31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics Media Information Press Contact Andreas Maier Unternehmenskommunikation & Sport [email protected] Tel. +43 650 350 14 88 www.vienna-marathon.com 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics Thank you to the partners and sponsors of the Vienna City Marathon! 2 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics VCM at a glance SATURDAY, 12th APRIL 2014 Coca-Cola 4.2 (4 km – for young people from 10 to 18 years) Start: Landstraßer Hauptstraße, Höhe Herz Jesu Spital, 17:00 Coca-Cola 2.0 (2 km - for kids from 6 to 10 years) Start: Landstraßer Hauptstraße, Höhe Gigergasse, 17:15 SUNDAY, 13th APRIL 2014 Vienna City Marathon (42,195 km) OMV Half Marathon (21,097 km) Krone Relay Marathon (4er-Teams: 16,1 km / 5,7 km / 9,1 km / 11,295 km) All events finsh at Heldenplatz. Information: www.vienna-marathon.com Starting times 13th April 08:59h Marathon Elite Men 09:00h Marathon Elite Women, Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay Marathon Entry figures Marathon 9,427 OMV Half Marathon 16,208 Relay marathon 13,628 (=3407 Teams) Coca-Cola 4.2 1,446 [late entry possible] Coca-Cola 2.0 1,171 [late entry possible] Total 41.880 registrations from 127 nations 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 13, from 8:40 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 keeps you up to date with the developments during the race in English. 3 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics Run Vienna – Enjoy Classics EVERYBODY WALTZ! “Everybody Waltz” is the theme tune for the Vienna City Marathon 2014! Vienna is the city of the Waltz and a Music capital. The dance in ¾ time is the perfect expression of a feeling for life: classic, dynamic and celebrating life itself. The marathon shares this rhythm. In the past the Vienna City Marathon has begun to the strains of “The Blue Danube”, a perfect match for the motto “Run Vienna – Enjoy Classics.” In 2014 the Vienna Waltz will be at the heart of the VCM, reflecting the spinning and floating dance movement for which Vienna is famous. When the Waltz was created over 200 years ago, it was initially looked down upon by “High Society” because it brought couples into physical contact. Johann Strauß was the man who, above all, made the Waltz known worldwide with his tunes. It would be unthinkable to have the Opera Ball or the New Year Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic without the strains of the Waltzes written by the Strauß family. Let yourself be surprised by the music of the Waltz and its dance! There’s no better place to enjoy it than at the Vienna City Marathon because the Danube is the river celebrated more than any other and the Vienna Waltz is one of the radiant symbols of the city. It’s got a great swing to it: Your Vienna Waltz program at the Vienna City Marathon! • Concert with Strauss and Mozart – SOLD OUT! • Vienna Waltz Show Acts at the Vienna Sports World • The Town Hall goes dancing! Walzing crash courses, Taxi Dancer and everybody waltz at the International Friendship Party • Vienna Waltz Show Acts at the finishing area of the VCM on Saturday and Sunday • „Everybody Waltz“ Marathon Hotspot on the running course at the „Stadtpark“, 10,5/40,5 K INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP PARTY The Vienna City Marathon would be missing something without quintessential Austrian pancakes “Kaiserschmarrn” or classic pasta dishes at the International Friendship Party! Those who didn’t experience it yet should come to the beautiful banqueting hall of Vienna’s Town Hall! According to the motto “Everybody Waltz!”, there will be a crash course in waltzing every 30 minutes for free. If you don’t have a dance partner, there’ll be “Taxi Dancers” on hand to sweep you through the magnificent banqueting Hall in ¾ tempo. You can also meet the VCM Friendship Runners from 29 countries. Entry is free! Time: Saturday, April 12th, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. 4 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics VIENNA SPORTS WORLD 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. 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 11th and Saturday, 12th 2014. Opening hours daily from 10 am to 7 pm. More at www.viennasportsworld.at 5 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics Ethiopia’s Getu Feleke to challenge Henry Sugut in Vienna From Vienna debutant to favourite: Fastest runner ever entered for the marathon! Course record holder Henry Sugut will face an even tougher task when he will try to win the Vienna City Marathon for an unprecedented fourth time on 13th April. The Kenyan will face a runner from Ethiopia who has been more than two minutes faster than Sugut’s PB of 2:06:58, which is also the course record. Organisers confirmed today that Getu Feleke was added to the start list. With a personal best of 2:04:50 the 27 year-old is the fastest runner ever entered for the race. The 31st Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. Special connection to Vienna Feleke has a special connection to the Vienna City Marathon. It was here where he competed in his first race outside Ethiopia. In 2009 the organisers staged a unique debutants’ only marathon and Feleke was among the athletes invited. He finished seventh five years ago with a time of 2:11:47. “I have very good memories of the Vienna City Marathon. The city and the atmosphere were both impressive. I will never forget my first race outside Ethiopia,” said Feleke, who is looking forward to return to the place where his international career began. Strong development after debut in 2009 After his debut marathon in Vienna Feleke developed very well. In the same year he improved to 2:09:32 in Amsterdam. In 2010 he clocked a fine half marathon time of 59:56 and then returned to Amsterdam, winning the race with a course record of 2:05:44. This is his only international marathon victory so far. However he managed to improve significantly again in April 2012, when he ran his personal best of 2:04:50. Feleke was second in Rotterdam with this time. A year ago he added another second place finish in Rotterdam. In warm weather conditions Feleke clocked 2:06:45. All marathon races of Getu Feleke VCM 2009 2:11:42 7th place Amsterdam 2009 2:09:32 8th Prag 2010 2:08:04 4th Amsterdam 2010 2:05:44 1st Rotterdam 2012 2:04:50 2nd London 2012 (Olympic Games) DNF Rotterdam 2013 2:06:45 2nd Half marathon best: 59:56 minutes, Ras Al Kaimah 2010, 4th place 4 31. Vienna City Marathon 13. April 2014 run vienna – enjoy classics Henry Sugut goes for an unprecedented fourth win in Vienna But strong opposition is ready to challenge the course record holder Henry Sugut hopes to achieve an unprecedented fourth victory when he returns for the Vienna City Marathon on 13th April. The Kenyan won the biggest spring road race in German speaking territory in 2010, 2012 and 2013. But Sugut will not face an easy task when going for a hattrick in Vienna. Among his challengers are five runners with personal bests of sub 2:08. The Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. Adding other running events staged parallel to the marathon organisers registered more than 41,000 entries for the 31st edition of the race. “Vienna is my city. I am always doing well here. Whenever I come to Vienna my self confidence is high,” said Henry Sugut. Indeed there is no other place where he has been as successful as in Vienna. Three of his four fastest marathons he ran here. His 2:06:58 winning time of 2012 still stands as his personal best and as the course record as well. The 28 year-old will hope to continue this success in the Austrian capital on 13th April. Regarding a possible unique fourth victory he said: “That would be great if I could achieve that.” Among his rivals there is the only other Vienna winner apart from Sugut since 2010: John Kiprotich won the 2011 edition when Sugut was absent. The Kenyan clocked 2:08:28 that year and then improved to 2:07:08 in Amsterdam in October. This remains his personal best, but the 59:23 the 30 year-old ran in a half marathon suggests he could be faster. But neither Sugut nor Kiprotich is the one with the fastest personal best on the current start list. This position is taken by Philip Kimutai, who ran 2:06:07 in Frankfurt for fourth place in 2011. He then clocked sub 2:07 times again in the following two years, 2:06:51 in Seoul in 2012 and 2:06:57 in Paris 2013.