All eyes on Dennis Kipkogei in Mainz after Berlin pacemaking heroics
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 08.05.26. | 21:20
Kenya’s Beatrice Cheserek is the fastest woman on the start list with a PB of 66:48
Dennis Kipkogei hit the headlines in March when he finished second at the Generali Berlin Half Marathon, a race he had entered as a pacer.
He ran shoulder to shoulder with eventual winner, Andrea Kiptoo, all the way to the final kilometer, showing no signs of letting up and only stepping aside in the last possible moment, despite looking stronger.
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All eyes will be on Kipkogei, on Sunday, 10 May when the Kenyan newcomer runs only his second race outside Kenya at the Gutenberg Mainz Half Marathon.
Six weeks ago while competing as a pacemaker for Germany’s record holder Amanal Petros in Berlin, the 24-year-old clocked 59:11, a time that makes him the fastest runner on Sunday's start list.
Organisers are hopeful that the men's race will see its first sub one hour winning time.
For a third time in a row both course records could be broken.
Kipkogei must be regarded as a firm favourite and it remains to be seen what kind of pace he will run in his first international race without pacemaking duties.
“My shape is not bad. Training was going well as usual. If weather conditions are fine I intend to run sub 60:00 again," the Kenyan confidently says.
Defending champion and course record holder James Matelong returns.
The Kenyan won the race with 60:50 a year ago and this time remains his PB as well.
"I am well prepared and my goal is to run a sub 60 minutes time," said Matelong.
Defending his title will, however, be a huge challenge. No less than half a dozen fellow-Kenyans have run faster than the course record holder.
There is one more athlete in the field who has already broken the hour mark: Jamal Kiprono took the Dutch Venlo Half Marathon this spring with 59:55.
Tom Thurley will likely be the strongest national runner in Mainz.
Four weeks ago he became the German Marathon Champion with a PB of 2:11:02 in Hannover.
His personal record over the half marathon distance stands at 63:56. “I will try to improve my PB. I know that it is possible to run fast in Mainz," said Thurley.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Beatrice Cheserek is the fastest woman on the start list with a PB of 66:48.
She is among two women with PB's faster than the 68:52 course record, the other being Orba Chemurgor with a 67:56 PB.
While Cheserek’s PB is from 2022, when she took the Cardiff Half Marathon, she recently improved her marathon PB significantly to 2:21:56 when she was runner-up in Seville.
Chemurgor clocked her PB when she was second in Ravenna last year. Last year’s runner-up in Mainz, Rency Kogo of Kenya, is third on the start list with her 69:04 time from this race.
Blanka Dörfel is the fastest national runner on the start list. The 24-year-old improved to 69:46 a year ago in Berlin.
After taking the German 10,000 m title last weekend the Gutenberg Mainz Half Marathon will be the first road race this year for the national age group record holder.
“I prefer road running and look forward to racing in Mainz. I am not quite sure what time I will be able to run. But my watch tells me I can achieve a sub 68:30,“ said Dörfel.
“We have the strongest field ever assembled in Mainz. Our minimum target is to break both course records. In the men’s race there is a good chance that we will see a sub one hour winning time,” said Philipp Kopp, the Elite Field Coordinator.