Germany’s Domenika Mayer didn’t so much win the ADAC Marathon Hannover as she annexed it, again, with the sort of authority that suggests she now has her mail forwarded there. The 35‑year‑old went out early, went out hard, and never bothered to look back—because why would she? Her 70:31 halfway split already had Fabienne Königstein fading into the background, and by the finish Mayer had carved the course record down to 2:21:26, nearly two minutes off her PB and good enough to vault her to No. 2 all‑time among German women. Only Irina Mikitenko remains ahead, and Mayer is already eyeing that 2:20 barrier with the pragmatic urgency of someone who knows she’s not 25 anymore.
Königstein, coming off an injury and short prep, held on for second in 2:24:31, pleased enough with the outing and already plotting Birmingham in August. Ethiopia’s Almaz Negede completed the podium in 2:30:25. Mayer, meanwhile, quietly collected her fourth Hannover title—because of course she did.
The men’s race offered more theatre. Zimbabwe’s Godwin Katakura spent most of the morning alone off the front, only to detonate late and watch Kenya’s Maru Thomas Kibet sweep past with a little over two kilometres remaining. Kibet, who arrived with a 2:13:48 PB, left with a 2:07:53 and the sort of wide‑eyed ambition that leads a man to say he now wants to run 2:03. Katakura still walked away with a massive PB of his own, while Ethiopia’s Asnake Dubre took third in 2:10:22.
With Johannes Motschmann stepping off at 25K, the German title opened up for Tom Thurley, who seized it with a tidy 2:11:02 PB. The semi‑pro admitted he’d hoped the day might break his way, but marathons are fickle creatures. This one obliged. A sub‑2:10 is next on his wish list, along with a European Championships berth if the selectors are feeling generous.
More than 6,000 marathoners and nearly 34,000 total participants filled out the weekend—Hannover’s biggest edition yet. But the headlines belonged to Mayer, who once again treated the course as her personal training loop, and to Kibet, who discovered that sometimes the best way to win a marathon is simply to keep going when the guy ahead of you stops doing so.
Results
Results, Men:
1. Maru Thomas Kibet KEN 2:07:53
2. Godwin Katakura ZIM 2:08:46
3. Asnake Dubre ETH 2:10:22
4. Christopher Kitetu KEN 2:10:45
5. Archie Casteel SWE 2:10:56
6. Tom Thurley GER 2:11:02
Women:
1. Domenika Mayer GER 2:21:26
2. Fabienne Königstein GER 2:24:31
3. Almaz Negede ETH 2:30:25
4. Cecilia Wayua KEN 2:30:36
5. Katharina Saathoff GER 2:30:51
6. Mercy Kipkemoi KEN 2:31:48
