Karoline Grovdal to run marathon debut at Hamburg Marathon

A strong women’s field headed by Workenesh Edesa will line up at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on April 27. Edesa, who features a personal best of 2:18:51, is among a group of fast Ethiopian athletes. Norway’s European Half Marathon Champion Karoline Grovdal will run her debut.

Karoline Grovdal is the most prominent name on the current women’s start list, which may well see additions in the coming weeks. Having won the European Cross Country Championships three times in a row from 2021 to 2023 the 34-year-old Norwegian enjoyed her best year so far in 2024. Twelve months ago Grovdal took the New York Half Marathon and then stormed to her biggest career win, when she became the European Half Marathon Champion in Rome. 

In late summer Grovdal then ran a fine half marathon PB of 66:55 in Copenhagen, which indicates that she might well be capable of achieving a marathon time in her debut that puts her among Europe’s fastest runners this year. Last Sunday the Norwegian ran a solid 69:03 when she returned to the New York Half Marathon. She was six seconds faster than last year, however, had to be content with seventh place this time. “I think Hamburg is a good place to start my marathon career,” she said.

Workenesh Edesa is one of the fastest women ever to appear on a start list of a Haspa Marathon Hamburg. The 32-year-old managed to run her PB of 2:18:51 on two occasions: First, she was fourth in Berlin in 2022 and then she established the current course record of the Osaka Marathon in 2024. In January this year, Edesa returned to the famous women-only elite marathon in Osaka and successfully defended her title with 2:21:00. Coached by Gemedu Dedefo in Addis Ababa she is a member of what is most likely the world’s strongest marathon training group at the moment. 

Three more Ethiopian women are on the start list with personal bests between 2:20 and 2:21. Etagegn Woldu just missed breaking the prestigious 2:20 barrier when she ran 2:20:03 in Valencia in 2022. Known as a very consistent marathon runner Waganesh Mekesha ran her personal best of 2:20:44 last autumn when she won the Toronto Marathon. Sichala Kumeshi made a huge improvement by almost five minutes when she took the Houston Marathon this January with 2:20:42.

Fifteen thousand marathon runners have registered for the 39th edition, Germany’s biggest spring marathon.