32. Vienna City Marathon 12. April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics Media Information Pressekontakt Andreas Maier Unternehmenskommunikation & Sport [email protected] Tel. +43 650 350 14 88 Katharina Kula Medianarbeit & Stories [email protected] Tel. +43 676 385 94 55 www.vienna-marathon.com 32. Vienna City Marathon 12. April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics Thank you to the partners and sponsors of the Vienna City Marathon! 2 nd th 32 Vienna City Marathon 12 April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics VCM at a glance SATURDAY, 11th APRIL 2015 Coca-Cola 4.2 (4 km – for kids from 10-18) Start: Landstraßer Hauptstraße, Herz Jesu Spital, 5.00 pm Coca-Cola 2.0 (2 km – for kids from 6-10) Start: Landstraßer Hauptstraße, Gigergasse, 5:15 pm SUNDAY, 12th APRIL 2015 Vienna City Marathon (42.195 k) Start: Wagramer Straße / UNO City / Reichsbrücke, 9:00 am OMV Half Marathon (21.097 k) Start: Wagramer Straße / UNO City / Reichsbrücke, 9:00 am Stadion Center Relay Marathon (teams of 4 runners 16.1 k / 5.7 k / 9.1 k / 11.295 k) Start: Wagramer Straße / UNO Gebäude / Reichsbrücke, 9.00 am Finish for all events is at Heldenplatz. Information: www.vienna-marathon.com Starting times 12th April 08:59 am Marathon elite men 09:00 am Marathon elite women, Marathon, OMV Half Marathon, Stadion Center Relay Marathon, Ö3 Challenge Vienna Sports World: Expo of the Vienna City Marathon • Feel the anticipation: At the Vienna Sports World, the Expo of the Vienna City Marathon, 90 exhibitors show new products and trends in sports, health, travel and events. Special offers and action on the stage create an exciting atmosphere. • The “Carpet for Europe” will be displayed there to highlight the theme of “We Are Europe” of the Vienna City Marathon 2015. • Race numbers and starting documents for all competitions are to be collected here. A total of approx. 45.000 visitors – runners as well as accompanying persons – is expected to visit this fair. Admission is free of charge. • The fair will take place in the Hall D of the Messe Wien, Friday, April 10th and Saturday, 11th 2015. Opening hours daily from 10 am to 7 pm. • No expo and race documents on Sunday, 12th April! 3 nd th 32 Vienna City Marathon 12 April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics VCM Friendship Party Europe and the whole world visiting the banqueting hall of Vienna’s town hall: that’s what you experience at the VCM Friendship Party, Vienna City Marathon’s Pancake and Pasta Party one day ahead of the race. Together with thousands of runners, friends and family, you will experience a well-balanced crossover of treat, music and sports. Enjoy live music, typical Austrian Kaiserschmarrn (pancakes) and traditional Pasta as well as an entertaining program. New: There will be an exciting “Parade of Nations” in the ballroom! Saturday, April 11, 2 pm - 7 pm Preliminary entry figures Marathon 9,064 OMV Hal Marathon 16,145 Stadion Center Relay Marathon 14,576 (=3,644 Teams) Coca-Cola 4.2 1,543 Coca-Cola 2.0 1,329 Total 42,657 from 129 Nationen Participation record from 2014 was 42,078 entries. Live Stream & Live Ticker A LIVE STREAM of the race provided by Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF will be shown on www.vienna-marathon.com on Sunday, April 12, from 8:30 a.m. CEST (UTC +02:00). This live stream lasts more than four hours and is available world wide. A Live Ticker Service on www.vienna-marathon.com, at Twitter @Vienna_Marathon and at the VCM App for Smartphones and Tablets (iOS, Android) keeps you up to date with the developments during the race in English. 4 32. Vienna City Marathon 12. April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics The Vienna City Marathon 2015 runs with the Motto of “We are Europe” Running as an expression of peaceful co-existence and personal freedom, independent of nation, religion, political opinion and skin colour: the Vienna City Marathon puts this experience at the forefront with its new theme for the year, “We are Europe”. “The marathon with its origins in ancient Greek legend, is a European idea. We want to emphasise how running can bring people together internationally with our theme for the coming year. The Vienna City Marathon is not only about getting people on the move in a sporting sense but also emotionally and with their stories,” explained the VCM race director Wolfgang Konrad. Carpet for Europe: A joint art work of more than 1000 runners As an expression of the theme for the year of “We are Europe” the VCM has started the charity initiative “Carpet for Europe”. In autumn 2014 we launched a campaign to donate old running T-shirts. We were overwhelmed by the wide support in the running community. Reigning VCM champion Anna Hahner put a video message on the web and called to action. Austrian federal president Heinz Fischer helped the project and donated a shirt in a public reception. Altogether we received more than 1000 T-shirts of runners from Austria, many European countries and even from Argentina, Brazil and the USA. With the help of the Behindertenhilfe Korneuburg, an institution to support disabled people near Vienna, T-shirts were woven into a giant, multi-coloured “Carpet for Europe.” Overall it has 42 meters of length. The carpet will be displayed at the Vienna Sports World. Graffiti artists will work on it on Friday and Saturday before the race. Shortly before the marathon winner crosses the finish line the carpet will be presented at the finish area to the public. Afterwards it will be auctioned for VCM charity. In this way, running as a symbol for peaceful co-existence, independent of nation, religion and skin colour has got a visible symbol. „We are Europe“ at the VCM The fact that 40,000 runners from all parts of the world take part in the Vienna City Marathon speaks for the enthusiasm of the participants in itself. You can sense the feeling of togetherness and mutual respect for everyone. A number of factors has contributed to the development of the theme “We are Europe.” • The Vienna City Marathon is one of the biggest gatherings in Europe for runners. More than 11,000 participants come from all over Europe to Vienna. • For many years the “Anthem to Europe” from Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has thrilled hearts and minds at the start of the Vienna City Marathon. Every participant is welcomed with this music, composed by Beethoven in Vienna, at the “Greeting Ceremony.” • The VCM is the Marathon for central Europe. Runners from central or eastern Europe are at the heart of this event. Entries from these countries are steadily on the rise. • Participants from all European countries are on the start line. Austria with over 30,000 runners is clearly the best represented. Next biggest nations at the VCM are Germany (3,341), Italy (998), Hungary (817), France (640), Great Britain (499), Slovakia (470), Switzerland (439), Poland (404), Spain and the Czech Republic (both 355). 4 nd th 32 Vienna City Marathon 12 April 2015 run vienna – enjoy classics Reigning champions Getu Feleke and Anna Hahner return to Vienna Ready for memorable performances once again: Feleke wants to go faster than his course record of 2:05:41. Hahner eyes a place on the podium. The two defending champions have opted to return to the Vienna City Marathon, which will be staged on 12th April. Ethiopia’s Getu Feleke and Germany’s Anna Hahner produced two of the most spectacular performances in the history of Austria’s biggest sporting event in 2014. While Feleke stormed to a brilliant course record of 2:05:41 Anna Hahner came from well behind in the final few kilometres to snatch victory. “After these memorable performances by Getu and Anna we are more than happy to welcome these two athletes back to the Vienna City Marathon. We are looking forward to another great race,” said Race Director Wolfgang Konrad. Adding other running events staged parallel to the marathon on 12th April organisers expect more than 40,000 entries once again. The Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. Feleke in fine form, ready to chase course record It will be already the third time that Getu Feleke competes in the Vienna City Marathon. It was here, where his marathon career began back in 2009. In a unique debutants’ only elite race the Ethiopian took seventh place with 2:11:42. With the exception of a ,did not finish’ in the London Olympics 2012 Feleke then always clocked sub 2:10 times. While he features a PB of 2:04:50 from Rotterdam 2012 the Ethiopian clocked his second fastest time in Vienna last year. Feleke, who had come back from an illness in 2014, was then unfortunate a couple of months later. Preparing for the Frankfurt Marathon in October an injury forced him to withdraw. However he showed that he has regained fine form when he was second in the Barcelona half marathon last Sunday. Clocking 60:45 he missed victory by just three seconds. Two fellow-Ethiopians will be among his strongest rivals: Sisay Lemma was fifth in January’s Dubai Marathon with 2:07:06 and Gebo Burka has a fresh personal best as well. He was second in Houston this winter with 2:08:12. Both champions prepare themselves in Ethiopia “My aim is to improve my Vienna course record,” said Getu Feleke. With around seven weeks to go before he will travel to the Austrian capital to defend his title the 28 year-old prepares in high altitude in Sululta for the Vienna City Marathon.