Barcelona Marathon champion Sharon Chelimo and 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Linet Masai headline a star-studded women’s field for Sunday’s Frankfurt Marathon.
Race director Jo Schindler reckons that, given the calibre of athletes assembled, there will be fast times this time around.
“We are delighted that we were able to secure Sharon Chelimo at short notice. We now have an exceptionally strong women’s field at the start, so we can expect an exciting and fast race,” said Schindler.
This year’s edition is also tipped to attract a record entry, with organisers predicting numbers to surpass the previous high of 16,034 from 2012.
Chelimo returns to Frankfurt with unfinished business, seeking to better her third-place finish from 2023, where she clocked 2:22:07, trailing Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Getachew (2:19:27) and Kenyan Winfridah Moseti (2:20:55).
The 31-year-old has been in sparkling form this season, having opened her year with a commanding performance in Barcelona on March 16 with a 2:19:33 title-winning performance.
She outkicked Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese (2:20:47) and Masai (2:21:01).
Since making her marathon debut in 2022, Chelimo has steadily grown into a consistent performer over the 42km distance.
She finished third on her debut in Geneva (2:33:03), trailing Meseret Dinke (2:26:22) and Marion Kibor (2:28:30).
She claimed her first marathon victory at last year’s Buri Ram Marathon in Thailand, clocking 2:27:59 ahead of compatriots Caroline Jepchirchir (2:30:11) and Sheila Chesang’ (2:32:11).
However, her momentum dipped toward the close of the 2024 season, where she faded to fifth in Singapore, finishing in 2:40:51 under sweltering conditions.
Masai, meanwhile, targets a maiden marathon victory. The former world 10,000m champion has shown glimpses of her road-running potential, though consistency has eluded her.
After finishing third in Barcelona earlier this year, she struggled for form at the Langueux 10k on June 21, where she clocked 33:27 for 12th.
Her most recent race was the Hamburg Half Marathon, where she yet again struggled to find her rhythm, posting 1:14:04 for seventh place in a race won by compatriot Joan Chepleting’ (1:10:12).
The Kenyan duo face tough resistance from a formidable Ethiopian contingent led by Buze Diriba, the 2023 Toronto Marathon champion, alongside Etagegne Woldu, runner-up at the 2021 Valencia Marathon and Aminet Ahmed, second at this year’s Rotterdam Marathon.
by TEDDY MULEI
