{"id":1696,"date":"2012-10-26T08:50:16","date_gmt":"2012-10-26T14:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/?p=1696"},"modified":"2012-10-26T08:50:16","modified_gmt":"2012-10-26T14:50:16","slug":"frankfurt-marathon-2012-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/news\/frankfurt-marathon-2012-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"Frankfurt Marathon 2012 Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Patrick<\/a>

Patrick Makau – Frankfurt Marathon<\/p><\/div>\n

Take one world record holder, disgruntled that he was not selected for the Olympic Games, put him on a marathon course where a colleague (who did go to the Games) clocked just four seconds slower than his world record last year; add the vital ingredients of favourable weather and equitable pace-making, and the likely outcome is another very fast time for Patrick Makau in Sunday\u2019s BMW Frankfurt Marathon.<\/p>\n

Makau, 27, has been the world\u2019s fastest marathoner for the past two years, the second of which was the world record 2.03.38 he ran in Berlin 13 months ago, during which he disposed of previous record holder, Haile Gebrselassie in exemplary fashion.<\/p>\n

A drop out in the London Marathon last April doubtless contributed to his being overlooked for an Olympic spot by Kenyan selectors spoiled for choice. But the omission still rankles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a small injury in London, and dropped out to save myself for the Olympics,\u201d said Makau, on arrival in Frankfurt this morning (Friday). \u201cI had been promised an Olympic place, so felt I was doing the right thing. I was ready for it (the Games), so I couldn\u2019t understand why they dropped me. I was very disappointed, but there was nothing I could do about it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Makau\u2019s only race since then was the Tilburg 10 miles, in the Netherlands on September 2, when he ran a personal best 45.41, to finish third. According to manager Zane Branson, Makau closed with a 2.38 final kilometre, but felt he didn\u2019t need to overextend himself against colleagues Pius Kirop and John Mwangangi.<\/p>\n

Makau came to Frankfurt for a press conference a month ago, and surveyed the course with approbation. \u201cIt\u2019s a good course; it\u2019s a 2.03 course, so that shows it\u2019s good. I can\u2019t talk about a world record, but anything is possible. To be world record holder is good for me, it gives me more energy. Everything has been going well in training, my speed work and my long runs. My body is OK, so I\u2019m hoping for good results\u201d.<\/p>\n

Temperatures in northern Europe dropped overnight, from mid-teens to around 4-5C, but today\u2019s rain in Frankfurt is due to dissipate, with a forecast of dry, relatively windless conditions, and around 4C(39F) on Sunday morning. Having clocked 2.05.08 in cold and torrential rain to win Berlin 2010, Makau had every right to be unconcerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might be cold for the first 10k, but after that it\u2019ll feel normal. I\u2019m ready to run, and I\u2019m used to bad conditions, for example in Berlin two years ago. I managed to run very well, so I\u2019m ready for anything\u201d.<\/p>\n

The pacemakers have been primed for a first half in 61.40, which is the time that Makau\u2019s colleague Wilson Kipsang clocked last year, on the way to an agonisingly close assault on Makau\u2019s record, with 2.03.42. Kipsang\u2019s manager Gerard van de Veen feels that his top man this year, Gilbert Kirwa (winner here in 2009, in 2.06.14) might be stretched by such a fast opening half, and admits that Makau is by far the favourite. Ethiopian Yemane Tsegay, winner of Rotterdam earlier this year, in 2.04.48, might beg to differ, but his crowded racing programme might militate against an even faster run.<\/p>\n

Other leading contenders include Kenyan Albert Matebor, third last year in 2.05.25; Bazu Worku of Ethiopia, has also run 2.05.25, without yet winning a marathon; and colleague Deressa Chimsa, who won Prague in May, in 2.05.42.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the women\u2019s race looks to be a wholly Ethiopian affair. Mamitu Daska returns to defend the title she won last year, with a personal best 2.21.59, and said on Thursday, \u201cIf the conditions are good, I would like to run 2.18, 2.19\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 But her colleague Bezunesh Bekele, who easily outpaced her in Dubai earlier this year, is a minute and half faster, with her 2.20.30 in the UAE. But another colleague, Meselech Melkamu, who has signalled a change of direction by dyeing her hair gold may spring a surprise. A world class track and cross country runner, Melkamu may well prove her experienced manager Jos Hermens right when he suggests an equally topline time on her marathon debut.<\/p>\n

But in the 31st running of Germany\u2019s oldest marathon, the formbook suggests that the spotlight with stay on Patrick Makau. His best in winning Rotterdam in 2.04.48 two years ago, was the world\u2019s leading time of 2010; his world record 2.03.38 led last year; and he looks ready to make it three years in succession at the head of the world marathon rankings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take one world record holder, disgruntled that he was not selected for the Olympic Games, put him on a marathon course where a colleague (who did go to the Games) clocked just four seconds slower than his world record last year; add the vital ingredients of favourable weather and equitable pace-making, and the likely outcome […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21,1],"tags":[91,382,574,578,691],"class_list":["post-1696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-frankfurt","category-news","tag-91","tag-frankfurt","tag-mamitu-daska","tag-marathon","tag-patrick-makau"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}