16
Peter Wanjiru      KEN    2:12:11
Mustafa Mohamed    SWE    2:12:28
Sören Kah          GER    2:14:25
Henrik Them        DEN    2:17:47
Victor Kipchirchir KEN    Debut
Derek Hawkins      GBR    Debut
Tewelde Estifanos  ERI    Debut

WOMEN:
Bezunesh Bekele    ETH     2:20:30
Mamitu Daska       ETH     2:21:59
Georgina Rono      KEN     2:24:33
Agnes Barsosio     KEN     2:25:49
Patricia Morceli   SUI     2:37:28
Tone Ilstad Hjalmarsen NOR Debut

More information is available at: www.bmw-frankfurt-marathon.com

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