Mainova Frankfurt Marathon

Glinting with glass, steel and concrete skyscrapers, Frankfurt-on-the-Main (pronounced ‘mine’) is unlike any other German city. The focal point of a conurbation of 5.5 million inhabitants, ‘Mainhattan’ is a high-powered finance and business hub, home to one of the world’s largest stock exchanges as well as the gleaming new headquarters of the European Central Bank. Frankfurt famously hosts some of the world’s most important trade fairs, attracting thousands of business travellers. Its airport, the region’s biggest employer, is the third-largest in Europe, handling over 57 million passengers per year.

Yet at its heart, Frankfurt is an unexpectedly traditional and charming city, with half-timbered buildings huddled in its quaint medieval Altstadt (old city), cosy apple wine taverns serving hearty regional food, village-like neighbourhoods filled with outdoor cafes, boutiques and street art, and beautiful parks, gardens and riverside paths. The city’s cache of museums is second in Germany only to Berlin’s, and its nightlife and entertainment scenes are bolstered by a spirited student population. Franfurt am Main, home of the Franfurt Marathon.

The Frankfurt Marathon (official name until 2010: Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon, as of 2011: BMW Frankfurt Marathon) is a marathon which has taken place every year in Frankfurt am Main since its inception in 1981. It is the longest-established city marathon in Germany and in terms of the number of finishers, Germany’s second-largest. It is organised by the agency motion events.