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Gabius targets a fast time on his comeback in Frankfurt

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The leading German contenders in the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on 29 October spoke to the media about how their preparations are going and their aims ahead of next month's race at a press conference in Frankfurt on Wednesday (27) afternoon.

The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is a five-star certified race by European Athletics Running for All and the event takes place at the conclusion of the European Running Business Conference on 27-28 October. Sign up for the conference here.

Arne Gabius hasn’t finished a marathon in nearly two years due to a succession of injuries which forced him to withdraw from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last summer before curtailing his comeback race in the Hannover Marathon in April.

But at his best, Gabius is a 2:08:33 performer at the marathon - a mark which also stands as the German record and was set on this course two years ago. He returned to form with a comfortable 62:31 in the Copenhagen Half Marathon at the weekend and all being well, the 36-year-old is aiming to pass through halfway next month in 64:15 which would put him on course to eclipse his record.

It could be a day to linger long in Gabius’ memory as his first child is due on the day of the Frankfurt Marathon. “But statistically, only four percent of the children come on the calculated day,” he said.

Twenty years ago, Katrin Dorre-Heinig claimed the title in the Frankfurt Marathon and while her daughter Katharina isn’t expecting to replicate her mother’s title-winning feat, she is looking forward to racing in a city where she lives and trains. “It is such a motivation for me to run through the streets and districts where my friends live,' said Heinig.

Heinig set her lifetime best of 2:28:34 in the Berlin Marathon last year and despite competing at the World Championships in London just seven weeks ago, Heinig has said her shape is already comparable to her form and fitness in the lead-up to Berlin last autumn. 'And I still have five weeks,” she added.

Fate Tola finished a close second to Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska in last year’s race in 2:25:42 - the second fastest time of her career. This will be Tola’s third marathon in the space of less than seven months and while she demurred on making any predictions on the clock, she is aiming to cross the finish-line in the Festhalle ahead of her domestic rivals. 'Defending the title is my big goal. I will give it everything I can,” she said.

More than 15,000 runners are expected to register for the 36th edition of this race.

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The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.

More information on Running for All:

Website: european-running4all.org

Twitter: @runningforall

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Contact: [email protected]

More information on the European Running Business Conference:

Registration page: https://registration.mylaps.com/business-conference

Contact: [email protected]




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