Brigid Kosgei and Amos Kipruto Lead Hamburg’s Strongest Ever Elite Field

Saturday, 26 April 2025

The strongest field in the history of the event will line up for the 39th Haspa Marathon Hamburg on Sunday. Kenyans Amos Kipruto and Kinde Atanaw both bring personal bests under 2:04:00, while Brigid Kosgei is the fastest woman ever to feature in Hamburg. The Kenyan, a former world record holder, boasts a PB of 2:14:04. Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, another sub-2:20:00 marathoner, adds further quality. Such a high-caliber line-up is a first for Hamburg. Germany’s Richard Ringer and Norway’s Karoline Grovdal are the leading European contenders.

A total of 15,000 runners have entered Germany’s biggest spring marathon. Including all parallel events, organizers registered a record 38,000 entries. “We are experiencing another running boom, and our event has developed strongly. That also applies to our elite fields, which makes me very happy,” said Chief Organizer Frank Thaleiser.

If the predicted favorable weather holds, fast races are on the cards. The men could attack the course record and even chase a first sub-2:04:00 performance in Hamburg. Bernard Koech set the current course record of 2:04:09 in 2023.

“I’m well prepared and ready for a fast race. If I could choose, a personal best would matter more to me than victory,” said Amos Kipruto at the press conference. The 32-year-old ran 2:03:13 in Tokyo 2022, finishing second to Eliud Kipchoge. Along with Emmanuel Mutai, who posted the same PB and raced in Hamburg in 2018, Kipruto is the fastest man ever to start here.

“I know this is a fast course where top times are possible. If we work well together, we can break the course record,” Kipruto added. He is one of four entrants who have broken 2:05:00. Ethiopians Kinde Atanaw (2:03:51) and Tsegaye Getachew (2:04:49) are ranked second and third on the list, while Kenya’s Philemon Kiplimo (2:04:56) rounds out the elite group. “I expect we’ll hit halfway in around 62:00 minutes. I’m aiming to run a faster second half,” said Kiplimo, who finished third here last year in 2:05:37. “Knowing the course is an advantage.”

Richard Ringer, the surprise 2022 European marathon champion in Munich, also knows Hamburg well. Two years ago, he finished sixth with a PB of 2:08:08 and has since improved to 2:05:46. “My goal is to beat my 2023 Hamburg result. A lot can happen in a marathon, and I hope I’m strong enough to pick off some runners late in the race,” said Ringer, who also lowered his half marathon best to 60:51 in Berlin. “It’s not realistic to expect a PB every race. I’m aiming for sub-2:07:00 on Sunday.”

There have been some late changes to the elite fields. Ethiopians Guye Adola, Roza Dereje, and Waganesh Mekesha withdrew, but Brigid Kosgei was a high-profile addition. Kosgei shattered Paula Radcliffe’s world record in Chicago in 2019, clocking 2:14:04 to become the first woman to break 2:15:00 — a mark that still ranks her fourth all-time.

“I was supposed to run Tokyo in March but wasn’t ready, so I looked for another race and I’m happy to be in Hamburg,” said Kosgei, who last competed at the 2023 London Marathon, finishing fifth in 2:19:02. “I had knee and hip problems, but now I’m fit and want to run a good race.”

While Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s 2:17:23 course record from 2022 will be hard to beat, another sub-2:20:00 performance looks possible. Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa and Sichala Kumeshi are strong contenders. “I want to run faster than when I won Osaka,” said Edesa, who clocked 2:21:00 there in January. With a PB of 2:18:51, she’s the second-fastest woman on the start list. “After finishing eleventh here two years ago, I want to achieve much more this time. My goal is to win,” added Kumeshi, who took the Houston Marathon in January with a 2:20:42 PB despite harsh conditions.

Karoline Grovdal could make an immediate impact in her marathon debut. The Norwegian, a multiple European champion and 2023 half marathon gold medalist, is targeting a historic mark. “I think Hamburg could be a great start to my marathon career. I’ll try to break the Norwegian record on Sunday,” she said. That record, 2:21:06, still belongs to Ingrid Kristiansen, who set it in London in 1985 — a world record that stood for 13 years.

Elite Runners with Personal Bests

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