The 2020 Marathon World Championships are history. Last weekend, the winners Héctor Leonardo Páez (COL) and Ramona Forchini (SUI) the rainbow jerseys on the long-distance race in Sakarya, Turkey. The fastest German men such as Sascha Weber, Simon Stiebjahn and Andreas Seewald were not at the start. It was a different story in the women's race: Here, 28-year-old Stefanie Dohrn and Adelheid Morath in tenth place ensured two top placings in the BDR jersey. With sixth place, Dohrn, who finished fourth at the DM, achieved her best World Championship result. A conciliatory end to a turbulent season. We spoke to the Centurion-Vaude rider about the World Championships in difficult conditions, her race and the event in Turkey.
BIKE: Sixth best German at the Marathon World Championships. Happy with the result?
Stefanie Dohrn: Yes, mega happy. I was seventh last year, but there were four Germans in the top ten. Our starting field was smaller than last year, but despite corona and the difficult conditions, the celebrities were at the start. All of the marathon specialists were there.
About the race: You dropped out of the leading group and then stayed close behind for a long time. Was that your tactic?
The front runners are in a tactical elimination race. That doesn't suit me, I preferred to ride at my own pace. I was close behind and knew the gaps. Nevertheless, I didn't try to keep up at all costs and instead hoped that I could pick up one or two others behind. That worked out well and I'm very happy with sixth place in the end.
For a long time it was uncertain whether the World Cup would take place at all. How did you deal with that?
My focus in this crazy season was on the Swiss Epic and the German Championships. But I always hoped that the World Championships would still take place this year. But I didn't set a real peak for my form because it was too uncertain. Instead, I made sure that I kept my form as good as possible.
The track didn't look very technical in the livestream. What was the course like?
There was a lot of uphill, many of the climbs were in the double-digit percentage range. But they were shorter than last year in Grächen. It was very tough at the end, especially because of the length. A race like this is not comparable to the German Championships, where the racing is on a rather flat course. The World Championship course was a demanding, tough marathon course. Technically, it was much easier than last year in Grächen. But I think the trend of not trying to imitate the difficult XC courses in the marathon is the right one. Marathon courses should be clearly different from cross-country courses.
A World Cup is always something very special. What was it like this year under difficult conditions in Turkey?
It was more than worthy of a World Championship. I can only praise the organisers, everything went smoothly. There was more atmosphere in the start-finish area than I would have thought and it was quiet on the course. I think it's amazing that the organisers pulled it off despite the difficult conditions and spared no effort. Flights, tests and a comprehensive hygiene concept were organised in an exemplary manner. The stadium at the start-finish area was very impressive. They also worked on the track until the very end, for example drying out large mud holes because it had rained heavily in the run-up and the mud there becomes extremely sticky. An extreme amount of work also went into the live broadcast. And all of this just for our World Championship races, that's impressive.
Seventh place last year, sixth this year: is there more in it?
My big dream is to be even further up the field. Because the Marathon World Championships are my favourite race every year. I like the World Championship races and they suit me. But those who finish at the front are full-time professionals. I, on the other hand, work 40 hours a week as a research assistant and only do competitive sport on the side. There is no support from the federation, as marathons are not an Olympic discipline.
What are your plans for next year?
For 2021 there will be a new, international UCI marathon race series give. That sounds cool. I'm preparing for that and I'll take it as it comes.
