Three Ethiopian have been added to the rich field of the 38th edition of the Frankfurt Marathon that will be held on October 20, 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany.
The race organizers are targeting the first-sub-2:20 run in the women’s race with the 2015 World Champion Mare Dibaba.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist has twice clocked 2:19.52, most recently in 2015 when she triumphed at the Xiamen Marathon. She was fifth in Frankfurt in 2010 clocking 2:25.27.
The 28 year-old will be joined by three compatriots who have dipped under 2:22 in 2018.
Another titls contender is the 24 year-old Haftamnesh Tesfay, made an impressive marathon debut in Dubai in January wher she finished fifth in 2:20.13, the fourth fastest time ever by a debutante over the distance. That performance should whet the appetite for what she can do in Frankfurt.
Meskerem Assefa has previous experience in Frankfurt. The 32-year-old finished third in 2:24.38 last year then made a solid improvement on her lifetime best when winning the Nagoya title in mid-March, running 2:21:45.
United States Sara Hall will be returning to race along the River Main. The 35 year-old who finished in fifth place a year ago in 2:27.21. She improved further to 2:26.20 this past spring in Ottawa.
“In terms of strength and depth, this is perhaps the strongest women’s field we have ever assembled,” said race director Jo Schindler. “So we are looking forward to an exciting and high-class race. With four such fast performers we could see times close to 2:20 or even faster.”
The course record of 2:21.01 was set in 2012 by Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu.
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