The 2025 Frankfurt Marathon is set to host the most competitive women's elite field in its history on October 26, with Kenyans Sharon Chelimo and Linet Masai among the top contenders who have signed up for the race, boasting that has the strongest women’s cast ever assembled.
For the 42nd edition of the race, organisers have assembled a lineup featuring seven women with personal bests under 2:23:00. Kenya's Sharon Chelimo leads the pack with a personal record of 2:19:33.
"We are delighted that we managed to get Sharon Chelimo on the start list at short notice," said Race Director Jo Schindler. "We now have an exceptionally strong women's field, so we can expect an exciting and fast race."
Organisers are also anticipating a record number of participants. Current registration figures suggest the event is on track to surpass its 2012 record of 16,034 entries.
Last year's race was highlighted by Ethiopian Hawi Feysa, who set a new course record of 2:17:25. Chelimo, now 31, previously competed in Frankfurt two years ago, finishing with a time of 2:22:07.
Chelimo achieved a major breakthrough this spring with a surprise victory at the Barcelona Marathon, where she clocked 2:19:33, improving her personal best by over two and a half minutes.
She will be joined by a formidable group of competitors who have also broken the 2:23:00 barrier, including Etagegne Woldu (PB: 2:20:03), Buze Diriba (2:20:22), Aminet Ahmed (2:21:24), and Tsige Haileslase (2:22:10) of Ethiopia, as well as Kenyans Linet Masai (2:21:01) and Catherine Cherotich (2:22:42).
Another athlete to watch is Betty Chepkemoi. The Kenyan delivered a sensational performance to win this year's Vienna City Marathon, setting a significant personal best of 2:24:14 despite freezing conditions.
Two debutants could also make an impact: Ethiopians Ayal Dagnachew and Yalemget Yaregal show great promise with impressive half-marathon times of 67:08 and 66:27.