Bernard Koech, Kenya's defending champion and course record holder, returns to the race after setting a personal best of 2:04:09 a year ago. Meanwhile, Gotytom Gebreslase, the reigning world champion for 2022, is the frontrunner in the women's race.

With a personal best of 2:18:18, the Ethiopian will be looking to finish in the top three in Hamburg to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. Meanwhile, fellow Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw currently holds the Hamburg course record with a time of 2:17:23. Late entrant Nienke Brinkman will also be looking to qualify Paris 2024. The Dutch athlete earned bronze at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.

The organisers of Germany's biggest and fastest spring marathon have registered a remarkable 38,210 participants. Of these, around 15,000 are expected to take part in the traditional event.

"If all goes well on Sunday and the pacemakers run a bit more evenly and a little faster, we could see results similar to last year. I am curious to see if Gotytom Gebreslase can qualify for Paris 2024 and if she can break the course record, but even a 'sub-2:20' time will be special as we only have one so far," said chief organiser Frank Thaleiser.

Gebreslase revealed that she is relishing the chance to qualify. "My goal is to qualify for the Olympics on Sunday," she stressed. The Ethiopian won her debut marathon in Berlin in 2021 and became world champion the following year before taking silver at last year's World Championships in Budapest.

records. Any runner, regardless of gender, who finishes within the record times will share the prize money. If one man and three women break the records, they will each receive €5,000. Thaleiser added: "In this way we want to encourage runners in a lead group to run a fast time after the last pacemaker has dropped out.

Ahead of the race, 5000m star Koech, said: "Training has been well and compared to last year in Hamburg I have reached the same level. So if the weather conditions are fine, a fast time is possible. I will give everything and if they select me then I will be ready."

The 30-year-old Kenyan is one of seven runners in the field with personal bests under 2:05:00. Ethiopia's Getaneh Molla is the fastest in the field with a time of 2:03:34, but he hasn't run such times in recent years.

Brimin Misoi and Philemon Kiplimo will be formidable opponents for defending champion Koech, both of whom have a history of strong performances on German roads. Misoi, in particular, has won the Frankfurt Marathon twice in a row.

In defending his title last autumn, the Kenyan improved his time to 2:04:53 in windy and rainy conditions. He is now focused on running an even faster time in Hamburg. "I ran the Paris Marathon at the beginning of April, but I had to pull out because of breathing problems and then decided to run Hamburg," said Misoi.

Last year in Berlin, Philemon Kiplimo improved his personal best to 2:04:56, finishing eighth in a highly competitive race. "German roads are good for me, so I am looking forward to Sunday. I want to run with the leading group and improve my time," he stated.

Nienke Brinkman was a last-minute addition to the elite field in Hamburg. Despite winning the European bronze medal in 2022, she has yet to run the Olympic qualifying time. Her personal best of 2:22:51 was set in 2022, but outside the qualifying period.

The Netherlands runner ran a commendable time of 2:24:58 in Boston a year ago, but as it's not a record-eligible course, those results don't count towards qualification. However, qualifying for Paris 2024 should be an easier task for Brinkman than for Gebreslase, as the 2:26:50 qualifying standard should be enough for her.

A debutant could challenge for a podium finish: Irine Cheptai, the 2017 world cross-country champion, could be a strong contender. "I started preparing for my marathon debut in January and the training has gone very well. I think I will win with the second group on Sunday," said the Kenyan.

Among several German runners, Katharina Steinruck stands out as a potential highlight in Hamburg. She recently improved her time to 2:24:56 and is aiming to break a family record, as 25 years ago her mother Katrin Dorre-Heinig, bronze medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Marathon, won the Hamburg Marathon in 2:24:35. This remained the German marathon record for many years.