Dörfel runs a 2:20:46 marathon debut, and without a watch

On Sunday 25 October, at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, a 24-year-old in her first 42 kilometres finished second in 2:20:46, and she ran it without a watch. Her name is Blanka Dörfel and she is now the second-fastest German woman ever over the distance. It is worth stopping on how she ran, because there is a question inside it that every runner asks sooner or later: does the watch help us or fool us?

What happened in Frankfurt

The 43rd edition had two Ethiopian winners: Jirata Dinki in 2:05:26 among the men and Zeineba Yimer in 2:19:45 among the women, as reported by the organisers and Runner's World Germany. Rain and wind spoiled the record plans: at 10 kilometres the split of 29:55 already pointed to a finish just over 2:06, and the leading group reached the half in 1:03:01.

Among the men, Germany's Amanal Petros, reigning European champion and national record holder with 2:04:03, was second in 2:05:46, ahead of Kenya's Benard Biwott, third in 2:06:23. Richard Ringer was fifth in 2:07:07 and Samuel Fitwi seventh in 2:08:57. The organisers write that he is the first German on the men's podium in over 25 years, Runner's World Germany writes "this millennium": the two wordings do not match and we prefer not to pick one.

Dörfel: 2:20:46 on debut

Blanka Dörfel, the German 10,000 metres champion, broke away from a chasing group of ten, went through the half in 1:10:29, and from the 27th kilometre her direct rivals could no longer follow. At the 33rd she moved into second place and stayed there. Third was Ethiopia's Beriha Gebreslasie in 2:22:46.

Her time is the second-fastest ever by a German woman, after the 2:19:19 with which Irina Mikitenko won in Berlin in 2008, and it is the best debut by a German woman over the distance (the previous one, 2:23:57, belongs to Melat Kejeta in Berlin 2019). According to the organisers it is also the eighth-fastest European time of all time. These facts come from two sources, the organisers' release and Runner's World Germany, and they agree.

The maths: a faster second half

Let us do our own sum, which does not come from the sources. 2:20:46 is 8,446 seconds over 42.195 kilometres: about 3:20 per kilometre. If she went through the half in 1:10:29, the second half took 1:10:17: twelve seconds faster than the first. On wet roads, with the last five kilometres that she herself called very hard, that looks remarkable to us.

The number to remember, the one that stayed with us: three minutes twenty per kilometre for forty-two kilometres, with the second half twelve seconds faster than the first.

Without a watch: is she right?

After the finish Dörfel said she runs without a watch even in training, going by feel, and that she only saw the 2:20 on the clock when she entered the Festhalle: until then, the time she could run was a question mark for her. It is fair to add, as regional broadcaster hessenschau recalls, that she is already German 10,000 metres champion: she is hardly a beginner at feeling her own pace.

We at Velunite do look at the watch, and we are not ashamed of it. But there is a difference between not having one and not needing one: she has years of racing in her legs, many of us do not. Our view, an opinion and not a rule: on debut the watch is mostly there to hold you back in the first kilometres, when everything feels easy. Then try, only in training, a long run with the display covered and a pace that feels sustainable: if you do not feel well, stop and leave it. To set expectations there is our marathon time predictor, which gives a starting number, not a certainty.

And with Sunday's rain? Anyone who runs a wet autumn race knows how the feet suffer: she said so herself, talking about foot baths. If the season catches you off guard, our guide to running clothing for autumn and winter is a good place to start.

Frankfurt turns a page

Sunday was also Jo Schindler's last race as race director after 25 years. The organisers write that the race has found a strategic partner in London Marathon Events and a successor in Holger Kranz. A record 19,720 runners from 128 nations entered the Frankfurt Marathon.

The next big marathon is New York on 1 November: we covered it in New York 2026 and the three Italians. On 6 December comes Valencia, with the million dollars for the 1:59:30.

And you? Do you run with a watch or by feel? Have you ever tried a long run with the display covered, and how did it go? Tell us in the comments: we are curious whether Dörfel is a case apart or whether we all have a bit of trust in our legs.