Overview
- About 17,000 marathon entries set a new event record, with nearly 30,000 participants expected across all distances.
- The race starts Sunday at 10:00 from Friedrich‑Ebert‑Anlage and finishes in the Festhalle, with four staggered start waves to reduce congestion and an expected no‑show rate of roughly 20%.
- Hessischer Rundfunk will broadcast live on television and provide a livestream, with an extended highlights program in the evening.
- A deep women’s field features multiple sub‑2:23 performers, led by Kenya’s Sharon Chelimo (2:19:33 PB) and late entrant Magdalyne Masai, as last year’s winner Hawi Feysa holds the course record.
- Germany’s Filimon Abraham targets a sub‑2:08 after a 2:08:11 PB in Sevilla, while returning winner Shura Kitata headlines a balanced men’s field that also includes rising talents such as Dejene Megersa and Emmanuel Wafula; Jan Lukas Becker is aiming for a personal best.