Zeineba Yimer and Andualem Belay lead a large Ethiopian group at the Frankfurt Marathon in Germany on Sunday, October 25. Zeineba is the fastest woman in the elite field, and Andualem is the second fastest man. That is according to the start lists released by the race organizers.
Thirteen of the 25 elite runners on the original start lists were from Ethiopia. Race director Jo Schindler said it is “surely the fastest elite field we have ever assembled” for the race. The marathon starts at 10 a.m. local time, which is noon in Addis Ababa, according to the race website.
Zeineba Wants a Faster Time
Zeineba’s best time is 2 hours, 18 minutes and 47 seconds. She ran it this spring, when she finished third in Barcelona, the organizers reported on Thursday. On September 27 she tried to run even faster at the Berlin Marathon. Stomach problems forced her to stop at the 33rd kilometer.
The organizers said the 28-year-old comes from South Wollo in the Amhara region and lives in Addis Ababa. She told them she knows the Frankfurt course is fast and wants to use it. Her biggest win so far came in 2023, when she won the Barcelona Marathon in a course record.
Betsy Saina of the United States is second on the women’s list with a best time of 2:19:17.
Meskerem Assefa Returns
Meskerem Assefa won in Frankfurt in 2018 and is third on the women’s list. She set her best time of 2:20:36 in that win. For some time it was not clear if she could travel, the organizers said. Visa rules for runners coming to races in Europe are now much stricter. The organizers later got the visa for her.
Video: Meskerem Assefa crosses the finish line to win the women’s race at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2018, from the race’s official YouTube channel. It is not from this year’s race.
Buzunesh Getachew, the Ethiopian who won the race in 2023, withdrew because of an injury. Siranesh Yirga and Mehret Gemeda are also in the field. Mehret finished fifth in Frankfurt last year, according to World Athletics results.
Four Men Have Run Under 2:05
In the men’s race, Germany’s Amanal Petros has the fastest best time, 2:04:03, which is the German record. Andualem is next with 2:04:44. Two more Germans, Samuel Fitwi and Richard Ringer, have also run under 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Andualem told the organizers that his best time is from 2023 and that he wants to improve it. He said the German runners often train with the Ethiopians and are very fast. He added that the Ethiopians try to beat everyone, no matter where they come from.
Kenya’s Benard Biwott, who won in Frankfurt in 2024, told the organizers that his goal is to win. The other Ethiopians in the men’s field are Antenayehu Dagnachew, Jiregna Geleta, Derara Hurisa, Jirata Dinki and Abe Gashahun.
Ethiopians Won Both Races Last Year
Ethiopian runners won both races in Frankfurt in 2025. Belay Asfaw won the men’s race in 2:06:16, and Buze Diriba won the women’s race in 2:19:34, the organizers reported.
Buze is not in Frankfurt this year. Last Sunday she won the Amsterdam Marathon in a course record of 2:16:12, World Athletics reported. Lemi Berhanu won the men’s race in Amsterdam in 2:03:33. Earlier this month, Hawi Feysa won the Chicago Marathon for the second year in a row.
