Patrick Makau Ready for Frankfurt, Offers No Comment on Berlin Marathon

Organisers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon have released the field of the elite runners today. World record holder Patrick Makau (Kenya) is the stand out competitor while in the women’s event defending champion Mamitu Daska (Ethiopia) returns. Germany’s next major international marathon will be started on 28^th October. A capacity field of around 15,000 runners is expected at the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, which is an IAAF Gold Label road race. Adding other running events a total of 25,000 athletes will compete.

Regarding the very top of the men’s field, this is the best ever in the history of the race. Five runners with personal bests of sub 2:05:45 will be competing in Frankfurt. Patrick Makau is looking forward to the challenge. After not being selected for the London Olympic Games the 27 year-old intends to make a statement with a very good performance. He will be looking for a very good result on the fast Frankfurt course, where Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) had established a 2:03:42 course record in 2011. This is just four seconds slower than Patrick Makau’s world record of 2:03:38, which he ran in Berlin. On Sunday Makau watched the Berlin Marathon, where fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai attacked his world record but had to be content with a world leading time of 2:04:15.

“I followed the marathon on TV – but I can not comment on the race. I can only speak for myself: My training went well. And having seen the Berlin race this has motivated me for Frankfurt,” said Patrick Makau on the phone when talking to Frankfurt’s elite race coordinator Christoph Kopp. The world record holder will be eager to establish himself as the world’s fastest marathon runner of the year, a position he had had in the past two years. Targeting the 2:04:15 run by Geoffrey Mutai last Sunday in Berlin it may well turn out to become a world record chase if conditions are suitable. So far there are only five runners in history who have broken the men’s world marathon record more than once.

MEN:

Patrick Makau                               KEN                        2:03:38 (WR)

Yemane Tsegay                            ETH                        2:04:48

Albert Matebor                               KEN                        2:05:25

Bazu Worku                                   ETH                        2:05:25

Deressa Chimsa                           ETH                        2:05:42

Gilbert Kirwa                                  KEN                        2:06:14

Wilfred Kigen                                 KEN                        2:07:33

Abraham Kiprotich                        FRA                         2:08:35

Daniel Limo                                   KEN                        2:08:59

Peter Some                                   KEN                        2:10:16

Peter Wanjiru                                 KEN                        2:12:11

Mustafa Mohamed                       SWE                        2:12:28

Sören Kah                                      GER                       2:14:25

Henrik Them                                  DEN                        2:17:47

Victor Kipchirchir                           KEN                        Debut

Derek Hawkins                              GBR                        Debut

Tewelde Estifanos                        ERI                          Debut

WOMEN:

Bezunesh Bekele                          ETH                        2:20:30

Mamitu Daska                               ETH                        2:21:59

Georgina Rono                              KEN                        2:24:33

Agnes Barsosio                            KEN                        2:25:49

Patricia Morceli                             SUI                          2:37:28

Tone Ilstad Hjalmarsen                 NOR                        Debut

More information and online registration is available at: www.bmw-frankfurt-marathon.com