All 4,500 starting slots for the Haspa Half Marathon Hamburg are fully booked – in record time. Only holders of a voucher code (not synonymous with “starting place voucher”) can still register for the competition via the registration portal.
Handicapped athletes interested in the handbike & wheelchair competition please send a message via the contact form, stating their damage class (H1/2 ; H3; H4).
Haftom Welday’s life story before his running career already makes impressive (partly ambivalent) reading: at the age of 24, Haftom fled from the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia to Germany. Initially he lived in Pattensen near Hanover, where he also started running intensively. In 2021, he moved to Hamburg with his wife and three children and was naturalised here just under a year later.
He completed his first marathon in 2021 – at the age of 31 – in Berlin in a respectable 2:13:47 hours, and one year later he set a personal best of 2:09:06 hours in the same place, finishing 11th overall and was also the best German. In his third marathon, the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, Haftom wanted to show “what he can do” in front of his home crowd in Hamburg on 24 April, but had to pay tribute to the fast pace of the leading group in the final section and let go. In the end, he finished in a half-disappointing, half-satisfactory eighth place after 2:09:40 hours.
Haftom has been a member of the DLV national squad since November 2022. He was recently nominated for the marathon at the World Championships in Budapest and should not disappoint anyone here. As the best German he finished 15th after 2:11:25 hours, in only his fourth marathon competition ever.
In the MHV short interview Haftom gives a retrospective and outlook on the last and coming months of his marathon career:
MHV: What do you remember about the Haspa Marathon Hamburg 2023?
Haftom: Hamburg was very tough. I started the race very fast, went along in front for a long time. In the end I had to pay the price for the extreme initial pace and the heat and had to let go. I tested my limits in Hamburg. That was an important experience.
To what extent did this influence your strategy for your start at the World Championships Marathon?
Hamburg showed me my weaknesses. I learned from it and changed my training a bit in preparation for the World Championships in Budapest, especially doing more long endurance runs. That paid off in Budapest.
With whom did you coordinate your race strategy and training before the World Championships?
Besides my coach Getamesay Mokka Dana, Tadu Abate, the winner of the Haspa Hamburg Marathon 2019, advised me. I owe him a lot – Tadu is my teacher!
How much did it inspire you to also run for the colours black-red-gold?
It has long been my dream to compete for Germany. This dream came true in Budapest. I was very moved and proud to be part of the German team.
The Olympics in Paris was and is your declared goal. Will you compete in another marathon on the way there?
My next stop is the Valencia Marathon at the beginning of December. There I will try to reach the Olympic standard. I’m now in Hamburg for a few weeks with my family and then I’m going back to Ethiopia to prepare at altitude. I am very, very confident that I can break the Olympic standard in Valencia. In Paris 2024, I will raise the bar a bit again. My goal is to do better there than at the World Championships in Budapest…
Thank you very much, all the best and see you soon!
With a course record of 2:04:09, Kenyan Bernard Koech won the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, while European champion Richard Ringer (LC Rehlingen) provided the German highlight with a strong sixth place as the best continental runner. With his time of 2:08:08, Ringer fell just short of the Olympic standard for the 2024 Games in Paris and became the second-fastest German runner of all time in Hamburg. Second was Joshua Belet (Kenya) with a time of 2:04:33, third place went to Martin Kosgei in 2:06:18.
The women’s race was won by the Kenyan Dorcas Tuitoek in a top-class 2:20:09, the second-fastest time ever run in Hamburg. Second was the long-time leader Tiruye Mesfin (Ethiopia) in 2:20:18. Stella Chesang from Uganda came third. She made a very good debut with 2:20:23 and set a national record straight away. Fabienne Königstein (MTG Mannheim) ran surprisingly well, finishing eighth in 2:25:48, well below her personal best, under the Olympic standard and setting a German best time for the year.
Almost 12,000 runners had registered for the marathon competition on Sunday. Including the half marathon, marathon relay and the junior race Das Zehntel on the previous day, a good 30,000 runners were registered for the weekend. “We have even topped last year. Conditions were optimal and despite a comparatively somewhat thinner elite field, we now have a course record -I’m honestly surprised and very pleased,” said chief organiser Frank Thaleiser.
With almost perfect temperatures of around 12 degrees Celsius, the men’s race was already shaping up to be an exciting one. After the start, a leading group of 13 runners formed and stayed together until kilometre 27. The half marathon mark was passed after 62:32 minutes, which was still a bit too slow for a course record. From kilometre 27 onwards, however, the pace in the leading group increased significantly and the three Kenyans Bernard Koech, Martin Kosgei and Joshua Belet were able to break away from the group. Shortly before kilometre 35 (1:42:55) Martin Kosgei dropped back. Shortly afterwards, Bernard Koech left his compatriot Joshua Belet behind. From then on, he ran single-handedly towards the finish line. With a strong time of 2:04:09, the Kenyan Koech won the Haspa Marathon Hamburg 2023 and improved the previous course record, set only last year by Cybrian Kotut (Kenya) with 2:04:47, by 38 seconds. The 35-year-old winner thus set exactly his personal best time. Joshua Belet came in second in 2:04:33, which was also below the previous course record. His compatriot Martin Kosgei finished third in 2:06:18. Daniel do Nascimento (Brazil), who was one of the favourites, finished fourth in 2:07:06. “I ran a good race, but I knew that I would have to beat my personal best in order to win,” said Bernard Koech. “I spoke to Eluid Kipchoge a lot before the race and he gave me tips on the course,” said the Kenyan. Kipchoge had won his debut marathon in Hamburg in 2013.
Richard Ringer also showed a convincing performance in his fifth marathon and ran another solid race in sixth place. With his time of 2:08:08 he improved by 41 seconds and stayed two seconds below the international Olympic standard. Only German record holder Amanal Petros (SCC Berlin/2:06:27) is ahead of him in the eternal national rankings. Richard Ringer ran rather defensively behind the leading group for a long time and was able to keep his pace in the second half of the race after a half marathon time of 64:05 minutes. In contrast, Haftom Welday (Hamburger Laufladen) was very courageous, perhaps a little over-motivated, and ran in the leading group. As a result, his split times were well below the German record for a long time. But Welday was not able to keep up this pace and collapsed about ten kilometres before the finish. After Richard Ringer overtook him two kilometres before the finish, he finished in eighth place in 2:09:40. “The race went exactly according to plan for me. My pacemaker did his job very well,” said Richard Ringer. “At the end I had almost the same feeling as at the European Championships.”
In the women’s race, the favoured Tiruye Mesfin (Ethiopia) pulled away early on, as expected. With a half marathon time of 69:46, however, she fell short of her own expectations. Her goal was originally to attack the announced and was already clearly outside the course record of 2:17:23. By kilometre 35, Tiruye Mesfin was able to extend her lead over a group of four to just under a minute. At this point, it looked as if the Ethiopian would win the race, but she collapsed and then crashed in the last kilometre. With 300 metres to go, Kenyan Dorcas Tuitoek ran past her to win in a personal best 2:20:09, with Tiruye Mesfin (2:20:18) eventually finishing second and Stella Chesang (2:20:23) following in third. “The course is flat and good for records. I thought I could run 2:20 here but was surprised to win,” Dorcas Tuitoek said afterwards. Fabienne Königstein (MTG Mannheim) caused a surprise by finishing eighth in 2:25:48, improving her previous personal best (2:32:35) by almost seven minutes. After an intermediate half marathon time of 1:12:41, she was almost able to maintain her pace. Königstein, who ran her first marathon since 2018 after a baby break, is now the sixth-fastest German runner of all time. “I approached the race as bravely as possible, because that is my running style. I had hardly any marathon preparation for this race, which of course will increase the expectations in the future,” said the 30-year-old. “It went better than I had ever dreamed. ”
In the everyman race, 8,700 marathon runners and 5,900 relay participants had crossed the finish line at the end of the race. Before that, almost 3,600 half marathon runners had successfully completed the half marathon.
Online registration for the 38th Haspa Marathon Hamburg starts on Monday, 24 April.
The date for this is 28 April 2024.
Tiruye Mesfin could indeed be in a position to break the course record on Sunday if weather conditions will be suitable. At the moment the forecast looks good, however there might be some wind. The Ethiopian youngster ran a superb 2:18:47 debut at the Valencia Marathon in December and believes she can run considerably faster in her second marathon on Sunday. “I am in fine form and my preparations went very well. I will try to break the course record, but at least I want to run a personal best,“ said Tiruye Mesfin, who hopes to be in the mix for Olympic qualification. „My plan is to run the first half in 68:00.“ While this would lead towards a world-class time of 2:16 she knows that it will probably not be enough to secure an Olympic spot. “I think I would have to go even faster, but there is some time left and I could do it in a later race.“
Qualifying for the 2024 Paris games will probably be easier for Stella Chesang since the competition for places in Uganda is not as tough as in Ethiopia. Running her debut marathon in Hamburg she is ready for an adventurous pace. “I want to go with the first and see how it goes for me and what is possible. I hope to achieve Olympic qualification,“ said Stella Chesang, who chose Hamburg for her first marathon “because of the fast course“. Her half marathon PB of 68:11 indicates that she could break the Ugandan record of 2:23:13. And her tenth place at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in February shows that she is probably in very good form.
Kenya’s Bernard Koech is the fastest runner in the field with a PB of 2:04:09. He did not make it in time for Thursday’s press conference because of a strike at Hamburg airport. South American record holder Daniel do Nascimento arrived a day earlier and was present when the conference fittingly began in room Sao Paulo at the Radisson Hotel. A year ago the Brazilian, who recently trained in Uganda for a longer period, stunned with a time of 2:04:51 in Seoul. However the 24 year-old then collapsed with ten kilometers to go at the New York Marathon in November. Daniel do Nascimento ran world record pace in the first part of that race and was ahead by well over two minutes at half way. “I made a mistake in New York, it was not a good strategy. After 30k I felt sick and got stomach problems. For me marathon is a bit like a marriage – there are difficult times and better times,“ he said. “I will run more intelligently on Sunday and will surely finish this time.“ If he should succeed in breaking his personal best he would then most probably break the course record as well. Last year Cybrian Kotut improved the mark to 2:04:47, which is just four seconds quicker than do Nascimento’s South American record. Unfortunately the Kenyan is among a number of withdrawals the organisers have to cope with. Ethiopians Mule Wasihun and Muktar Edris, who wanted to run his debut in Hamburg, had to cancel their starts due to an injury as well.
After his sensational gold medal performance at the European Championships in Munich last summer Richard Ringer returns to the classic distance for the first time. Olympic qualification is his next major goal. “Preparing for Hamburg everything went really well, even better than expected,“ said Richard Ringer, who will choose a more conservative approach on Sunday. “I don’t want to take too many risk now as I really want to make sure that I achieve the Olympic qualifying time and go under 2:08.“ Richard Ringer’s PB stands at 2:08:49. “At the moment I hope that a time between 2.07:30 and 2:08:00 will be enough to qualify for Paris.“ Another German runner who will go for the Olympic standard in Hamburg is local runner Haftom Welday. The former Eritrean surprised with a 2:09:06 in Berlin last year and now hopes to run well under the Olympic qualifying time of 2:08:10. Since he will choose a more aggressive approach than Ringer there could be an interesting German battle in Hamburg as well.
Elite Runners with Personal Bests
MEN:
Bernard Koech KEN 2:04:09
Tsegaye Kebede ETH 2:04:38
Daniel do Nascimento BRA 2:04:51
Martin Kosgei KEN 2:06:41
Masresha Bere ETH 2:06:44
John Langat KEN 2:07:11
Henok Tesfay ERI 2:07:12
Joshua Kemboi KEN 2:08:09
Daniel Mateo ESP 2:08:22
Richard Ringer GER 2:08:49
Martin Musau UGA 2:09:04
Haftom Welday GER 2:09:06
Derlys Ayala PAR 2:10:11
Jeisson Suarez COL 2:10:51
Ernesto Zamora URU 2:11:26
Andy Buchanan AUS 2:12:23
Arttu Vattulainen FIN 2:13:29
Joshua Belet KEN Debut
Moses Koech KEN Debut
Demeke Tesfaye ETH Debut
Simon Debognies BEL Debut
WOMEN:
Tiruye Mesfin ETH 2:18:47
Sintayehu Tilahun ETH 2:22:19
Giovanna Epis ITA 2:23:54
Dorcas Tuitoek KEN 2:24:54
Marion Kibor KEN 2:25:15
Kumeshi Sichala ETH 2:26:01
Tsigie Haileslase ETH 2:27:08
Paolo Bonilla ECU 2:27:38
Obse Abdeta ETH 2:27:47
Rosa Chacha ECU 2:28:17
Zenebu Bihonzg ETH 2:28:59
Katja Goldring USA 2:29:01
Tereza Hrochova CZE 2:29:06
Molly Grabill USA 2:29:17
Loreta Kancyte LTU 2:30:48
Fabienne Königstein GER 2:32:35
Tabea Themann GER 2:33:51
Stella Chesang UGA Debut
Mekdes Woldu FRA Debut
Mary Granja ECU Debut
Ana Ferreira POR Debut
After last year’s brilliant victory by Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who broke several records in her marathon debut in the Hanseatic city, Hamburg will once again be the stage for fast international top runners. This year, Yehualaw’s compatriot Tiruye Mesfin leads the start list of the elite women’s field. At 20, the Ethiopian is two years younger than Yalemzerf Yehualaw was when she won in Hamburg. Although Mesfin has not yet won a marathon, her personal best of 2:18:47, with which she finished sixth in the Valencia Marathon in December 2022, can rightly be classified as a world-class time. This reference also makes her the fastest marathon runner ever to start in Hamburg.
Tiruye Mesfin’s strongest competitor is her compatriot Sintayehu Tilahun, who is ranked second on the start list. The 23-year-old athlete is also still very young and is considered a novice with a great future on the international stage. With her best time of 2:22:19 hours, she finished second at the Milan Marathon exactly one year ago.
At least among the extended group of favourites is 26-year-old Stella Chesang. The Ugandan will make her marathon debut in Hamburg on 23 April and has a half marathon best of 68:11 minutes in addition to various national records. She recently impressed at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia over 10 kilometres and before that at the 10 kilometre road race in Valencia, both with top ten finishes. With a podium finish in Hamburg, Stella Chesang could also set a new Ugandan marathon record, which currently stands at 2:23:13 hours.
Italian Giovanna Epis, the top three seed, hails from Venice. The 34-year-old athlete competed in her first race at the age of 16. Her marathon debut would follow eleven years later at the Florence Marathon in 2015, which she successfully completed in 2:39:28 hours and fifth place. In the years that followed, she steadily improved. She was recently rewarded with a new personal best at the Valencia Marathon in December 2022 with 2:23:54 hours. For the Haspa Hamburg Marathon, Giovanna Epis has her sights set on upgrading the current Italian national record of 2:23:44 hours.
This year’s only top German runner, Tabea Themann, is on a very good Hamburg course. The 30-year-old Hamburg marathon champion had been preparing for weeks in an altitude training camp in Iten, Kenya. She also recently confirmed her excellent form with a strong performance in the Berlin half marathon.
Online registration in the late entry category (marathon: €118, relay: €185) is still possible until 16 April.
A total of more than 30,000 runners are expected to take part in the 37th edition of Germany’s biggest spring marathon on Sunday, 23 April 2023.
Cybrian Kotut, winner of last year’s Haspa Marathon Hamburg, will compete again in Germany’s biggest spring marathon on April 23. Last year, the Kenyan had improved the Hamburg course record of marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge, which had stood for around nine years, by 43 seconds in 2:04:47 hours. At the same time, he set a new personal marathon best. Last year, the 30-year-old Kotut already met fast competitors in Hamburg. Even the fourth-place finisher was able to beat the then best time of 2:05:30 hours. Similar strong and interesting competition awaits the Kenyan this year. The Ethiopian Mule Wasihun comes to the Hanseatic city with a personal best of 2:03:16 hours and is thus the fastest runner ever to appear on a Hamburg marathon start list. In addition, his compatriot Muktar Edris will make his marathon debut on April 23. The 29-year-old comes to Hamburg as the 5,000-meter world champion of 2017 and 2019 and has already proven his talent for road races at the half marathon in Valencia 2021 with a world-class time of 58:40 minutes.
In addition, Workineh Tadese and Martin Musau are two familiar faces returning to the Hanseatic city on the Elbe. The Ethiopian Tadese ran last year as third through the finish on the Karolinenstraße. Musau, a Ugandan, won the Haspa Marathon Hamburg held under Corona conditions in 2021.
“After the signing of European champion Richard Ringer and Hamburg’s Haftom Welday, the men’s field grows with more fast guys. In cooperation with our athlete agency Global Sports Communication, we were thus able to put together a world-class field for this year as well, which once again promises an exciting and fast race. We are also looking forward to big names in the women’s race,” explains chief organizer Frank Thaleiser.
Information on well-known international female athletes will follow by the end of March.
For the Everyman race, registrations in the Marathon and Marathon Relay competitions are still possible until March 23.
Next to the finisher’s medal, it is one of the most important figureheads of almost every renowned running event: the official participant’s shirt. There are often passionate discussions about both: “too big, too small, too heavy, too light, too bright, too pale, too flashy, too mainstream!” or simply: “strong, top, great!
It’s quite clear that everyone’s taste can never be met 100 per cent. Together with our supplier ASICS, we have really put our backs into it this year to make your participant shirt as individual and original as possible. We hope you are as enthusiastic as we are!
The shirt can be ordered during registration for 31,-€*. Participants who have already registered (for all competitions) can easily order the shirt later (see below for more information). An order is only possible in connection with the respective booked competition.
The marathon shirt and the half marathon shirt are available for women (sizes XS-S-M-L-XL) and men (sizes XS-S-M-L-XL-XXL). For the marathon relay, a unisex version (XS-S-M-L-XL-XXL) is available.
*Attention relay participants!
If you book 4 shirts for the whole relay team, the package is available at a special price of 112,- Euro instead of 124,- Euro. Important! Please indicate the required size (unisex) for all 4 shirts.
If you are already registered and would like to order a shirt later, please send us a message via our contact form, stating the booking number and the desired shirt size.
All ordered shirts will be handed out at the Marathon Hamburg Expo 2023.
Let’s Run Hamburg!
#Nothingfeelsbetter
#runtheblueline
German long-distance runner Richard Ringer will start in the elite field of the 37th Haspa Marathon Hamburg on 23 April 2023. The current European marathon champion made the announcement today at a press conference. “It was clear to me immediately after the European Championships that I would like to run a city marathon in the spring of 2023, and Hamburg and the organiser MHV are an ideal match,” explained the 33-year-old.
Chief organiser Frank Thaleiser from the organiser MHV adds: “We are very pleased to have Richard Ringer, an absolute top runner from our own country, at the start, who not only brings strong sporting credentials, but also combines a professional attitude with a very likeable appearance.”
Ringer is the first top athlete to be officially signed up for the elite field at next year’s Haspa Marathon Hamburg. “We are sure that with him as a drawing card, other well-known top runners, including local ones, will follow. We will be putting together the elite field in the coming weeks and months together with our athlete agency Global Sports Communication,” Thaleiser continues.
Hamburg’s State Councillor for Sport, Christoph Holstein, adds: “The major sporting events in the city, and the Hamburg Marathon as the start of the Hamburg sporting calendar in particular, also have an important role as ambassador events, because they stand for the fact, especially in times of great adversity, that sport continues on a broad level and that its formats can also develop further.
formats can continue to develop.
In the popular sports sector, 15,200 participants are currently registered across all three competitions – marathon, half marathon and marathon relay.
A total of up to 30,000 runners are expected to take part in the 37th edition of Germany’s biggest spring marathon on 23 April 2023. They will be distributed among the marathon (up to 13,500 starters), half marathon (fully booked with 4,500), relay (up to 6,000) and the junior race Das Zehntel. Registration for the run for children and youth opens on 16 January 2023.
Online registration for the marathon and marathon relay will be open until 23 March 2023.
Almost six months before the 37th Haspa Marathon Hamburg, its half marathon competition is completely booked out. Holders of valid (2023) voucher codes can still redeem them via the MIKA registration portal.
The total contingent of 4,500 starting places in the half marathon competition will NOT be increased.
Six months before its 37th edition, Germany’s biggest spring marathon has almost 11,000 registrations across the marathon, half marathon and relay events.
Registration for the half marathon competition is gradually turning into the home stretch. Out of 4,500 starting places, about 450 are still available. Half marathon enthusiasts with the idea of starting in Hamburg on 23 April should not wait too much longer to register.
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