Cybrian Kotut, the defending champion and record holder, is set to participate in the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on April 23rd. Last year, the Kenyan clinched the Hamburg title with a time of 2:04:47, breaking the course record previously held by Eliud Kipchoge since 2013.
Kotut will face tough competition and must perform at his peak to secure a second victory at Germany’s largest spring marathon.
Ethiopia’s Mule Wasihun, boasting a personal best of 2:03:16, is the fastest runner to have ever competed in the event’s history.
“A year after Cyprian’s superb course record we can again hope for a fascinating race and possibly more very fast times. A number of world-class athletes have opted to run their spring marathon in Hamburg which shows the recognition our race receives as a major international marathon,“ said chief organiser Frank Thaleiser.
Cybrian Kotut, the younger brother of the former multiple London- and New York Marathon champion Martin Lee, achieved his personal best by winning the Hamburg Marathon in 2022. Following this victory, he participated in one more race, securing the sixth position in Amsterdam with an impressive time of 2:05:15.
Currently, Kotut is focusing entirely on the upcoming Haspa Marathon Hamburg. Despite his PB of 2:04:47, the 30-year-old Kenyan is not the fastest contender in the lineup, as Mule Wasihun leads the entry list.
During the London Marathon in 2019, Wasihun, an Ethiopian, finished third with a time of 2:03:16, closely behind Eliud Kipchoge and his compatriot Mosinet Geremew.
Even now, at 29, Wasihun remains one of the top 15 fastest marathon runners globally. Although he has not recently competed internationally, Wasihun aims to make a strong comeback in Hamburg.
Geoffrey Kirui, another renowned marathon runner, is set to make his Hamburg debut. The Kenyan clinched the World Championships marathon title in London in 2017 and conquered the Boston Marathon earlier that year.
Despite finishing second and fifth in subsequent Boston Marathons in 2018 and 2019, the disruptions caused by the pandemic hindered his performance.
At the age of 30, Kirui is still capable of achieving exceptional results in marathons, and Hamburg could be the ideal setting for him to improve his PB of 2:06:27 set in 2016.
In the previous year, debutant Stephen Kissa narrowly trailed Cybrian Kotut by a second, setting a Ugandan record with a time of 2:04:48.
This year, another debutant, Muktar Edris, is expected to kick off his marathon career in Hamburg on April 23rd. The 29-year-old Ethiopian, a two-time 5,000m World Champion in 2017 and 2019, has already demonstrated his potential on the road by posting a remarkable time of 58:40 in the Valencia half marathon in 2021.
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