FOUR STRONG ATHLETES TO CHALLENGE MAKAU IN FRANKFURT
By Chris Lotsbom
(c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

(05-Sep) -- Organizers of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon announced four additions to their men's elite field Tuesday, which already includes current marathon world record holder Patrick Makau.  Adhane Yemane Tsegay, Albert Matebor, Bazu Worku and Gilbert Kirwa will join the 27-year-old Kenyan on the starting line for this year's race, marking its 31st edition on Sunday, October 28.

Speaking at a press conference in Frankfurt, Makau said an improvement upon his 2:03:38 world record may be possible next month.

"I have seen the course today and it looks very good. If everything is perfect on race day --my form, the weather and the pacemaking-- then a world record might be possible," said Makau, who will be running his first BMW Frankfurt Marathon.  "So far my training went very well.  I had no problems or injuries and the form is similar to last year.  But of course a lot of training and especially speed work is still to come in the weeks ahead."

In order to lower his world record, set last year at the BMW Berlin Marathon, Makau will need to finish ahead of a field which now includes four more sub-2:07 marathoners.

Ethiopian Tsegay, 27, finished just off the podium at the 2009 IAAF World Championships marathon in Berlin, placing fourth in 2:08:42. Five months ago in April, Tsegay won the ABN AMRO Rotterdam Marathon in 2:04:48, lowering his personal best by a minute and 41 seconds.

Kenya's Albert Matebor, last year's third place finisher, will join Makau and Tsegay on the starting line, boasting a 2:05:25 personal best. The 31-year-old has twice finished in the top five at this event, clocking a 2:09:33, fifth place finish in 2007 in addition to his podium showing from a year ago.

Coming into the race with the same personal best as Matebor is Bazu Worku of Ethiopia, who ran 2:05:25 behind Makau and Geoffrey Mutai at the Real Berlin Marathon two years ago.  Interestingly, Worku has already run three marathons this year.  Kenyan Gilbert Kirwa, the 2009 champion of the event, also returns to the German financial capital following a 2:08:09 performance in Vienna this past April.

"It is a very strong field," Makau commented through a statement.  "But, I am generally not looking at any particular rivals.  I always respect all the other runners in a competition.

The BMW Frankfurt Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, saw 12,438 finishers in 2011, led by course records in both the men's and women's races. The men's mark sits at 2:03:42, which 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang ran to earn a €20,000 first place prize.

ENDS