Press Release - Hannover Marathon - 3/4/14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                 Former Champion Evans Ruto Returns

Former champion Evans Ruto will return to the TUI MarathonHannover on 
27th April. The Kenyan won the race five years ago with a time of 2:10:47. 
One of his strongest rivals should be Ethiopia's Mekuant Ayenew who 
finished runner-up last year with a personal best of 2:10:05. Algeria's 
Souad Ait Salem heads the women's field with a personal best of 2:25:08. 
The TUI MarathonHannover continued its rise with two course records in 2013 
and has now been upgraded to an IAAF Silver Label Road Race. 

A year ago South Africa's Lusapho April clocked 2:08:32 while Ukraine's 
Olena Burkovska crossed the line in 2:27:07 in Hannover. These marks could 
be targeted on this very flat course in the heart of Germany. At today's 
press conference in Hannover organisers released a first set of names for 
the elite fields. Among them is one former champion: Evans Ruto will have 
very good memories of the TUI Marathon Hannover. It was here, where his 
career got a significant boost in 2009: Ruto won his first marathon and 
broke 2:11. In the meantime the 30 year-old Kenyan improved by another 
three minutes. He ran 2:07:49 in Kosice in 2012. Ruto already won a 
marathon early this year, when he took the Mumbai race in January with 
2:09:33. 

Mekuant Ayenew improved his personal best by more than two minutes in 
Hannover a year ago. The Ethiopian was second with 2:10:05, just missing 
out on a sub 2:10.  Dennis Ndiso (Kenya/2:10:47), Abdelhadi El Hachimi 
(Belgium/2:11:30) and Hosea Kipkemboi (Kenya/2:12:05) are among other 
runners on the start list. Ndiso was just eight seconds behind the winner 
in last year's Chongqing Marathon in China, where he ran his personal best. 
El Hachimi took the Antwerp Marathon in 2013 while Kipkemboi should be able 
to do much better than his PB suggests. He ran that time in high altitude, 
when he was second in Nairobi in 2013.

The women's field will see the return of the runner-up from last year as 
well: Edinah Kwambai (Kenya) clocked 2:29:49 in her debut marathon in 
Hannover – a time which was still inside the former course record. She then 
improved by 14 seconds in Ljubljana, where she was second once more. For 
now Kwambai is the second fastest woman entered into the TUI Marathon 
Hannover as Souad Ait Salem heads the list with a time of 2:25:08. The 
Algerian record holder and 2007 Rome Marathon champion has not run a 
marathon in 2013. The 35 year-old was fourth in Prague in 2012 with 2:27:21 
and then finished 31st in the Olympic marathon in London. 

While Salem and Kwambai could attack the course record Germany's Lisa 
Hahner will hope to break 2:30 in Hannover. Her personal best stands at 
2:30:17 from Frankfurt in 2013. Hannover will be Hahner's fourth marathon.

More information about the TUI MarathonHannover is available online at: 
www.marathon-hannover.de  
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