The long silence on marathonscene.com that lasted for the last couple of weeks was due to a change to a new webspace provider and the move to a new server. Now the site successfully moved and step by step the reports will appear again. However, there still might be some difficulties in accessing some parts of the website and other technical issues.
“Training together makes us stronger.” That’s the attitude, most of the athletes had which were in a big training camp in Chiclana (Spain) at the beginning of January. Altogether more than 50 athletes were reported to be in the camp. Best known of the were Irina Mikitenko, Ulrike Maisch, Sabrina Mockenhaupt, Susanne Hahn, Romy Spitzmüller, Falk Cierpinski, Martin Beckmann (all marathon), Jan Fitschen, Thorsten Baumeister, Rico Schwarz (all long track distance) and Steffen Uliczka, Antje Möldner (steeple). Also Austrian and Swiss top athletes joined the group.
The race walkers and long distance runner Anrde Pollmächer planned the season a bit different and are currently in Dullstrom (South Africa). The DLV-coach Ron Weigel and former World championships 4th place Andre Höhne build the head of a group of around 10 athletes, whereas only Andre Pollmächer is no race walker.
The dead of German 800m-runner René Herms is now solved. On January 23rd, the autopsy report was published after the 26 year old former Olympian was found dead 2 weeks ago in his appartment. The report stated, that a double-sided, virus-related heart muscle inflammation was the reason of dead. A sudden cardiac dead ((SCD) was somewhat expected by the people in Herms’ environment, because he had a flu recently. However, the coroner told the media, that the SCD was caused by a herpes infection which dated back some time already. A varicella zoster or rubella might have caused the herpes infection.
Rene Herms will be entombed on January, 26th 10.00 in Pirna.
2004-Olympian René Herms was found dead in front of the computer at his home in Lohmen (Saxony). The dead body was found on Saturday morning by his mother-in-law after his wife was worried because he did not reply to any phone calls. René Herms only lived for 26 years.
Herms was 12-times German Champion and competed for the LG Braunschweig in the recent past. Herms was international recognised after his 2001 European Junior and 2003 European Under-23 victory at 800m. Herms also competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the World Championships 2003 (Paris) and 2005 (Helsinki). The 7th-place at the 2002 European Championship final in Munich was the biggest international success of the middle-distance runner. His personal best stands at 1:44,14 (from 2004).
The police started the investigations, even though there are no indications of suicide or third party fault. The day before the incident, Herms completed the normal training and talked with his coach about the coming indoor season. Herms had a flu in recent days and first reports suggest a heart illness as the cause of the death.
Rest In Peace René
The Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon has been upgraded by the IAAF to a Gold Label event. This year only 11 marathon events received the Golden Label, for achieving the high standards that are set by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Following Berlin and Hamburg, Frankfurt is the 3rd race in Germany to get the IAAF Golden Label. The 28th edition of the Frankfurt marathon will take place on October, 25th 2009.
Lead results were as follows:
Men (8K)
1 Kogo, Micah KEN 23:08
2 Lagat, Shadrack KEN 23:21
3 Tuei, Hosea KEN 23:23
4 Schlangen, Carsten GER 23:29
5 Gabius, Arne GER 23:35
6 Fays, Guy BEL 23:43
7 Baumeister, Thorsten GER 23:51
8 Brwal, Piotr POL 24:13
9 Kiplagat, Ennock KEN 24:14
10 Gahungu, Vital BDI 24:18
Women (5K)
1 Belete, Mimi ETH 16:07
2 Belete, Almensh ETH 16:15
3 Gelan, Abibu ETH 16:20
4 Möldner, Antje GER 16:21
5 Hahn, Susanne GER 16:34
6 Biwott, Emmily KEN 16:45
7 Tsege, Worku ETH 16:53
8 Maisch, Ulrike GER 17:01
9 Ruban, Julia POL 17:03
10 Restle, Simret GER 17:05
full results of the race teamsoft-sportzeit.de
O p e n L e t t e r
To the executive board of the German Athletics Association (DLV)
DLV participation in international championships, especially in the IAAF World Championships
On Sunday, December 14, 2008, the European Athletics Association (EAA) Cross Country European Championships will take place in Brussels. Surprisingly, the DLV has abandoned its usual practice and has sent six complete teams.
This is surprising, as it has been the DLV’s practice for years to nominate primarily youth teams and refrain from sending any men’s or women’s teams, even for championships taking place in neighbouring countries. In doing so, cross country events also did not receive the focus they should have gotten as a basis for athletic development in the winter months. What was true for specific age groups at the IAAF World Championships was demonstrated in a blatant manner for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. We were most often not represented at all, infrequently with only one or two athletes.
It is possible that the DLV and/or its trainers are starting a process of rethinking. Up until now, one has to assume that the DLV chose “assist” its athletes by not sending any teams to the international championships in order to “spare” them possible defeat, by keeping them home in training camps rather then sending them out to face the international competition. The result of this policy, rather, is the stagnation of athletic performances across the board.
This criticism of the DLV is directed less at their nomination practices for the European Championships, but rather toward those for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and World Marathon Championships. For one of the world’s largest athletics associations, this is both outright embarrassing and also ruinous for the reputation of German athletics.
Thus, for instance, the World Half Marathon Championships in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, took place without a single German athlete participating; at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, alone Susanne Hahn competed for Germany. The year prior, the DLV was missing completely at the World Half Marathon Championships in Udine, Italy, while through some pressure from the IAAF, at least one German junior team competed in the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya. The latter performed better than expected and even finished as the best European team in 12th place.
The fact is that the DLV is not only sending its athletes to the sideline internationally through these rigid policies (?), but is also refusing them an important opportunity to compare their performances with others. Even if an athlete runs at the back of the pack, this offers him a chance to really learn how to compete, rather than always racing only against home athletes of his own calibre and seemingly performing with ease.
As the largest athletics association in Germany, the DLV has a certain obligation vis-à-vis its umbrella organisation to be in attendance. The US Americans and the Japanese are always present at the international events with large teams-even if that sometimes means a few last place finishes. If the nomination criterion of “a chance to make it the finals”, as was recently imposed by the DLV for the Olympic Games, were to be the standard imposed by all countries, then-maybe slightly exaggerated-the east Africans from Kenya and Ethiopia would be competing among themselves in the long-distance events, as would the Jamaican and immigrant US-Americans from the Caribbean in the sprints.
One telling example of how success can be achieved through strength of purpose and consistency can be demonstrated by the US runners, who have been able to join the international elite in both the mid and long distances within just a few years. The justification provided by the DLV that there is no extra funding from the Ministry of the Interior for non-Olympic disciplines, such as cross country and half marathon events, is really incomprehensible. We believe: if there is a will, there’s a way. And that way has to be found. In a business country, which Germany is, should one maybe make a call for donations in order to make it possible to send talented and enthusiastic athletes from the German athletics association to the World Championship events?
It is not acceptable that the German functionaries in the international committees, such as professor Helmut Digel or Otto Klappert, are the only German representatives at the IAAF Championships-where they constantly face massive criticism and incomprehension from the heads of the IAAF.
At the World Championships in Athletics 2009 in Berlin, Germany, and thus also the DLV, are awaiting the best athletes from around the world to gather together in Berlin, even though the host has thus far been rather a poor role model at athletics events in the past. Switzerland is making a bid for hosting the 2014 European Championships in Zurich-and has already nominated a core team for 2014. This is long-term planning that is very foreign to the DLV. The German core team for the World Championships in Berlin was only presented about three months ago-in the face of the very disappointing performance of the Germans at the Olympic Games. Apparently, German athletics is going to have to fall into an even deeper hole before the leaders in the DLV will wake up.
Otto Klappert, Horst Milde, and Wilfried Raatz have been working with great dedication for many years in the running scene and have recently been appointed to the expert committee on running at the DLV. It is with great concern that they follow the “development” of the German mid- and long-distance runners. Maybe this “Open Letter” to the executive board of the German Athletics Association can aid in generating true “rethinking” in the heads of those responsible, so that the talented and courageous athletes can start their long-term planning and face international competition so they can develop further.
The undersigned have gladly recognised the nomination of complete DLV teams to the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels and are very pleased with this step in the right direction. Now it is in the hands of the leaders of the DLV that further steps follow.
Otto Klappert, Horst Milde, Wilfried Raatz
The online registration for the Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt marathon opened on December 15. Registrations can now be made on the website of the race (www.frankfurt-marathon.com). The price is graded according to the time of registration (50€ until 31.01, 55€ until 30.6, 65€ until 31.8, 70€ until 4.10) and even one day before the competition, the race can be entered by paying 80€.
The 3rd largest German marathon will take place on October 25 in the 2009 version. In 2008 more than 20.000 registrations had to be handled (including relay marathon, handbiker etc.) and 9469 marathoners finished the 42,195km.
In a meeting in Frankfurt/Main the organisers of the 4 biggest marathons in Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne) held discussions and and came up with a plan to strengthen there profile towards health and doping issues.
“Our running events with altogether more than 95.000 participants are in high responsibility and we want to satisfy this nationwide lead function in the future more than ever” Jo Schindler (Frankfurt marathon race organiser) stated. The group decided to continue and extend their campaigns concerning possible health risks and benefits of marathon running and endurance sport in general.
In the fight against doping, the group wants to use pre-race doping tests to catch more “cheaters”. However, also a campaign for the recreational runners is planned, in which information should be given about which drugs and methods are illegal. “Especially among the thousands of refrankcreational and hobby runners there is an uncertainty about what is legal and illegal. … we want to avoid that marathoners are starting the race without knowing that they are unwittingly doped.” said Sylvia Schenk.
Until the end of the official registration period (31.11.08) 15.238 runners registered for the Hamburg marathon, that will take place on April 26 2009. The officials decided to extend the registration deadline and registrations for the race can still be made at www.marathon-hamburg.de. The Hamburg marathon is still looking for a new title sponsor (story here), but even without this important financial supporter the marathon is secured until 2012.