Marathonscene Germany | marathonscene.com - Part 27

German Indoor Championships this weekend (21./22.02) in Leipzig – live on the internet stream

For the first time in the history of German athletics, the German Indoor Championships are going to be broadcasted via an internet live stream. The stream will start at 10am on Saturday and at 11am on Sunday.

The distance races will take place as following:

men:

800m: heats: 11.10 (Sat), final: 15.45 (Sun)
1500m: heats: 10.20 (Sat), final: 15.20 (Sun)
3000m:15.20 (Sat)
5000m race walking: 11.45 (Sat)

women:

800m: heats: 10.45 (Sat), final: 15.35 (Sun)
1500m: heats: 10.00 (Sat), final: 15.55 (Sun)
3000m:15.40 (Sat)
3000m race walking: 12.10 (Sat)

Note: All times are CET!


No world-championship marathon in 09 for Sabrina Mockenhaupt

The marathon at the world championships in Berlin (15.-23.0809) will take place without Sabrina Mockenhaupt. “I will run the 10.000 meter, like I did in the Olympic Games”, told the 29-year old a German running magazine. It is her aim to attack the German record of Kathrin Ullrich, which dates back to 1991 and stands at 31:03,62 min.
“Mocki”, as she is usually called, has a PB of 31:14,21 min, which she clocked in the final of the Olympic Games. With this time she is currently number 2 in the German record books. “In Peking I saw, that you can run great times in a major championship race; that’s what I’m also trying in Berlin now. Mocki even was quoted saying that she wouldn’t even want the place in the marathon team, if she would fail to qualify for the 10.000 meters. National coach Detlef Uhlemann saw the positive effect of this decision, stating that “now we [Germany] will probably have a female runner on the track”.
Mockenhaupts decision also means that there are now at least two more positions available on the German female marathon team. Currently under the entry standard of 2:32:00h were (besides Mockenhaupt): Irina Mikitenko, Melanie Kraus and Luminita Zaituc. Most chances to receive a place on the team are Ulrike Maisch, Susanne Hahn and Claudia Dreher.


Marathonscene on a new server and with a new webspace-provider

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.


German distance runners tune up in Spain, while race walkers have their camp at the altitude of South Africa

“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.


Pregnant race walker Melanie Seeger will miss home world championships

German race walker Melanie Seeger is pregnant and will deliver her first child in July, so that a participation in the events of the 2009 world championships will not be possible.

The 32-year old, who competed in every major competition since 1995 (excluding the 2000 Olympics) said that she is willing to continue her competitive career after giving birth: “I will start to train again in autumn. The European Championships 2010 in Barcelona are an aim for me. The biggest achievements of Melanie Seeger are 5th place in the 2004 Olympics, 7th place at the 2001 World Champs and 8th place at the 2003 Worlds (all at 20km race walking).

Father of the child is the Belgian Dries Vervecken, who works at the FU university Berlin.


René Herms: cause of dead was heart muscle inflammation

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.


Susanne Hahn to run spring marathon in Düsseldorf

German Olympic marathoner Susanne Hahn is trying to qualify for the world championship marathon in Berlin 2009 by running a good time in the Düsseldorf marathon, which will be held on 3rd of May this year. She will go for a new personal best (old mark: 2:29:33) to do her best to secure a spot in the strong German women marathon team. “The preparations are running since a couple of days and I’m looking ahead confidently” she stated after the announcement.


Jan Fitschen returns to first running exercise after long injury

German 10.000m European Champion Jan Fitschen is back on the running trail. After an injury break of almost half a year, that was marked by alternative training (aqua jogging, cycling,, strength training) he now made his first runs during a training camp in Chiclana (Spain). The healing process of his plantar tendon went pretty much as predicted and he is now preparing for the 2009 outdoor season.

While Fitschen could not run at the beginning of the new year 2009, he is now very happy that he can jog for a half hour. “I maintained the fitness of the heart and the cardiovascular system, now I have to increase the running specific load step-by step, because I don’t want to overstress the foot” said Fitschen.

At this time of the year it looks like Jan Fitschen is going to set the main focus on the 5000m for the season 2009. Of course the qualification for the home world championships in Berlin is the big aim for the 31-year old.


Sudden death of 800m-runner René Herms shocks German distance running scene

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


Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon gets IAAF Gold Label

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.


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