The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on 25 October will stage a notable first for German distance running: Amanal Petros, Samuel Fitwi and Richard Ringer, the three fastest German marathoners of all time, will race a city marathon together for the first time. Petros holds the national record at 2:04:03, with Fitwi (2:04:45) and Ringer (2:04:47) close behind.
Race director Jo Schindler has been keen to stress that the home trio will not be handed the title. The field is led internationally by Ethiopia's Andualem Belay, whose 2:04:44 personal best is the second fastest on the start list, and by Kenya's Benard Biwott (2:05:25), who returns as the 2024 Frankfurt winner after a 2:05:54 victory and won in Paris in 2025.
Haimro Alame, who now represents Israel and finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, completes the principal men's line-up with a best of 2:06:04. Organisers have not published time targets, but a field with four men inside 2:05 on paper points to a quick race if the pacing holds.
The women's race is headed by Ethiopia's Zeineba Yimer, 28, whose 2:18:47 is the fastest on the list and who was third in Barcelona this spring. She is one of three women with sub-2:20 credentials, along with Buzunesh Getachew (2:19:27), the 2023 Frankfurt winner who set that best on the same course, and the American Betsy Saina (2:19:17), who finished eighth in the city in 2018.
Marion Kibor of Kenya, who improved to 2:21:12 in Hamburg in the spring, adds further depth. Local interest will also focus on Blanka Dörfel, who makes her marathon debut in front of a home crowd. Frankfurt is one of the final major autumn marathons before the December season, and the combination of a deep men's field and a competitive women's contest makes it one to follow closely.