PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
30 Africans to feature in BMW Frankfurt marathon 27 Oct
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Some 30 Africans will be part of the elite field of runners when the BMW Frankfurt Marathon takes place on 27 October, 2013, organizers said in a statement received by PANA here Wednesday.
They said that the Africans were part of the 15,000 runners expected to compete in the 32nd edition of Germany’s oldest city marathon. The BMW Frankfurt Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
According to the statement, the 22 African marathoners, including 15 Kenyans and seven Ethiopians, will feature in the men's event while five Ethiopians and three Kenyans will take part in the women's race.
It said that there were 21 men on the start list who have run under 2 hours, 10 minutes (2:10) and five of them even have personal bests (PB) inside 2:05:30. The women’s field will see 10 athletes who have run faster than 2:30 with eight of them featuring PBs of sub 2:25.
The men's elite field will also feature a Ukrainian, a Swiss, one Norwegian, a French runner and one Austrian athlete. There are two Germans, one Dutch, a Briton, a Swiss, one from Poland and an Italian in the ladies' field.
Race Director Jo Schindler, said: “Despite the World Championships this summer, we were able to put together a very good field,” adding that "The extraordinary quality of the fields arouses strong expectations that a fast race is likely if weather conditions are better than last year, when temperatures were just above freezing in the morning."
He said it will still be a tough task to break the course record, which stands at 2:03:42, requiring a world record pace to be put under pressure.
The fastest runners in the field as announced earlier in the month are Dino Sefir (2:04:50), Feyisa Lilesa (both Ethiopia/2:04:52), Vincent Kiprutu (2:05:13), Levy Matebo Omari (2:05:16) and Albert Matebor (2:05:25) -- all Kenyans with Personal Bests of sub 2:05:30.
Eric Ndiema of Kenya (2:06:07) is also regarded as one of the big favourites, but compatriot Moses Masai (2:11:00) could produce a surprise.
It said that the women’s field sees two major additions, apart from those already announced -- Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) returns to Germany a year after her second place in the Berlin Marathon with a PB of 2:21:19.
In the meantime, Tsegaye has won the Dubai Marathon and placed fifth in Boston. As last year, there is a promising debutant from Ethiopia -- Gelete Burka -- who will run her first marathon in Frankfurt.
The 27-year-old has won major medals in the 1,500m and cross country and has also demonstrated her all round talent on the roads in the past two years, running a world class 30:53 at 10km in Madrid’s New Year’s Eve race in 2012.
Below are the Elite Fields.
Men:-
Dino Sefir, ETHIOPIA, 2:04:50
Feyisa Lilesa ETH 2:04:52
Vincent Kipruto KEN 2:05:13
Levy Matebo Omari KEN 2:05:16
Albert Matebor KEN 2:05:25
Eric Ndiema KEN 2:06:07
Gilbert Kirwa KEN 2:06:14
Feyisa Bekele ETH 2:06:26
Benjamin Maiyo KEN 2:07:09
Dmytri Baranovskiy UKR 2:07:15
Assefa Girma ETH 2:07:43
Tadesse Abraham SUI 2:07:45
Elijah Kemboi KEN 2:07:51
Gidena Mirach Gebremedhin ETH 2:08:28
Dereje Raya Tadesse ETH 2:08:46
Robert Kwambai KEN 2:09:14
Urige Arado Buta NOR 2:09:27
Jacob Chesari KEN 2:09:43
Meftah Abdellatif FRA 2:09:46
Lema Feiysa ETH 2:09:47
Jonathan Kiptoo KEN 2:09:57
Johnstone Maiyo KEN 2:10:03
Günther Weidlinger AUT 2:10:47
Moses Masai KEN 2:11:00
Edwin Kipyego KEN Debut
Richard Sigei KEN Debut
Abraham Chebii KEN Debut
The women's field is as follows:
Meselech Melkamu ETH 2:21:01
Tirfi Tsegaye ETH 2:21:19
Eunice Jepkirui KEN 2:21:41
Mamitu Daska ETH 2:21:59
Caroline Kilel KEN 2:22:36
Birhane Dibaba ETH 2:23:51
Flomena Chepchirchir KEN 2:24:21
Hilda Kibet NED 2:24:27
Yeshi Esayias ETH 2:25:31
Hayley Haining GBR 2:29:18
Anna Hahner GER 2:30:14
Maja Neuenschwander SUI 2:30:50
Lisa Hahner GER 2:31:28
Agnieszka Ciolek-Mierzejewska POL 2:33:36
Catherine Bertone ITA 2:34:54
-0- PANA PR/VAO 16Oct2013
They said that the Africans were part of the 15,000 runners expected to compete in the 32nd edition of Germany’s oldest city marathon. The BMW Frankfurt Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
According to the statement, the 22 African marathoners, including 15 Kenyans and seven Ethiopians, will feature in the men's event while five Ethiopians and three Kenyans will take part in the women's race.
It said that there were 21 men on the start list who have run under 2 hours, 10 minutes (2:10) and five of them even have personal bests (PB) inside 2:05:30. The women’s field will see 10 athletes who have run faster than 2:30 with eight of them featuring PBs of sub 2:25.
The men's elite field will also feature a Ukrainian, a Swiss, one Norwegian, a French runner and one Austrian athlete. There are two Germans, one Dutch, a Briton, a Swiss, one from Poland and an Italian in the ladies' field.
Race Director Jo Schindler, said: “Despite the World Championships this summer, we were able to put together a very good field,” adding that "The extraordinary quality of the fields arouses strong expectations that a fast race is likely if weather conditions are better than last year, when temperatures were just above freezing in the morning."
He said it will still be a tough task to break the course record, which stands at 2:03:42, requiring a world record pace to be put under pressure.
The fastest runners in the field as announced earlier in the month are Dino Sefir (2:04:50), Feyisa Lilesa (both Ethiopia/2:04:52), Vincent Kiprutu (2:05:13), Levy Matebo Omari (2:05:16) and Albert Matebor (2:05:25) -- all Kenyans with Personal Bests of sub 2:05:30.
Eric Ndiema of Kenya (2:06:07) is also regarded as one of the big favourites, but compatriot Moses Masai (2:11:00) could produce a surprise.
It said that the women’s field sees two major additions, apart from those already announced -- Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) returns to Germany a year after her second place in the Berlin Marathon with a PB of 2:21:19.
In the meantime, Tsegaye has won the Dubai Marathon and placed fifth in Boston. As last year, there is a promising debutant from Ethiopia -- Gelete Burka -- who will run her first marathon in Frankfurt.
The 27-year-old has won major medals in the 1,500m and cross country and has also demonstrated her all round talent on the roads in the past two years, running a world class 30:53 at 10km in Madrid’s New Year’s Eve race in 2012.
Below are the Elite Fields.
Men:-
Dino Sefir, ETHIOPIA, 2:04:50
Feyisa Lilesa ETH 2:04:52
Vincent Kipruto KEN 2:05:13
Levy Matebo Omari KEN 2:05:16
Albert Matebor KEN 2:05:25
Eric Ndiema KEN 2:06:07
Gilbert Kirwa KEN 2:06:14
Feyisa Bekele ETH 2:06:26
Benjamin Maiyo KEN 2:07:09
Dmytri Baranovskiy UKR 2:07:15
Assefa Girma ETH 2:07:43
Tadesse Abraham SUI 2:07:45
Elijah Kemboi KEN 2:07:51
Gidena Mirach Gebremedhin ETH 2:08:28
Dereje Raya Tadesse ETH 2:08:46
Robert Kwambai KEN 2:09:14
Urige Arado Buta NOR 2:09:27
Jacob Chesari KEN 2:09:43
Meftah Abdellatif FRA 2:09:46
Lema Feiysa ETH 2:09:47
Jonathan Kiptoo KEN 2:09:57
Johnstone Maiyo KEN 2:10:03
Günther Weidlinger AUT 2:10:47
Moses Masai KEN 2:11:00
Edwin Kipyego KEN Debut
Richard Sigei KEN Debut
Abraham Chebii KEN Debut
The women's field is as follows:
Meselech Melkamu ETH 2:21:01
Tirfi Tsegaye ETH 2:21:19
Eunice Jepkirui KEN 2:21:41
Mamitu Daska ETH 2:21:59
Caroline Kilel KEN 2:22:36
Birhane Dibaba ETH 2:23:51
Flomena Chepchirchir KEN 2:24:21
Hilda Kibet NED 2:24:27
Yeshi Esayias ETH 2:25:31
Hayley Haining GBR 2:29:18
Anna Hahner GER 2:30:14
Maja Neuenschwander SUI 2:30:50
Lisa Hahner GER 2:31:28
Agnieszka Ciolek-Mierzejewska POL 2:33:36
Catherine Bertone ITA 2:34:54
-0- PANA PR/VAO 16Oct2013
