Guye Adola has joined the starting line-up for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday, October 29. The Ethiopian is a world-class marathon runner. Also, the winner of the Berlin Marathon in 2021 when he left the great Kenenisa Bekele trailing. His best is 2:03:46. Among his rivals in Frankfurt will be the defending champion Brimin Misoi of Kenya and the latter’s compatriot Samwel Mailu who finished runner-up last year. The fastest woman on the current start list is also a Kenyan, Visiline Jepkesho, with a personal best of 2:21:37.
“I’m expecting a first-class race at our jubilee edition,” said the race director Jo Schindler. Germany’s oldest city marathon will celebrate its 40th edition on Sunday, October 29.
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is on course to maintain its reputation for strong performances. Among the elite are high numbers for the mass field with around 25,000 expected to take part. The event holds an Elite Road Race Label, awarded by World Athletics, the sport’s governing body. Entries are still available at www.frankfurt-marathon.com
Adola is the fastest man in the field. His personal best of 2:03:46 was all the more impressive since he ran it on his debut at the distance in Berlin in 2017. He finished second to the great Eliud Kipchoge and led the great Kenyan for almost 40 kilometres. The greatest triumph of his career – so far – has also been in Berlin when he won the event two years ago in 2:05:45, a performance of special merit in warm conditions and leaving another all-time great, Kenenisa Bekele, well behind. A spate of injuries has prevented Adola from achieving his aim of improving his personal best.
Misoi won the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon last year in impressive style, running a personal best of 2:06:11 which took him just over a minute clear of Samwel Mailu on the race to the finish in the Festhalle. The latter, whose entry for this year in Frankfurt had already been confirmed, has shown excellent form. On April 23, he won the Vienna Marathon in a personal best and course record of 2:05:08. This places him tenth on times for the marathon rankings for 2023.
One of the leading contenders for the women’s title also has a victory in Vienna to her credit: Magdalyne Masai of Kenya ran 2:24:12 to win the title in April but her personal best of 2:22:16 comes from winning in Toronto in 2019. The fastest woman in the field in the current line-up is Visiline Jepkesho, also from Kenya, though her best of 2:21:37 goes back almost a decade to a fourth place in Paris in 2014.
Both will have to keep a sharp eye on Buzunesh Gudeta. The Ethiopian finished fourth in Barcelona in 2:22:38 in March. Another athlete to note is the European silver medallist in the marathon, Matea Parlov Kostro, whose participation has already been announced. The runner from Croatia set a personal best with victory in Hanover in spring with 2:25:45, continuing her upward trend.
Further information and online registration can be found at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com