byLarry Eder
Mamuta Daska winning the 2012 BMW Frankfurt Marathon,
photo by PhotoRun.net
The BMW Frankfurt marathon has become one of the most important marathons on the global stage. Besides the care of the citizen runners, BMW Frankfurt has built a cast of athletes who are running world class times. Mamitu Daska and Bezunesh Bekele are looking to run sub 2:20 marathons and they want to do it at BMW Frankfurt. This years’ event is October 28, 2012.
Defending champion Mamitu Daska
and fellow-Ethiopian Bezunesh Bekele
will chase sub 2:20 time in Frankfurt
After the sensational signing of world marathon record holder Patrick Makau
(Kenya/2:03:38) and three more runners with personal bests of sub 2:05:30
organisers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon have now announced the top contenders
of their women’s race. Obviously the names are not as spectacular as those in
the men’s field. But there are hopes that the 2:20 barrier could be broken for
the first time in the history of Germany’s oldest city marathon. On 28th October
defending champion Mamitu Daska will race against fellow-Ethiopian Bezunesh Bekele.
Though entry for the 31st edition of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon is still possible
it looks as if the capacity limit of 15,000 runners will be reached well before race
weekend. The BMW Frankfurt Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
With Mamitu Daska not only does the defending champion return to the BMW Frankfurt
Marathon but also the course record holder. The men’s course record had developed
into absolute world-class already some years ago. The climax then came a year ago
when Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang clocked 2:03:42 and missed the world record by only
four seconds. It was different for a long time with the women’s mark, which had
been significantly less impressive for many years. But this began to change two
years ago. Caroline Kilel (Kenya) won the race with 2:23:25 in 2010. Then Mamitu
Daska improved this mark to 2:21:59 a year ago.
When Mamitu Daska, who turns 29 before the race next month, returns to Frankfurt
she knows that she will have to run fast to succeed again. Another course record
is likely when the defending champion clashes with fellow-Ethiopian Bezunesh Bekele.
While Daska’s personal best still is the time from Frankfurt a year ago, Bekele has
been quite a bit quicker. The 29 year-old improved to 2:20:30, when she was fourth
in Dubai this January. Three years earlier Bekele had won the Dubai race with 2:24:02.
After a second place in Berlin in 2010 she was the best placed Ethiopian woman in the
World Championships’ marathon in Daegu (South Korea) a year later. In hot weather
conditions Bezunesh Bekele finished fourth. After her improvement in Dubai she will
now be eager to break the 2:20 mark on the fast course in Frankfurt.
While Daska and Bekele look like the favourites there are three women who could
produce an upset on 28th October. Georgina Rono (Kenya) knows the course from her
sixth place finish in Frankfurt in 2009 (2:31:49). In 2011 she had a very good year,
taking wins in Hannover (2:31:19) and then in Eindhoven with a big improvement to
2:24:33. But her best performance probably was at this year’s Boston Marathon,
where she finished third after running in the leading group until the final
stage of the race. Due to the very hot weather conditions in Boston times
were much slower than usual. Georgina Rono clocked 2:33:09 in this prestigious
competition. The other two to be watched are Fatuma Sado (Ethiopia), who took
this year’s Los Angeles Marathon with 2:25:39, and Agnes Jeruto Barsosio.
The Kenyan won her debut marathon in Duesseldorf this spring, breaking the
course record. She ran 2:25:49, improving the old mark by almost a minute.
BMW Frankfurt Marathon: A rewarding challenge for managers
For the fifth time the BMW Frankfurt Marathon presents an exclusive competition
for managers from middle to executive level with an incredible prize. This year the
fastest “Marathon Managers” will win a trip to the Mauritius Marathon in July 2013.
Included in the winners’ package is the flight, a stay in the hotel “Tamassa”,
race entry, pasta party, gala dinner and all transfers. The winners can take
an accompanying person for free. To take part runners who are professional
managers can tick the appropriate box when entering online for the BMW Frankfurt
Marathon. Winners will need to proof they are working as managers.
The course of the Mauritius Marathon is internationally certified and is always
good for a personal best. The race starts on July 14, 2013 and features one of
the most beautiful courses in the world. It leads over coastal roads along the
lagoons of the island, goes through an UNESCO protected site and ends with a
memorable finish on the beach.
The marathon manager competition has been a success story at the BMW Frankfurt Marathon.
Last year 429 managers participated. The fastest woman was Carola Bendl-Tschiedel from
Vienna who broke the competition’s course record with her personal best of 2:48:53.
The fastest male runner was Marco Schwab, a construction engineer from the region
who finished in 2:25:49. “The feedback we got from last year was so overwhelming
that we decided to partner with the Mauritius Marathon again,” says Race Director
Jo Schindler.
Second and third places will win a trip to the Barcelona- and Vienna City Marathons
in 2013, both including the flight and a two-day stay in a hotel.
More information and online registration is available at:
PLEASE NOTE:
Service by: www.race-news-service.com
