FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Getu Feleke Breaks Course Record With 2:05:41,
Anna Hahner Sensationally Takes Vienna
Getu Feleke clocked a superb course record at the 31st Vienna City
Marathon. The Ethiopian won the race in good weather conditions with
2:05:41. He was well ahead of the Kenyans Alfred Kering (2:08:28) and
Philip Kimutai Sanga (2:08:58). There was a major upset in the women's
race. With 300 metres to go Germany's Anna Hahner passed a struggling
Caroline Chepkwony. Hahner clocked 2:28:59 in her first marathon victory.
The Kenyan was second with 2:29:18 and Ethiopia's Marta Lema took third in
2:31:10. A record number of 42,078 runners from 127 nations entered the
various events of the Vienna City Marathon. The event is an IAAF Gold Label
Road Race.
A very fast men's race developed in fine weather conditions with
temperatures of 10 Celsius at the start, overcast skies and hardly any
wind. However in the later stages it started raining and the wind picked
up. A group of twelve runners passed the 10 k point in 29:45 minutes. With
the high pace the group was reduced to eight runners by half way (62:42).
Surprisingly one of those who lost contact was defending champion Henry
Sugut. The Kenyan, who had hoped to become the first runner to win in
Vienna for a fourth time, started struggling around the 15 k mark and later
dropped out of the race.
At 25 k there were four runners in contention behind two pacemakers: Feleke
plus Kenyans Philip Kimuta, Felix Kiprotich and Wilfred Kirwa Kigen. The
group continued to run very fast, covering the 5 k section from 20 to 25 k
in 14:32. Once the last pacemaker dropped out at 30 k (1:28:48) it was
Feleke who took the initiative. The 27 year-old, who has a PB of 2:04:50
and is the fastest runner ever entered into the Vienna City Marathon, burst
away, covering the 31st kilometre in 2:46. This was the decisive break with
noone able to follow the Ethiopian. "Before I pushed the pace I had a look
at the others and thought that I should go," explained Feleke, who said:
"It was my goal to win and to run under 2:06. However if I would have had
company in the final part of the race I could have run under 2:05." Feleke
broke Sugut's course record of 2:06:58 by well over a minute and was almost
three minutes ahead of second placed Kering.
The women's race was a completely different story. Caroline Chepkwony, who
was the pre-race favourite, took control from the start. Running in a
leading group of four with Lema, Alice Chelangat (Kenya) and Mai Ito
(Japan) she moved ahead before the 20 k mark. At half way (1:12:13)
Chepkwony was already 20 seconds ahead. While Chelangat, Lema and Ito all
faltered badly Chepkwony soon had a huge lead. Well behind her Germany's
Anna Hahner, the twin sister of Lisa, overtook one after another and was
finally second at 35 k. "That was the best I could have hoped for," Hahner
later explaiend. At this point Chepkwony was 2:23 minutes ahead of the
German, who had broken 2:30 in last year's Frankfurt Marathon for the first
time (2:27:55).
While Chepkwony looked a certain winner the picture suddenly changed. With
a few kilometres to go the Kenyan dramatically slowed and Anna Hahner made
up ground. But at 40 k there was still a 1:24 minute gap between the two.
However with 300 metres to go Hahner indeed caught the Kenyan, who could
barely run any more. "I am totally overwhelmed and still in dreamland,"
said Hahner, who waltzed in the finish are since this year's motto of the
race was "Everybody waltz". Hahner sealed the first German victory in
Vienna since Christa Vahlensiek in 1989.
Results, Men:
1. Getu Feleke ETH 2:05:41
2. Alfred Kering KEN 2:08:28
3. Philip Kimutai-Sanga KEN 2:08:58
4. Duncan Koech KEN 2:09:17
5. Oleksandr Sitkovskyy UKR 2:10:44
6. Ryo Yamamoto JPN 2:10:59
Women:
1. Anna Hahner GER 2:28:59
2. Caroline Chepkwony KEN 2:29:18
3. Marta Lema ETH 2:31:10
4. Alice Chelangat KEN 2:32:46
5. Olga Glok RUS 2:33:23
###
|
