Race preview: BMW Frankfurt Marathon - October 30, 2011
Strong Ethiopian and Kenyan competitors have been added to the women’s field of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, which will see its 30th edition on 30th October. Merima Mohammed, Mamitu Daska, Fate Tola and Agnes Kiprop will feature in Germany’s second major marathon race. Five weeks after the Berlin race, organisers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon expect a record entry of about 14,000 runners and similar high-class results as seen last Sunday in the German capital.
There are more parallels between Frankfurt and Berlin. For example this year they have the same title sponsor and they are the only German road races that have been awarded with the prestigious IAAF Gold Label. Online entry and further information are available at: www.bmw-frankfurt-marathon.com
So far organisers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon had announced a number of European women elite runners, who will compete at the jubilee edition. Among them were Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaupt (winner of Frankfurt in 2008/PB: 2:26:21), Liz Yelling (Great Britain/2:28:33), Aniko Kalovics (Hungary/2:29:04), Kirsten Melkevik (Norway/2:29:12), Susanne Hahn (Germany/2:29:26) and Andrea Mayr (Austria/2:30:43).
With Kenya’s Agnes Kiprop a former Frankfurt champion returns to the race through Germany’s financial capital. Actually it will be the third time in a row that Agnes Kiprop will run here. In 2009 she won the race with 2:26:57 and a year ago she improved her personal best to 2:24:07, when finishing third in Frankfurt. The Kenyan showed another fine performance this spring, when she placed second in the Paris Marathon with 2:24:43. Agnes Kiprop will surely be in contention for victory and could try to break 2:24 for the first time.
The three Ethiopians Merima Mohammed, Mamitu Daska and Fate Tola have in common that they have won a marathon this year already. 19 year-old youngster Merima Mohammed had clocked an amazing personal best of 2:23:06 at the age of 18 in 2010. She won the Toronto Marathon with this time and will most likely be the fastest runner in the field in Frankfurt. This year she has already run two marathons. First the Ethiopian finished second in Mumbai (2:26:57), then she competed at another very warm marathon: In May she won in Düsseldorf, clocking 2:28:15 in the heat.
Mamitu Daska boosts a string of fine marathon performances in recent years. This year the 27 year-old took the Houston Marathon with 2:26:33. But her greatest win so far had come one year earlier: In January 2010 she was just ahead of fellow country woman Aberu Shewaye in the Dubai Marathon, clocking her personal best of 2:24:18. The third Ethiopian to watch in Frankfurt will be Fate Tola. The 23 year-old was the surprise winner of the Vienna City Marathon this April. Coached by Irina Mikitenko’s trainer and husband Alexander she improved to 2:26:21.
More information available at: www.bmw-frankfurt-marathon.com
Photo: Agnes Kiprop competing in Frankfurt in 2010 © www.photorun.net
