- The race, which will take place in the German city of Hamburg, will comprise four laps of a 10.5km track
- The elite-only race is designed to offer athletes the chance to achieve a Tokyo Olympics qualifying time
- Marathoner Ruth Chepngetich suspended for doping
While mass-participation marathons remain on hold, an exciting elite-only race will take place in Hamburg, Germany, on Sunday, April 11. Eliud Kipchoge, the world's fastest marathon runner, has confirmed he will be taking part in the race.
The Kenyan’s return to the marathon distance will be highly anticipated, following his eighth-place finish in the elite-only London Marathon last October, where he ran 2:06:49. Kipchoge’s marathon career began in Hamburg in 2013. The marathon world record holder said, ‘In Hamburg, I am going back to the genesis of my marathon career. I hope to inspire many people around the world by running a beautiful race in the streets of this beautiful city.’
Co-organised by NN Running, the professional running team that is home to Kipchoge, the event will be open to a maximum of 100 athletes and take place around a 10.5km loop of the city.
The main goal of the race, dubbed the NN Mission Marathon, is to provide an opportunity for runners to achieve the Tokyo Olympics qualifying times, which are 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women. This has led the organisers to describe the race as ‘the fastest way to Tokyo’.
‘We want to show that we are doing everything we can to offer athletes a chance for a marathon,’ said Global Sports Communication managing director Jos Hermens. ‘In this case, it is extra special because it is a qualification for the Olympic Games. I am proud that the title sponsor, NN Group, also supports us in these times and together we want to fulfil the Olympic dream of all these athletes. Hopefully, we will see more races coming up soon.’
The mass-participation Hamburg Marathon had originally been scheduled for Sunday, April 18. However, due to regulations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, this will now take place in 2022.
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