Magdalyne Masai: “Frankfurt is the perfect race for me, I am 100 percent ready“
Magdalyne Masai is the star of the women’s field at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday. With her personal best of 2:18:58 she is the fastest runner ever to appear on the women’s start list in Frankfurt. She demonstrated her outstanding form a month ago at the World Championships marathon in Tokyo which unfortunately ended badly for the Kenyan. In brutally hot and humid weather Magdalyne Masai was in the bronze medal position with ten kilometers to go – only the two superstars Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia and Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir were ahead of her. But the 31-year-old suffered of the heat in the final stages of the race and collapsed. She fell to the ground and had to abandon the race. Her misfortune in Japan has now turned into a stroke of luck for the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon. If Magdalyne Masai had finished the World Championships’ race a start on Sunday would not have been an option. Now she wants to attack her personal best here and try to win the race.
The world-class Kenyan comes to Frankfurt for the third time in a row. In 2023 she finished ninth in 2:27:19, slightly below expectations. Last year she shone with second place and clocked her personal best of 2:18:58. She was the only one who was able to keep up with the eventual winner Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia for a long time. Feysa set a course record of 2:17:25. Magdalyne Masai then underlined her top form at the Tokyo Marathon this March, finishing fourth in 2:19:28. Thanks to her performances in Frankfurt and Tokyo she was selected for the Kenyan World Championships’ team.
“After collapsing in Tokyo I had a headache for a few days and felt dizzy. But when I walked around my body felt so good as if I had not raced at all. After consulting my coach I decided to take a break first,“ says Magdalyne Masai. “Then my first week of training and my first tougher session went so well that I definitely wanted to run another marathon in the autumn. I contacted my manager and asked him to find me a race sooner rather than later. I am in the best shape of my life and I don’t want to waste it.“
“The timing of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is perfect for me. I had enough recovery time after the World Championships and a few tougher training sessions showed me that I am 100 percent healthy and ready,“ says Magdalyne Masai, who could have chosen a different race as well. “But Frankfurt is a very good opportunity for me and my sister Linet is also competing here again. This time we trained together following the plan of my husband and coach Jake.“
Magdalyne Masai lives with New Zealander Jake Robertson in Iten, Kenya. Their son Jake Jr. was born in July 2021. Just over a year after giving birth Magdalyne Masai made a successful marathon comeback in Toronto with a time of 2:25:39. Five months later she achieved her personal best of 67:07 in the Rome to Ostia Half Marathon in March 2023. With marathon victories in Toronto in 2019, Vienna in 2023 and Lanzhou in 2024 she has proven that she can win big races.
The 31-year-old comes from a family of ten children with impressive running successes. Her sister Linet Masai won World Championship gold in the 10,000 metres in Berlin in 2009. She has a marathon PB of 2:21:01. Her brother Moses Masai came third in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships. Her younger brother Alex Masai first improved to 2:08:03 at the Rotterdam Marathon this year and then recently took third in Chicago with 2:04:37.
Magdalyne Masai is one of the favourites in Frankfurt and could celebrate her first victory here in her third start. “I am really excited to have the chance to come back – I have great memories of last year’s race. I am going to chase my personal best and my first victory in Frankfurt.“
Further information is available at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com
Please note: The attached photo, showing Magdalyne Masai with her sister Linet (right) as well as husband and coach Jake Robertson in Frankfurt, can only be used in association with this press release and with the following credit: Norbert Wilhelmi
JakeRobertson-MagdalyneMasai-LinetMasai-by-Norbert-Wilhelmi.jpg
