Running News Daily

Richard Ringer Set for a Competitive Return to Hamburg Marathon

European Marathon Champion Richard Ringer is set to compete in the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on April 27. The German runner has opted not to defend his continental title at the European Championships earlier in April, which will be held in a new format.

Ringer, who improved his marathon personal best to 2:05:46 in Valencia last December, making him the third-fastest German marathoner in history, will face stiff competition from at least four athletes who have run significantly faster times. Leading the start list is former London Marathon winner Amos Kipruto, who holds a personal best of 2:03:13, making him the joint fastest entrant ever in Germany's premier spring marathon.

"We are still finalizing the elite fields, but we anticipate a highly competitive men's race. Based on the fastest runners in the field, this will be the strongest lineup in our history. Richard Ringer may not be the favorite, but we know he has the ability to deliver an unexpected performance," said chief organizer Frank Thaleiser at a press conference in Hamburg. A total of 15,000 runners have registered for the 39th edition of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, marking the highest participation in years.

For the first time, Hamburg will feature three athletes with personal bests under 2:04. In addition to Amos Kipruto, Ethiopian runners Guye Adola and Kinde Atanaw have also achieved this feat. The 32-year-old Kipruto recorded his personal best of 2:03:13 when finishing second to Eliud Kipchoge in the 2022 Tokyo Marathon.

Later that year, he secured his biggest career victory, winning the London Marathon in 2:04:39. Kipruto has continued to perform at a high level, running sub-2:05 times in both 2023 and 2024. His best time ties him as the fastest entrant in Hamburg's marathon history, equaling the record set by Emmanuel Mutai in 2018.

Guye Adola's personal best of 2:03:46 places him second on the current entry list. The Ethiopian achieved this mark in his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017, where he challenged Kipchoge until the final kilometers and secured second place with an unofficial world debut record. Although his career has been affected by injuries, Adola, now 34, remains a formidable contender.

Kinde Atanaw achieved his best time of 2:03:51 in 2019 when he won the Valencia Marathon. Meanwhile, Philemon Kiplimo has demonstrated strong recent performances, breaking 2:05 in Berlin in 2023 with a time of 2:04:56 and securing third place in last year's Haspa Marathon Hamburg with 2:05:37.

Richard Ringer chose to focus on Germany's biggest spring marathon rather than defend his European title. The 35-year-old returns to Hamburg with fond memories, having improved to 2:08:08 there two years ago, narrowly meeting the Olympic qualifying standard and finishing sixth in a competitive field.

"The course and the atmosphere at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg are fantastic. Choosing to return was an easy decision. This time, my training will be even more focused on this race to ensure I am in peak form on race day," Ringer stated. "My goal for the summer is to compete in the marathon at the World Championships." Ringer has proven himself to be a strong championship competitor, having won the European marathon title in Munich in 2022 and finishing as Germany's top runner in the Olympic marathons of 2021 and 2024, placing 25th and 12th, respectively.