| National New Year’s Eve Racing Preview
With numerous New Year’s Eve races throughout Germany, the 2022 sports year ends on Saturday. Several top German athletes, including five stars of the Munich Marathon and hurdle aces Lea Meyer and Gesa Krause, hop on the New Year’s Eve run in Trier. In addition, after a two-year break from Corona, the starting rolls for the traditional competitions will be held in Bietigheim and Werl, among others.
With Richard Ringer and Amanal Petros meet Trier the two leading German marathon runners over eight kilometres. However, given the latest results and the season’s timing for marathon runners, Belgian title holder Isaac Kimeli has to be seen as the favourite. The Kenyan athlete recently finished third at the European Cross Country Championships. European marathon champion Richard Ringer (LC Rehlingen) is just starting to organize his spring marathon in Hamburg, so don’t expect too much.
German marathon record holder Amanal Petros (TV Wattenscheid), fourth at the European Championships and silver with the German marathon team, will be back on the start for the first time after more than three months. He comes directly from the altitude training camp in Kenya, where he has been preparing for the next marathon for some time. Always good for a surprise is Nils Voigt (TV Wattenscheid), who recently impressed with best times over 15 (43:18 min) and ten kilometers (28:03 min) and can play a very good role in Trier. Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu (LG Vulkaneifel) and Maximilian Thorwirth (SDF 75 Düsseldorf-Süd) are also in the running.
Gesa Krause, Lea Meyer and three European marathon champions
Marathon specialist Katharina Steinruck (Eintracht Frankfurt) will start over five kilometers as defending champion. She will restart for the first time since her EM marathon, where she hit a hole in the road and was still running in 15th place despite a damaged foot.
Deborah and Rabea Schöneborn (both SCC Berlin), who, like Katharina Steinruck, were part of the German marathon team that won the European Cup at the European Championships, run in Trier, as does Lea Meyer (ASV Cologne). The 3,000m steeplechase sensationally won silver at the European Championships. The 2018 European hurdling champion, Gesa Krause (Trier New Year’s Eve Run), will be shorter due to her pregnancy, but she will start anyway. Some international runners also tackle the course.
Bietigheim promises two duels
After a two-year forced hiatus due to the corona virus, the New Year’s run in Bietigheim its return and with the 40th edition also an anniversary. In the men’s race, four-time winner Simon Boch (Telis Finanz Regensburg) and Bietigheim 2019 winner Marcel Fehr (LG Filstal) meet on the approximately 10.75 kilometer course. “I want to regain my title in Bietigheim and am looking forward to the great atmosphere and the many spectators along the course under the Enz viaduct,” explains Boch. With Kurt Lauer and Julian Großkopf from Ludwigsburg, who recently represented the German Athletics Association (DLV) in the junior age groups at the European Cross-Country Championships, two young runners are also at the start.
After a mixed season as German cross-country champion and with two medals at the cross-country championships in Italy, Alina Reh (SCC Berlin) again showed clear improvement. “Alina is not herself yet, but she has got a lot of momentum back for next season,” says national coach Isabelle Baumann, with whom Reh is training in Tübingen. The toughest opponent for the native of Laichingen could be the German champion of the 10 kilometers Eva Dieterich (running team Kassel), training colleague of Alina Reh. With Mia Jurenka and Kim Bödi (both VfL Sindelfingen), two young hopefuls are looking for a decisive position.
Among other Baden-Württemberg races that dare to make a comeback is one of the oldest in the history of the New Year’s Eve race. With around 400 participants, the New Year’s Eve rush was on Fluorn-Winzeln in the Black Forest one of the many small tracks that make up the running movement in Germany. Fluorn-Winzeln hopes in its 48th edition that the riders’ response to returning after three years will be worth continuing. For the 36th New Year’s Run in Backnang Jens Mergenthaler (SV Winnenden) is fourth at the European Cross Country Championships with the medley relay.
Fabienne Königstein dares to take the first step back
The course records of Jean Weijts (Belgium, 1986 in 43:33 min) and Laura Hottenrott (TV Wattenscheid (TV Wattenscheid, 2019 in 51:01 min) are set at 41st New Year’s run Werl/Soest There is a high probability that they will not fall beyond the distance of 15 kilometers. Because there are no absolute favorites this year.
Fabienne Königstein, who won the Werl/Soest New Year’s race in 2017 and 2018 under her maiden name Amrhein and finished second in 2019, gave birth in July and is still in advanced training. The former German marathon champion will be challenged over the distance of 15 kilometers by the former Belgian cross-country champion Hanna Vandenbusche, among others. One is also thrilled by the appearance of professional triathlete Hannah Arlom (LG Emsdetten).
Among the men, the 2019 German marathon champion Alexander Hirschhäuser (ASC Breidenbach) is the most famous participant. Due to injury concerns and the doctoral thesis the 30-year-old is currently writing, he is not 100% fit. The long-distance runner from ASC Breidenbach faces competition on the course along the old main road B1 from Sascha van Staa (LC Rapid Dortmund), Manuel Kruse (Running Crew Münster) and Volker Goineau (Würzburg).
In Hanover reigning German marathon champion and future local hero Hendrik Pfeiffer (still TV Wattenscheid 01) is the favorite for the New Year’s run around the Maschsee. Of the New Year’s run in Herne has decided this year for mass instead of quality and, in its 44th edition, focuses on amateur racers.
