Frankfurt Marathon 2025: Can Ethiopian Competitors Challenge the Kenyan Elite?

A star-studded lineup of Kenyan athletes is expected to dominate this Sunday's Frankfurt Marathon, with race director Jo Schindler anticipating exceptionally fast times given the high calibre of the competitors.

The elite women's field features Barcelona Marathon champion Sharon Chelimo and 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Linet Masai, both poised for strong performances.

"We are delighted that we were able to secure Sharon Chelimo at short notice," said Schindler.

"We now have an exceptionally strong women's field at the start, so we can expect an exciting and fast race."

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This year's event is also on track to set a new participation record, with organisers forecasting that the number of runners will exceed the 2012 high of 16,034.

For Sharon Chelimo, this race is about unfinished business. She returns to Frankfurt aiming to improve on her third-place finish from last year, where she posted a time of 2:22:07 behind Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Getachew (2:19:27) and fellow Kenyan Winfridah Moseti (2:20:55).

The 31-year-old has been in scintillating form this season. She began her year with a commanding victory at the Barcelona Marathon on March 16, clocking an impressive 2:19:33 to beat Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese and Linet Masai.

Since her marathon debut in 2022, where she finished third in Geneva, Chelimo has become a consistent force over the 42km distance. Her first marathon win came at the 2023 Buri Ram Marathon in Thailand. However, her form dipped late last year when she finished fifth in the Singapore Marathon under challenging, hot conditions.

Meanwhile, former world 10,000m champion Linet Masai is still chasing her first marathon victory. While she has shown flashes of her road-running prowess, consistency has been a challenge.

After a promising third-place finish in Barcelona earlier this year, she struggled at the Langueux 10k in June. More recently, she placed seventh at the Hamburg Half Marathon with a time of 1:14:04.

The Kenyan duo will face stiff competition from a formidable Ethiopian contingent. The group is led by Buze Diriba, the 2023 Toronto Marathon champion, and includes Etagegne Woldu, runner-up at the 2021 Valencia Marathon, and Aminet Ahmed, who finished second at this year's Rotterdam Marathon.