Almost 40,000 runners are today at the Hamburg Marathon. Ex-European champion Richard Ringer is the focus of Elitefeld. The NDR broadcasts the running spectacle live until 12.20 p.m.
His great final sprint is unforgettable, his success was historical: in 2022 Richard Ringer flew to the finish line at the European Athletics Championship in Munich and crowned the first German marathon champion.
Ringer is now in the spotlight again in Hamburg. The shape is right, at the Berlin half marathon in early April (1:00:51 hours) and last December at the marathon in Valencia (2:05:46), he ran personal best.
In Spain, the third fastest German marathon runner of all time also picked up the guideline for the World Cup in Tokyo in September. Hamburg should now be the ideal preparation for the season highlight. On the Elbe, the 36-year-old from LC Rehlingen is aiming for a time under 2:07 hours.
“On Sunday there are 15 starters who ran under 2:10. A strong field. I want to run in the front and get one or the other top runner,” said Ringer on Friday: “I don’t want to run under 2:07. But I don’t want to risk too much.”
Twelfth at Olympic marathon in Paris
Ringer has good memories of Hamburg, two years ago he increased to 2:08:08 hours in the Hanseatic city – sixth and the Olympic standard for Paris. In France, he then took twelfth place in 2:09:18 hours as the best German and third best European.
“The Marathon Hamburg is simply terrific with its route and the mood in the city. So it was not difficult for me to promote my renewed participation,” said Ringer, who is flirting with a place on the podium.
This is difficult enough in an internationally strong field that could attack the course record of 2:04:09 hours. Ringer’s tactic should be to run his own pace and play out his strengths in the back.
Route records:
2:04:09 hoursBernard Kiprop Koech (Kenya; 2023)
2:17:23 hoursYalemzerf Yehualaw (Ethiopia; 2022)
Ex-world recorder Brigid Kosgei favorite
For women, the former marathon world recorder and Olympic second in 2021 Brigid Kosgei run into the race as a top favorite. In 2019, the Kenyan broke the 16-year world record of the British Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25) in Chicago with 2:14:04 hours and was also the first woman to underbote the 2:15 hour mark in the marathon. This record had existed for almost four years.
“It is a huge honor for us that she chose Hamburg,” emphasized chief organizer Frank Thaleiser. The Hamburg Marathon will be Kosgeis for the first official race after a one-year break. Most recently, in the spring of 2024 she took fifth place at the London Marathon in 2:19:02 hours.
Her first marathon runs in the Hanseatic city of Karoline Grovdal. The 34-year-old Norwegian is a European champion in the half marathon and would like to crack the 2: 20-hour mark in her debut.
Starting places out of print as quickly than ever
But not only professionals, thousands of hobby runners will also address the challenge of 42.195 kilometers on Sunday. The 15,000 starting places at the world’s sixth largest marathon were already fully booked in November 2024. On the half marathon distance and in the seasons had already ended – the starting places in the history of the event had never been sold out so early. A total of around 38,000 runners will take part in the different distances.
“During Corona everyone started to run. Running. The rush next year for the 40th anniversary will probably be even bigger,” said Thaleiser.
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Sports club | 04/27/2025 | 9:15 a.m.
