Mainova Frankfurt Marathon Diaries: Mamitu Daska wins Frankfurt in 2:25:27, despite stomach battles

The women, lead by Mamitu Daska, Sutume Kebede, Sarah Jebet, Fete Tola were upfront, with Charlotte Purdue, Lindsay Flanagan, Martina Strahl and Mona Steckhecke in a pack.

Mamitu Daska had told the media she wanted the course record of 2:21:09. Daska has a PB of 2:21:59 from 2011. Last summer, she ran 30:55 on the track.

Sutume Kebede has a PB of 2:24:00, and looked ready to roll. Kebede and Deska were insperable, 16:57 at 5k, 33:44 for 10k, 50:18 for 15k and 1:07:01 for 20k. They had 40 seconds on the field at half marathon, hit in 1:10:40, a 2:21:20 pace.

Then, the race got interesting. Mamitu Daska and Sutume Kebede continued to battle, with Daska hitting 25k in 1:23:38, as Kebede began to drop back, she hitting 25k in 1:23:50. That twelve seconds became 1: 56 by 30 kilometers as Daska hit 30k in 1:40:28, and Kebede hit 1:42:24. By 32 kilometers, Kebede was a wreck, and out of the race.

Just past 33 kilometers, Mamitu Daska vomited, straight out of the Exorcist movie (but this was not pea soup), and continued to run. She lost four minutes over those final kilometers.

Despite her stomach distress, Mamitu Daska stayed on 2:21:30 pace through 35 kilometers, then, the stomach and exhaustion took over. Daska lost 4 minutes in the last 5 kilometers. Fate Tola began to close.

Mamitu Daska, looking worse than she felt, finished in first in 2:25:27. Without the stomach distress, Daska was on for a 2:21 time. Her half splits were 1:10:44, and 1:14:48.

Fate Tola, in her first German championships, had run a modest race, and finished second in 2:25:42, winning her first German title. She was seventeen seconds behind the winner.

Sarah Jebet surprised herself, running for third and a nice 2:27:07. In fourth Lindsay Flanagan ran 2:29:28, a PB by 3 minutes and 42 seconds! Charlotte Purdue, GBR, who had a DNF due to food poisoning at Berlin, came back in Frankfurt, in fifth with a big PB in 2:30:04, a two minute, 26 second improvement. Martina Strahl, a fine mountain runner (2x European champ, mountain running), was sixth in 2:30:58, an improvement all the way from 2:36:58!. Mona Stockhecke, a German geologist, who trains in Duluth, Minnesota, scored a PB of 2 minutes, three seconds with her 2:31:30.

Lindsay Flanagan, the young American women, who began marathoning two slight years ago, improved her debut 2:33:12 to 2:29:28 on a perfect day. Running a race close to her limit, Lindsay closed very well, moving into fourth as her competitors were succumbing to end of the race woes. After her race, Lindsay was quite happy with her wonderful run. As Flanagan told us before the race, "Frankfurt was an opportunity that I could not miss." Enough said.

Charlotte Purdue, the British marathoner, had a bad episode at Berlin on September 25. She had to drop out. Not wanting to waste fine shape, Charlotte joined Lindsay Flanagan, Martina Strehl, and Mona Stockhecke, as all ran well, record PBs from two minutes to six minutes!

After her race, Mona Stockhecke spoke for many in the field today, who called the race "super" and effortless".

The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon has the charm of old Europe, and running from another time. About 25 percent of the field were woman in the marathon, like running in the US in the 1980s, and the course is fast, well maintained, and the weather was perfect. The finish is unique and the cheering is deafening!

Consider Mainova Frankfurt Marathon for a marathon in your future!

2016 Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, top 10 women, 1. Mamitu Daska, ETH, 2:25:27, 2. Fate Tola, GER, 2:25:42, 3. Sarah Jebet, KEN, 2:27:07, 4. Lindsay Flanagan, USA, 2:29:28 PB , 5. Charlotte Lucy Purdue, GBR, 2:30:04 PB, 6. Martina Strahl, AUT, 2:30:58, 7. Helen Bekele Tola, ETH, 2:31:26, 8. Mona Stonhecke, GER, 2:31:30 PB, 9. Tracy Barlow, GBR, 2:32:04, 10. Milda Vilcinskaite, LIT, 2:34:48, ! #frankfurtmarathon, #ffm2016, #mainova, #bmw, #asics, #runblogrun, #emenews, #schneiderelectric, #theshoeaddicts, #runningnetwork