Press Release - Frankfurt Marathon - 9/17/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on 27th October:

            Seven with PBs under 2:07 and a novelty in Frankfurt

Seven runners with personal bests of sub 2:07 are on the start list of the 
41st edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on 27th October. It looks 
very likely that the eventual winner will come from one of the two great 
running nations, Kenya and Ethiopia. While Herpasa Negasa of Ethiopia 
remains the number one on the list with his world-class personal best of 
2:03:40 Elisha Rotich is among the new additions. The Kenyan has a PB of 
2:04:21. 

Organisers expect a total of more than 25,000 athletes on the last Sunday 
of October. Among them will be over 14,000 marathon runners which is 
significantly more than in 2023. The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is a World 
Athletics Elite Label Road Race. Entries are still accepted at: 
www.frankfurt-marathon.com 

Parts of the men's elite field were announced today. The women's field will 
be released next month. For years Elisha Rotich has produced strong 
marathon races. His best race so far was at the 2021 Paris Marathon. The 
Kenyan won the race with 2:04:21 which remains his personal best and still 
stands as the Paris course record. On the route through the French capital, 
which is not considered very fast, he ran another strong race this spring. 
Rotich was third with 2:06:53 in April. Together with Eric Kiptanui (PB: 
2:05:47), whose participation had been announced earlier, he looks to be 
the strongest Kenyan in the elite field of  the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. 
However a surprise might come from Benard Biwott, a Kenyan debutant who has 
run a 59:47 half marathon this year.

Besides Herpasa Negasa Ethiopia will have four more runners with personal 
bests of sub 2:07 on the start line: Lencho Tesfaye (2:06:18), Aychew 
Bantie (2:06:23), Boki Asefa (2:06:46) and Birhan Nebebew (2:06:52) could 
attack their PBs on the fast Frankfurt course where Kenya's Wilson Kipsang 
clocked the 2:03:42 course record in 2011.

"We expect a very open race since there is no major favourite. It is 
difficult to predict what might be possible with regard to times. But the 
field surely has the potential for a surprise," said Race Direktor Jo 
Schindler. 

While Spain's Abdelaziz Merzougui is the fastest European runner on the 
start list with a personal best of 2:08:00 there is a novelty in the 
history of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon: Married couple Jake Robertson 
and Magdalyne Masai will be among the elite runners. New Zealand's 
Robertson has a personal best of 2:08:26 and could achieve a strong 
finishing position while his Kenyan wife has a PB of 2:22:16 and will be 
among the favorites in Frankfurt.

Further information and online registration is available at: 
www.frankfurt-marathon.com 

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