DRESDNER KLEINWORT FRANKFURT MARATHON: European Champion Ulrike Maisch runs Frankfurt

The 26th edition of the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon will see the strongest field ever assembled in the history of the event on 28th October. The most recent addition to the women’s race is European Champion Ulrike Maisch. The 30 year-old had caused one of the biggest upsets at the championships in Gothenburg in 2006, when she snatched the marathon gold.

But not only the quality of the elite field is growing in Frankfurt. Also the mass event is getting more impressive. So far more than 10,000 marathon runners have registered for Germany’s oldest city marathon. With expected lated entries the final entry figure should be a record of nearly 12,000 athletes. Adding runners of other events the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon will have a total entry number of around 18,000.

Ulrike Maisch had been unable to run a marathon after her European triumph due to various injuries. After 14 months she finally comes back. “She is fit and in fine form again”, said Christoph Kopp, the elite race director of the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon. The race will almost provide a national championship concerning the women. Ulrike Maisch will be up against Luminita Zaituc and Melanie Kraus. 39 year-old Zaituc has already won in Frankfurt back in 2001, clocking her personal best of 2:26:01. This season she has won the Düsseldorf Marathon for the third time in a row (2:29:37).

Zaituc has been the strongest German marathon runner for a number of years. She has won a silver in the European Championships in Munich in 2002 and took second in the Berlin Marathon in 2005. Melanie Kraus’s personal best stands at 2:27:58 from Berlin 2000. But her best ever performance probably came in August, when she finished 20th in the World Championships in Osaka. For the three Germans it will be about qualification for the Olympic Games. After Irina Mikitenko’s great debut in Berlin (2:24:51) there are most probably only two tickets left.

Despite the strong German field favourites will come from elsewhere: Former Boston and Chicago Marathon Champion Svetlana Zakharova will run her marathon comeback in Frankfurt after giving birth. The 36 year-old Russian has a personal best of 2:21:31. She will target the course record of 2:25:12 and Kenyan Kutol Ruth Jepkoech (2:27:22) might not be far behind.

In the men’s race Wilfred Kigen goes for a hattrick. The Kenyan, who features a personal best of 2:07:33, also holds the course record of 2:08:29. For winning this year a faster time might well be required. Former Kenyan Yasser Belal Manzour (Quatar) had won the Düsseldorf Marathon in spring with a course record of 2:09:48. Running on his own for most of the race then he should have more potential concerning his personal best. While Vincent Kipsos (Kenya/2:06:52) is the one with the fastest personal best six more athletes with PBs sub 2:11 have been signed so far.

For more information and late online entry visit:
www.frankfurt-marathon.com