Domenika Mayer shattered her lifetime best with a gun-to-tape victory to win the ADAC Hannover Marathon for the third successive year on Sunday (12) morning.
Mayer stopped the clock at 2:21:26 to slash almost two minutes from her previous lifetime best of 2:23:16 from the 2025 Berlin Marathon. Her time was the second fastest by a European in 2026 and she moves to second on the German all-time list behind Irina Mikitenko's enduring record of 2:19:19 from 2008.
"I'm delighted to be number two on the [German all-time] list, I'm thrilled to have achieved such a time, and I'm delighted to have run here in Hanover and become German champion. The atmosphere was fantastic! At times it was so loud that I couldn't even feel myself," said Mayer who also shattered her course record of 2:23:50.
Mayer led by 54 seconds through the halfway mark in 70:31 ahead of Fabienne Königstein and the 35-year-old extended her winning margin to over three minutes in the second half. Königstein took the runner-up spot in 2:24:31 with Ethiopia's Almaz Negede a distant third in 2:30:25.
"There is still more to come"
With her victory, Mayer was also crowned German marathon champion and will be well-placed for selection for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August should the event feature in her upcoming plans. Mayer finished sixth at the 2022 European Athletics Championships and was part of Germany's gold medal-winning team in Munich.
Having improved to 2:21:26, Mayer has outlined that another of her goals is to break the 2:20-barrier. "There is still more to come. I have got my sights set on that mark. I am always trying to run faster and see what is possible. After all my time is limited – I am not 25 anymore." she said.
In the men's race which was won by Kenya's Maru Kibet in 2:07:53, Tom Thurley finished sixth overall and won the German national title with a lifetime best of 2:11:02.
"I had hoped it might work out this way – but a marathon is long, you never know what might happen. I am really happy. My goal is to run a time under 2:10:00. If I were given the chance to compete for the German team at the European Championships this summer, I would obviously take it," he said.
Photo from Norbert Wilhelmi / Organisers