Gesa Krause starts at run in Berlin

Big name at run in Berlin

Olympic participant starts at half marathon

Another distance is its great strength. Now Gesa Krause is also trying over 21,0975 kilometers. It is not her first half marathon – but great competition is waiting in Berlin.

She is the most successful German obstacle runner in 2016 in Amsterdam and 2018 in Berlin over 3000 meters, won over the same distance in Rome EM silver, 2012 in Helsinki EM bronze. At the World Athletics Championships, she ran to bronze in 2015 in Beijing and 2019 in Doha. With its German record of 9: 03.30 minutes set up in 2019, it is still among the 20 fastest 3000-meter runners in history, occupied 18.

Now Gesa Krause starts with an “unusual” distance: The German athletics star will take part in the Berlin half marathon on Sunday (April 6th). “The street run is still new territory for me – but it is really fun,” said Krause at the beginning of March after her participation in the half marathon in the Hague, where she set up a new personal best in 69:46 minutes.

The run over 21.0975 kilometers in Berlin will only be her third “serious” attempt over the distance-and her second in Berlin: in 2018, the 32-year-old tried for the first time in the half marathon, but did not finish in the United Arab Emirates in her debut in Ra’s al-Chaima. A few weeks later, she took fifth place in the German capital.

After the birth of her daughter, Krause also ran the half marathon in Cologne as a comeback race, but without specific preparation. Now in Berlin there is great competition: Esther Pfeiffer is her toughest competitor for the best German time.

By far the fastest runner in the field is Fotyen Tesfay. The Ethiopian wants to set up a new route record among women. Goal: a time under 65 minutes. The Berlin half marathon starts on Sunday at 10 a.m. With 42,000 participants, a new record number will run across the city’s streets.