Eliud Kipchoge to feature in Hamburg Marathon

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is set to participate in this year's Hamburg Marathon slated for April 11. 

Kipchoge, who became the first athlete in history to run a sub-two-hour marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019, will be among the big names in the one-off marathon that has been organised to serve up an opportunity for athletes to run a fast race and in many cases to help secure a qualification mark for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games.

Under the tagline ‘The fastest way to Tokyo’ it is hoped the race, which will take place around a looped 10.5km city centre route, will attract around 100 invited elite athletes.

The race organised jointly by Global Sports Communication, the NN Running Team and the Hamburg Marathon will represent Kipchoge's final outing over the classic 42.2km distance before the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. 

Kipchoge, who started his marathon career in 2013 with victory in the Hamburg Marathon, is elated to return to the northern German city.

“In Hamburg, I am going back to the genesis of my marathon career. I hope to inspire many people around the world by running a beautiful race in the streets of this beautiful city,” he said. 

Kipchoge's last competitive race was in October 2020, where he finished a disappointing eighth in the London Marathon won by Ethiopian Shura Kitata in two hours, five minutes and 41 seconds. 

However, he re-started gym work back in December and started full training from his camp in Kaptagat in January.

This year his focus will be in Tokyo Olympics where he will be seeking to become only the third man in history to claim back-to-back Olympic titles.

Kipchoge has won a remarkable 11 out of 13 career marathons and besides his gold medal at the Rio Olympics, other highlights include an unprecedented four London Marathon victories, three Berlin Marathon wins and a Chicago Marathon title.

Additional reporting by NN Running Team