Double record hunt in Munich – News Munich
The unofficial junior world record holder Tsegaye Mekonnen also started at the GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON
The GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON is stronger than ever. The race will start on Sunday with the unofficial junior world record holder, Tsegaye Mekonnen, and the 2015 world champion, Mare Dibaba. The two Ethiopian athletes have world-class personal bests of 2:04:32 and 2:19:52, respectively, making them the fastest marathon runners to have started in the history of the race. For the first time in over 20 years, an international elite field has been signed up for the 36th GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON. The organizers hope that both course records will be broken on Sunday.
A total of around 18,500 participants will start in Munich’s Olympic Stadium, around 5,000 of them are marathon runners. The GENERALI MUNICH MARATHON is an elite label road race of the international track and field association World Athletics. The race will start on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and will be streamed live from 8:55 a.m. on Bayerischer Rundfunk at: www.generalimuenchenmarathon.de
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Tsegaye Mekonnen caused a sensation in Dubai in 2014 when the then 19-year-old won the race and set an unofficial junior world record of 2:04:32. Since the international athletics federation does not list any junior best times in the marathon, it is an unofficial record. The now 27-year-old, who won the Hamburg marathon in 2017, has not run a marathon since 2018 and now wants to report back internationally in Munich. Two more men will start on Sunday who have already run under 2:10 hours and whose best times are also below the Munich course record of 2:09:46: The Ethiopian Mengistu Zelalem has so far reached 2:08:48 and the personal record by Kenyan Edwin Kimaiyo is 2:09:12. For the leading group, a half-marathon time of around 64:00 minutes is currently being planned for Sunday.
Sebastian Hendel (LG Braunschweig) will be among several debutants. Due to his best half marathon time of 62:28 minutes, he could catch up with the extended German marathon leader in Munich.
A very significant improvement in the course record seems possible for women. Here, Susanne Hahn (Saarbrücken) holds the best time on the course: ten years ago she won the race in 2:32:11 hours. While 2015 World Champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Mare Dibaba leads the field with a personal best of 2:19:52, there are two other Ethiopians who have also run under 2:25: Atsede Bayisa has finished 2nd so far :22:03 and Aberu Zennebe’s personal best is 2:24:30. Time ranges of less than 2:25 hours could be possible on Sunday, because a half-marathon time of 71:30 minutes is planned for the top women. Eight athletes are on the start list who have already run under 2:30.
Favorites and their best times
Behavior:
Tsegaye Mekonnen ETH 2:04:32 Mengistu Zelalem ETH 2:08:48 Edwin Kimaiyo KEN 2:09:12 Meshack Cook KEN 2:10:17 Emmanuel Sikuku KEN 2:11:05 Ngonidzashe Ncube ZIM 2:11:46 Justus Kangogo KEN 2:13:34 Berhane Tesfay ERI 2:14:42 Vincent Kiprotich KEN debut Philimon Kiphumba KEN debut Rodgers Keror KEN debut Sebastian Henkel GER debut |
Women:
Mare Dibaba ETH 2:19:52 Atsede Bayisa ETH 2:22:03 Aberu Zennebe ETH 2:24:30 Agnes Keino KEN 2:25:08 Viola Yator KEN 2:26:51 Mercy Kwambai KEN 2:27:32 Souad Kambouchia MARCH 2:27:49 Helen Jepkurgat KEN 2:29:10 Caroline Nahimana BUR 2:30:09 |