Amanal Petros Breaks German Marathon Record as Gesa Krause Faces Debut Setback in Valencia

The 2025 Valencia Marathon witnessed contrasting fortunes for German athletes, marked by Amanal Petros’ record-breaking performance and Gesa Krause’s premature withdrawal. Petros, the 30-year-old marathon runner, stunned the German athletics community by setting a new national marathon record with a time of 2:04:03. This performance surpassed the previous record held by Samuel Fitwi by 53 seconds. Finishing second overall, Petros was just behind Kenyan winner John Korir, who completed the race in 2:02:25. Petros, who won silver at the Tokyo World Championships, described his achievement with joy, saying, “Ich bin so glücklich, dass ich jetzt mein Ziel erreicht habe.” Despite some challenges throughout the race, he thrived in the final kilometers amid the event’s vibrant atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Gesa Krause, a two-time European champion in the 3000 meters steeplechase, faced a disappointing debut in the marathon. After maintaining a promising pace aiming to finish under 2:30 hours, Krause had to withdraw after about 30 kilometers. The specific reasons for her unexpected exit remain unclear as Krause has not offered any public explanation. She had expressed significant excitement about her marathon debut on Instagram the evening before, writing, “Tomorrow is finally the day... I can hardly wait to run my first marathon.” Krause successfully returned to competitive form in 2024 after giving birth to her daughter and plans to compete in the upcoming European Championships in Birmingham in the 3000 meters steeplechase.

Hendrik Pfeiffer also recorded a personal best of 2:06:46 hours, finishing 11th, while Samuel Fitwi placed 12th at 2:07:01 hours. Petros, who immigrated to Germany from Eritrea at the age of 16, continues to establish himself among the world’s elite marathon runners. Despite Krause’s setback, the marathon highlighted Germany’s growing presence in long-distance running through Petros’ landmark performance.