Recently,TCS London Marathon's organizer London Marathon Events (LME) announced the acquisition of the Frankfurt Marathon on the Main River——This is one of Europe's oldest and most highly regarded city races.这也是 This is also LME's first acquisition of an event outside the UK, marking the organization's first step toward international expansion.
The Frankfurt Marathon, held since 1981, is known for fast times, a flat course and the finish experience runners always rave about — runners cross the finish line on a red carpet inside the city's grand Festhalle （ Festhalle ）内，踏着红地毯冲过终点线，充满了仪式感。
Many notable athletes have raced the Frankfurt Marathon. The most dazzling of them is Kenya’s former world record holder Wilson Kipsang; in 2011 he retained his title with an astonishing 2:03:42, a time that was just 4 seconds off the world record at the time and remains the Frankfurt Marathon course record.
In addition, another former world record holder Patrick Makau, London Marathon champion Shura Kitata, Berlin Marathon champion Guye Adola, and Olympic 5000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot have all competedin the exciting competition of the Frankfurt Marathon.
After completing the acquisition, LME said it will preserve the event’s original character and unique atmosphere while expanding participation, particularly by attracting women, diverse groups, and young runners in Frankfurt.
Notably, the Frankfurt Marathon recently joined the newly established European Marathon Classics alongside the London Marathon, the series brings together the flagship marathons of Rome, Vienna, London, Madrid, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Lisbon and Frankfurt, aiming to raise the global profile of Europe’s premier city marathons.
