Hamburg Marathon 2025: Ex-European Champion Ringer Eyes 2:07:00 Record
The 39th Hamburg Marathon is set to take place on Sunday, April 27, 2025, with around 40,000 runners expected to participate, including 15 elite competitors who have run under 2:10. The NDR will broadcast the event live until 12:20 PM. Former European Champion and Germany’s third-fastest marathoner of all time, Richard Ringer, will be a central figure in the race.
Ringer’s Stellar Career
Ringer made headlines in 2022 when he won the gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, becoming the first male German marathoner to do so. He cemented his status as a world-class runner with a personal best of 2:05:46 at the Valencia Marathon in December 2023 and a half marathon time of 1:00:51 in Berlin in April 2024.
Hamburg Marathon: The Perfect Preparation for Tokyo
The Hamburg Marathon serves as an ideal preparation event for Ringer, who aims to qualify for the World Championships in September 2025. Targeting a sub-2:07:00 finish, Ringer stated, "I want to be upfront and catch some of the better runners. Under 2:07 is my target, but I don’t want to risk too much."
Twelfth at the Paris Olympics, Now Aiming for Hamburg Podium
Ringer has fond memories of the Hamburg Marathon, having clocked 2:08:08 and securing a sixth-place finish, as well as the Tokyo Olympics qualifying time, back in 2023. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ringer finished twelfth in a time of 2:09:18, topping the German leaderboard and ranking third among European contenders. This time around, Ringer has set his sights on a podium finish in the international and competitive elite field that could challenge the course record of 2:04:09.
Brigid Kosgei, Former Marathon World Record Holder, Headlines Women’s Field
In the women’s race, the star attraction is Brigid Kosgei, the former marathon world record holder and 2021 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist. Kosgei shattered Paula Radcliffe’s longtime world record in 2019 by clocking 2:14:04 in Chicago. After a one-year hiatus due to injury, Kosgei will make her competitive comeback at the Hamburg Marathon. The Kenyan superstar placed fifth in her most recent outing, the 2024 London Marathon.
Karoline Grovdal Makes Marathon Debut
Norwegian Karoline Grovdal will make her marathon debut at the Hamburg Marathon. The 34-year-old, who is the reigning European half marathon champion, has her eyes set on breaking the 2:20:00 mark in her first-ever marathon attempt.
Record-breaking Demand for Start Places
Demand for the Hamburg Marathon has never been higher, with all 15,000 marathon slots sold out by November 2024. The half marathon and relay race entries had already reached capacity earlier. In total, approximately 38,000 runners will participate across various distances.
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Marathon
FAQs
- Q: Who is the race director for the Hamburg Marathon?
A: Frank Thaleiser is the race director for the Hamburg Marathon.