World Champion Gotytom Gebreslase and Bernard Koech Lead Incredible Elite Field for Marathon Hamburg
Gotytom Gebreslase, the World Champion from Eugene 2022, has been added to the strong elite field of Sunday’s HASPA Marathon Hamburg. The Ethiopian was runner-up at last year’s global championships in Budapest and has a personal best of 2:18:11. With this time she is the fastest woman ever entered into the HASPA Marathon Hamburg. In the men’s race Bernard Koech returns to Hamburg as the defending champion. The Kenyan broke the course record last year with 2:04:09. Organisers expect to register a total of more than 35,000 runners for the 38th edition of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. Over 14,000 of them are marathon runners.
“We have made a really strong development in recent years. In the past two editions there were three course records and world-class times. Now we have assembled another great field and it is quite possible that the course records come under threat once again,“ said the chief organiser of Germany’s biggest spring marathon, Frank Thaleiser.
Gotytom Gebreslase, who sensationally won her marathon debut in Berlin in 2021, hopes to still qualify for the Olympic Games. However because of the extraordinary strong competition for the three places she would probably have to smash the course record of 2:17:23 set by fellow-Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw two years ago. Nine Ethiopian women have run sub 2:17:00 during the qualifying period, which was supposed to end on 30th April but has now been extended by World Athletics to 5th May.
Getaneh Molla heads an impressive men’s start list on which seven athletes have personal bests faster than 2:05:00. The Ethiopian ran his PB of 2:03:34 when winning an impressive marathon debut in Dubai in 2019. However he could not produce such a strong time again since then. In contrast course record holder Bernard Koech has already run sub 2:05 on three occasions. While fellow-Kenyan Samwel Mailu had to cancel his start because of an injury, a debutant could be in for a surprise: Former Kenyan Abraham Cheroben, who competes for Bahrain, has a world-class half marathon PB of 58:40.
Elite runners with personal bests
MEN ELITE
- Getaneh Molla ETH 2:03:34
- Bernard Koech KEN 2:04:09
- Roland Korir KEN 2:04:22
- Dickson Chumba KEN 2:04:32
- Barselius Kipyego KEN 2:04:48
- Brimin Misoi KEN 2:04:53
- Philemon Kiplimo KEN 2:04:56
- Oqbe Ruesom ERI 2:05:51
- Haymanot Alew ETH 2:05:57
- Tsedat Ayana ETH 2:06:18
- Geoffrey Kirui KEN 2:06:27
- Olivier Irabaruta BDI 2:07:13
- Jake Robertson NZL 2:08:26
- Amaury Paquet BEL 2:08:44
- Martin Musau UGA 2:08:45
- Benjamin Preisner CAN 2:08:58
- Abraham Cheroben KEN Debut
WOMEN ELITE:
- Gotytom Gebreslase ETH 2:18:18
- Winfridah Moseti KEN 2:20:55
- Sharon Chelimo KEN 2:22:07
- Kidsan Alema ETH 2:22:28
- Natasha Wodak CAN 2:23:12
- Margaret Wangari KEN 2:23:52
- Jessica Augusto POR 2:24:25
- Ayantu Kumela ETH 2:24:29
- Jackline Cherono KEN 2:24:43
- Carla Salome Rocha POR 2:24:47
- Katharina Steinruck GER 2:24:56
- Fadouwa Ledhem FRA 2:25:50
- Irine Cheptai KEN Debut
- Aminet Ahmed ETH Debut
