Hamburg Marathon moved to Netherlands, Kipchoge to feature

The NN Mission Marathon will now be held in the Netherlands on April 18.

The race which was initially slated for Hamburg on April 11 was delayed by a week amid the surging cases of Covid-19 in the German city that forced organisers to find a new location.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is among the elite athletes invited for the one-off race organised by the NN Running, Global Sports Communication and Hamburg Marathon.

“NN Mission Marathon will go ahead as planned on April 18 and will be moved from Hamburg to Enschede, The Netherlands, on the specially designed course on Twente Airport which will be closed for general audience,” orgainisers said in a statement.

It was at the Hamburg Marathon that Kipchoge made his marathon debut in 2013 and has gone to dominate the distance winning 11 out of 13 career marathons.

Kipchoge will be making his first appearance this year at the race as he also warms up for the delayed Olympics set for Sapporo, Japan.

More than 70 athletes will also use the race to try to secure qualification for the Summer Olympics.