Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 2/18/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
   Defending Champions Getu Feleke and Anna Hahner Return to Vienna

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. 

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.

"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. It is by coincidence exactly the same venue near 
Addis Abeba where Anna Hahner currently trains as well. Together with twin 
sister Lisa she is in Ethiopia for the first time. The background is that 
Hahners are coached by Italian Renato Canova, who takes care of Kenenisa 
Bekele and other world-class runners in Ethiopia.

"I am really looking forward to coming back to Vienna. Last year's victory 
was a major step forward for me. The atmosphere was very special," said 
Anna Hahner, who celebrated her biggest career win so far, when she clocked 
2:28:59 in Vienna last April. With little over two kilometres to go she had 
been almost one and a half minutes behind Caroline Chepkwony. However the 
Kenyan badly faltered due to stomach problems and Hahner passed her with a 
few hundred metres to go.

"When I will return to Vienna I want to produce the best possible 
performance. I will really give it all. We will see what's possible 
regarding the placing, however it is my aim to make the podium again," said 
25 year-old Anna Hahner, who improved her personal best to 2:26:44 in last 
September's Berlin Marathon. 

For more information please visit: www.vienna-marathon.com or contact 
Andreas Maier (Press Officer): 

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