Organisers postpone Hamburg Marathon

The Hamburg Marathon that was set for April 11 has been delayed by a week due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in Germany.

In a statement, organisers of the event said the event will be held on April 18 in another location to be announced.

“The NN Mission Marathon race in Hamburg will be postponed to 18 April. Due to the current local COVID-19 situation the organisation is forced to find an alternative location for the race,” read the statement.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will be making a return to Hamburg, the place where he made his marathon debut in 2013.

Despite the postponement, Kipchoge said he will continue with his training as he gears to the race.

“Over the past months we have learned that we need to be flexible and stay positive. With this in mind, I thank everybody involved, keep working hard with positive minds to find a good alternative,” said Kipchoge.

The one-off marathon organised jointly by Global Sports Communication, the NN Running Team and the Hamburg Marathon will represent the world marathon record-holder’s final outing over the classic 42.2km distance before the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics – where he will seek to become the third man in history to claim back-to-back Olympic titles.

Kipchoge made his debut over the distance at the German City in 2013 winning the annual Hamburg Marathon title in 2:05:30 and since then he has won an impressive 11 out of 13 career marathons.

The 36-year-old who will be leading Kenya’s marathon team at the Summer Games will be making his first competitive appearance after finishing a distant eighth at the 2020 London Marathon.

Regarded as the Marathon King, Kipchoge became the first human to break the 2 hour –barrier in a marathon when he clocked 1:59:40 at the historic INEOS 1:59 Challenge that was held in Vienna in 2019.

“I am going back to the genesis of my marathon career. For me, Hamburg is where it all began. I hope to inspire many people around the world by running a great race in the streets of this wonderful city,” Kichoge could not hide his delight on his imminent return to Hamburg.