Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/25/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                      Both Course Records Under Threat,
          Close to 30,000 Entries For the Jubilee Running Festival 

Everything is ready for a great jubilee race: This Sunday the Vienna City 
Marathon will celebrate its 25th edition. And it looks likely that the race 
will reach dimensions never experienced before in the history of the event 
and in Austria. This refers to the size of the field as well as the 
quality. Adding all running events close to 30,000 athletes from more than 
100 nations have entered the Vienna City Marathon – both are record 
figures. Taking into account the strength of the field and a suitable 
weather forecast both course records should be under threat on Sunday: 
Marocco's Lahoucine Mrikik had run 2:08:20 two years ago while back in 2000 
Maura Viceconte (Italy) clocked 2:23:47.

The men's race features two runners with personal bests of sub 2:07. Wilson 
Onsare is the fastest in the field with a record of 2:06:47. Since that 
mark is already five years old and the 31 year-old Kenyan was not able to 
come near to it recently it is the second fastest in the field who is seen 
as the favourite in Vienna: Abel Kirui. So far the Keynan has a personal 
best of 2:06:51 with which he was second in Berlin 2007 – only beaten by 
Haile Gebrselassie, who established a world record of 2:04:26 in that race. 

While Kirui had actually started his marathon career as a pacemaker for 
Haile Gebrselassie's world record attempt in Berlin in 2006 (after passing 
35 k in 1:45:23 he went on to finish in 2:17:47) he is now thinking of 
attacking the mark of the great Ethiopian himself: "The world record really 
is my goal. I want to break it. I said to myself why should I not be the 
person to do it?" Stating this in today's press conference Abel Kirui at 
first caused some confusion among organisers and journalists since such a 
pace is not on the plan for Sunday. Kirui then explained that the world 
record will be a goal in near future. "On Sunday we plan to run the first 
half in 63:30. May be we can get a bit faster after that first half", the 
25 year-old explained. 

His fellow countrymen will most probably be Abel Kirui's main rivals at the 
25th Vienna City Marathon. "In fine weather conditions I hope to break my 
personal best," said Paul Biwott, who had clocked 2:08:17 for second place 
in Paris in 2005. Duncan Kibet and Philemon Kisang are two of the Kenyans 
who could be in with a surprise on Sunday. Both are running their debuts 
following promising results in the half marathon. Kibet ran 60:22 in San 
Jose in 2006 while Kisang clocked 60:55 winning in Milan a year ago. He 
again took the Stramilano earlier this month.

Vienna's champions Morimoto and Talpos in for fast race

Having just missed out on making the Olympic marathon team Tomo Morimoto is 
back in Vienna. "Two years ago I won my first marathon here and achieved a 
good time which is still my personal best. So I have very good memories of 
the Vienna City Marathon. That is why I decided to come back," explained 
the 24 year-old Japanese who has been named as a reserve for Beijing by her 
federation. In 2006 she had become the first Japanese winner in Vienna, 
clocking 2:24:33. "On Sunday my aim is to run another personal best," said 
Tomo Morimoto, who had placed second in January's Osaka Marathon with 
2:25:34.

Tomo Morimoto is expected to go for a sub 2:24 time on Sunday. With the 
course record standing at 2:23:47 this is a likely goal. But the Japanese 
will not enter the race with bib number 1. That is reserved for the 
defending champion Luminita Talpos. In very warm weather conditions the 
Romanian had won last year's race in 2:32:21. "My aim is to qualify for the 
Olympic Games. Probably a time of about 2:28 would be enough to go to 
Beijing. But I am in shape for a faster time. So I hope to improve to 
2:25," Luminita Talpos said. So far she has a personal best of 2:27:32. "It 
is an advantage that I know the course."

Another one who might well run with the two Vienna champions is Beatrice 
Omwanza. The Kenyan has a personal best of 2:27:19 from Berlin 2004. "I did 
not improve on that because besides running I had been working for the 
Kenyan postal service in recent years. But since last year I am a fully 
professional athlete and can concentrate on training only," said Beatrice 
Omwanza, who thinks she can achieve a result in the region of her personal 
best. 

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