Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/15/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
                     VIENNA CITY MARATHON ON SUNDAY: 
					 
             A Race for Records and Olympic Dreams in Vienna? 

The Vienna City Marathon could turn into a race for records and Olympic 
dreams next Sunday. If weather conditions are suitable the women's course 
record of 2:20:59 is expected be attacked and may be even the 2:05:08 men's 
course best could come under threat. Additionally a number of runners will 
chase Olympic qualification at Austria's most prestigious road race. 
Organisers of the 41st Vienna City Marathon, which is a World Athletics 
Elite Label event, have registered a total of over 41,000 entries. More 
than 10,000 of them are marathon runners. 

Four men are on the start list with personal bests of sub 2:08:00 while 
another half dozen have run below 2:10:00. There will most likely be two 
groups with different targets in the men's race in Vienna. Last year's 
runner-up Bethwell Yegon, fellow-Kenyan Felix Kibitok and Ethiopia's Chala 
Regasa, who heads the start list with a personal best of 2:06:11, are 
expected to run in the leading group fighting for victory and possibly 
trying to go for the course record. Kenya's Samwel Mailu established this 
mark last year, when he ran a very strong 2:05:08 in warm conditions. 

The target for the group behind will be to go under the Olympic qualifying 
time of 2:08:10. Belgium's Lahsene Bouchikhi, who has a personal best of 
2:08:36, Daniel Paulus of Namibia (2:08:40) and Mexico's Juan Pacheco 
(2:09:45) will likely be among those joining this group.

It will be a similar scenario in the women's race. Eritrean national record 
holder Nazret Weldu has a PB of 2:20:29 and is one of the hot favourites in 
Vienna. In contrast to fellow-Eritrean Dolshi Tesfu she still needs to run 
the Olympic qualifying time. Tesfu has a PB of 2:20:40 which she ran inside 
the Olympic qualifying period, thus making sure she will be on the start 
line in Paris in August. There could well be an Eritrean battle for victory 
and the winner could then bag the course record and may be even the 
national record as well.

Five women are on the start list with personal bests of 2:24:00 while 
another five have run between 2:25 and 2:30. A couple of athletes hope to 
still qualify for the Olympic Games. It is likely that a time of around 
2:26:00 will be necessary to secure a place in the Paris field limited to 
80 runners.

Helalia Johannes is the fastest on the start list with a PB of 2:19:52. At 
the age of 43 the runner from Namibia is not expected to be in contention 
for victory, but an Olympic qualifier could be well within reach for her.

Elite runners with personal bests

MEN:

Chala Regasa         ETH 2:06:11
Bethwell Yegon       KEN 2:06:14
Felix Kibitok        KEN 2:06:28
Albert Kangogo       KEN 2:07:48
Lahsene Bouchikhi    BEL 2:08:36
Daniel Paulus        NAM 2:08:40
Leonard Barsoton     KEN 2:09:06
Bernard Muia         KEN 2:09:17
Mica Cheserek        KEN 2:09:26
Juan Pacheco         MEX 2:09:45
Tiidrek Nurme        EST 2:10:02
Peter Herzog         AUT 2:10:06
Ivan Gonzalez        COL 2:11:07
Daviti Kharazishvili GEO 2:11:46
Ngonidzashe Ncube    ZIM 2:11:46
Omar Hassan Omar     DEN 2:12:19
Cameron Avery        NZL 2:12:30
Mario Bauernfeind    AUT 2:12:49

WOMEN: 

Helalia Johannes         NAM 2:19:52
Nazret Weldu             ERI 2:20:29
Dolshi Tesfu             ERI 2:20:40
Shyline Torotich         KEN 2:22:45
Rebecca Tanui            KEN 2:23:09
Hanne Verbruggen         BEL 2:26:32
Julia Mayer              AUT 2:26:43
Jovana de la Cruz Capani PER 2:26:49
Lilia Fisikovici         MLD 2:27:26
Zaida Ramos              PER 2:29:49
Diana Bogantes Gonzalez  CRI 2:32:09
Alina Armas              NAM 2:33:09

For more information please visit: www.vienna-marathon.com

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