Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/29/07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                  Contact: Andreas Maier
                                           Press Officer
                                           +43–650 350 1488
                                           

    Luke Kibet and Luminita Talpos win warm Vienna City Marathon

Luke Kibet battled the rising temperatures and took the Vienna City 
Marathon with 2:10:07 this Sunday. The 24 year-old Kenyan celebrated the 
biggest triumph of his career in the Austrian capital. In his marathon 
debut James Mwangi clocked 2:10:27 for second place while another Kenyan, 
Abel Kirui, was third with 2:10:41. Luminita Talpos (Romania) was the 
women's winner with 2:32:21 in temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius at the 
finish. She was ahead of Martha Markos (Ethiopia), who improved her 
personal best by almost five minutes to 2:35:45. Susanne Pumper (Austria) 
made the home crowd celebrate by taking third place with 2:37:55. 

Organisers of the Vienna City Marathon registered a record number of 26,279 
runners from 80 nations. That includes shorter races which where included 
in the marathon event. About 250,000 spectators lined the streets of Vienna 
to cheer on the runners.

The men's leading group passed half way in 65:37 minutes, which was slower 
than originally planned. "It was getting too warm. And additionally we 
watched each other", Luke Kibet later explained. He had been one of the big 
favourites beforehand. In contrast to Kibet another one could not live up 
to the expectations: Bernard Barmasai was starting to loose ground after 24 
k. The former steeple chase world record holder, who still is the third 
fastest of all times with his 7:55,72 minutes from 1997, was hoping for his 
first marathon victory in Vienna. But he dropped out at 35 k. "Three 
kilometres from the finish I knew that I would win the race", Luke Kibet 
said, after leaving behind Abel Kirui at 37 k.  

Luminita Talpos took the women's lead right from the start and was never 
really challenged on her way to her first marathon victory. The 34 year-old 
passed half way in 1:14:23 and already was more than a minute ahead of 
Martha Markos. "I am happy to have finally won a big marathon, though I did 
not quite reach the time I wanted to run. Judging the organisation of the 
race this is the best one I have ever run in", said Luminita Talpos. She 
will now prepare for running the World Championship's marathon in Osaka.

"We are happy with our event, though we did not quite reach the winning 
times we hoped to get. But there was a superb atmosphere on the course", 
said race director Wolfgang Konrad.
 

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