Frankfurt: interest rises weeks before the race

As of August 14th, the organisers Motion Events registered 9280 participants for the marathon race alone. That is 936 runners or almost 11 percent more than in 2022, when the race restarted after a two-year break due to corona.

That is still 397 registrations fewer than the last pre-corona race in 2019. “But we can see in almost all areas of public life that the corona pandemic has brought changes,” says race director Jo Schindler. “I am therefore very satisfied with the current registration result, because it shows that our concept of a fast route and the best service for all runners is in demand. And with the atmospheric finish in the Festhalle, we already have a worldwide unique selling point.”

The strong number of entries for this year’s race also fits the special occasion of the Frankfurt race: the 40th anniversary of the run through the city. It all began on May 17, 1981 as the “Hoechst Marathon” in front of the east gate of the Hoechst dye works. Czech running legend Emil Zátopek gave the starting signal for Germany’s first city marathon. The winners of the premiere were the Swede Kjell-Erik Stahl (2:13:20) and Doris Schlosser (2:47:18), who ran for the running club LG Coop Kurpfalz at the time.

“I invite all runners to take part in the anniversary of our run. Forty years of the marathon through Frankfurt is a strong story that is retold every year,” adds Schindler. Schindler, originally from the city of Regensburg, has been responsible as race director since 2002.

Online registration at www.frankfurt-marathon.com is open until October 22, 2023. Last-minute registrations are possible on the last weekend in October, on Fridays and Saturdays (October 27th/28th, 2023), on site at the Marathon Mall.