Richard Ringer and Sabrina Mockenhaupt lead a small German team for the European 10,000m Cup in London on 19 May.
This year’s edition of the European 10,000m Cup will be staged in conjunction with the Night of the 10,000m PBs at the Parliament Hill Athletics Track in Highgate.
Ringer, 29, is the sole German entrant in the men’s race. He has won medals at European level over 3000m and 5000m but he is looking to secure the qualifying mark for the 10,000m at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships.
The qualifying mark is 28:55 which is comfortably within Ringer’s capacity. He clocked 28:05.96 for the distance last year - and pacemakers will also be implemented to assist runners to achieve the qualifying times for Berlin.
On the women’s side, veteran Sabrina Mockenhaupt is looking to qualify for her fifth European Championships. She will need to run 32:55 or faster to put herself in contention for yet another national vest.
Mockenhaupt made her debut at the European Championships in Munich 2002 when she finished 10th in the 10,000m in a race famously won by Paula Radcliffe in a still-standing European record of 30:01.09.
Mockenhaupt is a familiar fixture at the European 10,000m Cup. She has won this race on two occasions - 2005 and 2013 - and also finished on the podium in 2010 and 2011. She was also fourth last year in Minsk.
Eighteen years her junior, the German women’s team also includes 19-year-old reigning European U20 5000m champion Miriam Dattke and Natalie Tanner, who has also secured the qualifying time with an early season 32:36.15 clocking.