Yehualaw will run debut marathon in Hamburg

Germany’s biggest spring marathon returns to its traditional date for the first time since 2019 and looks likely to come back with a bang. Yehualaw clearly has the potential to run a very good first marathon. Organisers of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg expect a total of 20,000 runners including the races at shorter distances. Online entry is still possible.

Yalemzerf Yehualaw improved the world 10km record by 24 seconds to 29:14 on 27 February in Castellón, Spain. She is also the world’s second fastest half marathon runner. She clocked 1:03:51 in Valencia last October. Additionally at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2020 she won the bronze medal. Her half marathon PB suggests that she has the potential to run spectacular marathon times.

“I am really happy to be able to run my marathon debut in Hamburg,” said Yehualaw after she had viewed the course. “I am looking forward to this race and want to break the course record.” Fellow Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu holds the current Hamburg course best with a time of 2:21:54 from 2016.

The fastest woman runner on Hamburg’s start list is Priscah Jeptoo. The Olympic silver medallist from London 2012 has a PB of 2:20:14. While this personal record is 10 years old more recently she ran 2:24:16 in Valencia in 2019.