Press Release - Marathon Hamburg - 4/23/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                      HASPA MARATHON HAMBURG ON SUNDAY

   Former World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase added to deep Hamburg fields

Gotytom Gebreslase, the World Champion from Eugene 2022, has been added to 
the strong elite field of Sunday's HASPA Marathon Hamburg. The Ethiopian 
was runner-up at last year's global championships in Budapest and has a 
personal best of 2:18:11. With this time she is the fastest woman ever 
entered into the HASPA Marathon Hamburg. In the men's race Bernard Koech 
returns to Hamburg as the defending champion. The Kenyan broke the course 
record last year with 2:04:09. Organisers expect to register a total of 
more than 35,000 runners for the 38th edition of the Haspa Marathon 
Hamburg. Over 14,000 of them are marathon runners.

"We have made a really strong development in recent years. In the past two 
editions there were three course records and world-class times. Now we have 
assembled another great field and it is quite possible that the course 
records come under threat once again," said the chief organiser of 
Germany's biggest spring marathon, Frank Thaleiser.

Gotytom Gebreslase, who sensationally won her marathon debut in Berlin in 
2021, hopes to still qualify for the Olympic Games. However because of the 
extraordinary strong competition for the three places she would probably 
have to smash the course record of 2:17:23 set by fellow-Ethiopian 
Yalemzerf Yehualaw two years ago. Nine Ethiopian women have run sub 2:17:00 
during the qualifying period, which was supposed to end on 30th April but 
has now been extended by World Athletics to 5th May. 

Getaneh Molla heads an impressive men's start list on which seven athletes 
have personal bests faster than 2:05:00. The Ethiopian ran his PB of 
2:03:34 when winning an impressive marathon debut in Dubai in 2019. However 
he could not produce such a strong time again since then. In contrast 
course record holder Bernard Koech has already run sub 2:05 on three 
occasions. While fellow-Kenyan Samwel Mailu had to cancel his start because 
of an injury, a debutant could be in for a surprise: Former Kenyan Abraham 
Cheroben, who competes for Bahrain, has a world-class half marathon PB of 
58:40. 

Elite runners with personal bests

MEN:

Getaneh Molla     ETH 2:03:34
Bernard Koech     KEN 2:04:09
Roland Korir      KEN 2:04:22
Dickson Chumba    KEN 2:04:32
Barselius Kipyego KEN 2:04:48
Brimin Misoi      KEN 2:04:53
Philemon Kiplimo  KEN 2:04:56
Oqbe Ruesom       ERI 2:05:51
Haymanot Alew     ETH 2:05:57
Tsedat Ayana      ETH 2:06:18
Geoffrey Kirui    KEN 2:06:27
Olivier Irabaruta BDI 2:07:13
Jake Robertson    NZL 2:08:26
Amaury Paquet     BEL 2:08:44
Martin Musau      UGA 2:08:45
Benjamin Preisner CAN 2:08:58
Abraham Cheroben  KEN Debut

WOMEN:

Gotytom Gebreslase  ETH 2:18:18
Winfridah Moseti    KEN 2:20:55
Sharon Chelimo      KEN 2:22:07
Kidsan Alema        ETH 2:22:28
Natasha Wodak       CAN 2:23:12
Margaret Wangari    KEN 2:23:52
Jessica Augusto     POR 2:24:25
Ayantu Kumela       ETH 2:24:29
Jackline Cherono    KEN 2:24:43
Carla Salome Rocha  POR 2:24:47
Katharina Steinruck GER 2:24:56
Fadouwa Ledhem      FRA 2:25:50
Irine Cheptai       KEN Debut
Aminet Ahmed        ETH Debut

More information about the Haspa Marathon Hamburg is available at: 
www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de 
 
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