Amanal Petros targets German marathon record in London
The German athlete will make his London marathon debut as he prepares to claim his national record back
Amanal Petros is ready to take a shot at reclaiming his place in German athletics history as he lines up for the London Marathon this Sunday (April 27). With strong recent form, the 29-year-old has his sights set on breaking the German national marathon record – an accolade he once held but lost last year.
Petros, a PUMA athlete, originally made history in 2023 when he stormed through to clock 2:04:58 at the Berlin Marathon, setting a national record over 26.2 miles. However, his record was short-lived. Later that year, Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu shaved off two crucial seconds at the Valencia Marathon, running 2:04:56 and overtaking Petros in the German record books.
Now, Petros returns to the global stage in London, poised to take back the title. And if his latest performance is any indication, he's more than ready. Earlier this month in Berlin, he shattered the one-hour mark in the half marathon – a first for a German runner – by slicing his personal best of 60:09 down to a blistering 59:31.
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That performance earned him a third-place finish behind Ethiopia’s Gemechu Dida, who won in 58:43. Petros' new time now ranks him fourth on the European all-time list, just behind Julien Wanders (59:13), Andreas Almgren (59:23), and Yeman Crippa (59:26) – with Crippa also expected to compete in London.
Petros has proven his resilience time and time again. Even at the European Championships in Rome last year, he managed to secure a bronze medal in the half-marathon, despite rolling his ankle in the race’s final stretch.
He'll be part of an elite men's field in London that boasts several major contenders, including former world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, and triathlete Alex Yee from Great Britain. The race is set to start at 9:35am.
How are you feeling ahead of the London Marathon?
Very well. I've just arrived from Kenya because I have been training there for almost five months, going back and forth. I'm super happy to be here and I'm really excited. It's my second major marathon. The first major marathon I did was in Berlin in 2023 where I broke the German record.
How have your training preparations been going?
It's special to prepare for this kind of competition in Kenya because of the focus and concentration that is over there. I also have my own training group who I have trained with many times, and I even train at home in Germany sometimes.
It's not easy to find a training group because everything, including the focus and the concentration, is not easy. That's why it's the best option to train in Kenya because of the training, eating, sleeping and tomorrow is always the same. It's like a village, it's the home of athletes and I like it that way.
Why did you decide to do the London Marathon?
I have been running most of the time, even at small competitions. But now I am concentrating on the high level, which is a major marathon with strong athletes.
London is one of the biggest major marathons, as well as Berlin and New York. So it was my dream. I hadn't originally planned to run on Sunday but one of my dreams is to run in all the major marathons.
I'm super happy to represent my country, Germany, too. I hope I will come away with a positive result on Sunday because after I ran the half-marathon in Berlin everyone is now excited and they are waiting for me to bring back my German record and that makes me a bit nervous but I'm confident.
I will run for the first time with the new PUMA FAST-R Nitro Elite 3 shoes, which I have been testing for many times over the last three months. I'm super excited to use the shoes on Sunday. That's why it's something special to me.
Will you be looking to break the German marathon record?
Of course. I'm in better shape than the last two years. The half-marathon in Berlin was really nice and I've worked hard for the last four or five months. I believe in God so I have the confidence and that's one of the important things.
How did it feel to run 59:31 in Berlin?
To be honest, it was very special to me. I was very, very lucky. It had been hard work for the last four months and I had been trying to run that fast in three half-marathons but it was not successful. I was disappointed and I was a bit sad but I didn't give up.
I just kept going, I trusted my sponsor, I trusted my company. I also trusted myself. The way I worked hard was one of the important things. That's why I just kept going and tried again in Berlin.
Even though it was very close to London, I still have the self-confidence for London. I know I'm in good shape, so I will make it, that's why I came with the same motivation to London.
Why did you decide to sign with PUMA at the beginning of they year?
Before I signed with PUMA, I was trying their products for many months. They were all super comfortable, especially the shoes. It was really exciting.
PUMA is a company which grows very quickly which is why I was also very excited. I like to work with a company and with a product, especially if they always have something new and they grow very quickly. That's why I'm a person who tries new things and grows with it.
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Are you in a different shape this year compared to last year?
My shape is absolutely different, even my body. I feel a bit different because I've changed something in my training plan, by the way I eat and the timings. There is a lot of things which I've changed and they've changed me too, as a positive thing. That's why I can always push and always stay positive with very full confidence.
How did it feel to win bronze at the European Athletics Championships last year?
I always work hard to get a medal and it was not easy. I had an accident in the last 100m and it was super painful, but I just kept going because I couldn't stop. But I remembered how hard I had worked. Running is not easy, so you lose a lot of concentration, a lot of energy and motivation when something like that happens. It makes you strong, so you have to keep going and fighting until the end.
That's exactly what I did in Rome. I was happy to win third place and a bronze medal. That wasn't all, we also won a medal for the German national team and that was a very important thing.
