Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 3/20/18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                    Vienna City Marathon On 22nd April:

            World record holder Dennis Kimetto to run in Vienna

World record holder Dennis Kimetto will run his next marathon in Vienna on 
22nd April. Organisers announced the participation of the Kenyan star 
runner during a press conference in the Austrian capital today. It will be 
the first time in the history of the Vienna City Marathon, which began back 
in 1984, that a marathon world record holder is among the elite runners. 34 
year-old Dennis Kimetto, who ran 2:02:57 in Berlin 2014, hopes to rekindle 
his career in Vienna next month. 

"We need to present top world-class athletes to get more international 
attention for the Vienna City Marathon. While our motto is ,35 years of 
theatre of emotions' we now have a sort of leading actor for this: an 
athlete who has extraordinary capabilities and who will be in the focus. 
Participants, fans and spectators can look forward to a thrilling race," 
said Race Director Wolfgang Konrad. The Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF 
Gold Label Road Race. Entries for the 35th edition of the race are still 
accepted online at: www.vienna-marathon.com

Britain's Paula Radcliffe and Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie have already 
run in Austria's biggest sporting event. However they competed in the half 
marathon which is staged parallel to the marathon race. Dennis Kimetto will 
be the first world record holder to run the classic distance in Vienna.

"I was able to train without injuries for a good period. I believe in my 
capabilities and want to show a strong performance in Vienna. If conditions 
are good then I want to attack the course record. The most important thing 
is that after several disappointing races in the last two years I can 
achieve a good marathon result again," said Dennis Kimetto, who took the 
road running scene by storm with three major wins in the spring of 2012. He 
first won the star-studded Ras Al Khaimah half marathon in the United Arab 
Emirates, then took the Berlin Half Marathon with 59:14 - a time that 
remains his personal best - and finally broke the world record in Berlin's 
25 k race. His superb time of 1:11:18 still stands as the global record 
today as does his marathon world record. After a second place debut in 
Berlin with 2:04:16 in 2012 - the fastest debut marathon on a record 
eligible course at that time - Kimetto took the Tokyo and the Chicago 
Marathon a year later. Since September 2014 he holds the marathon world 
record with 2:02:57.

Marathon super stars Eliud Kipchoge, Wilson Kipsang and Kenenisa Bekele all 
failed to break Kimetto's mark in the past three years. But the world 
record holder struggled during this period and could not reproduce his 
dominant form from the years before. Since spring 2015 Kimetto only 
finished two marathons. His most notable result was a third place in London 
in 2015 with 2:05:50. A year later he was ninth in London with 2:11:44. To 
break the Vienna course record Kimetto would need to run slightly faster 
than in London three years ago: Ethiopia's Getu Feleke established the 
record of 2:05:41 in 2014.

"Dennis wants to show something in Vienna. I hope that the final part of 
his preparations will also go well. He is an athlete of extraordinary 
quality. After he ran his world record in Berlin physical problems started. 
I think the race in Berlin took a lot out of his body," explained Kimetto's 
Dutch manager Gerard van de Veen. "We suggested to him to run in Vienna 
because we have good experience with the event and the course is fine for 
running a good time."

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

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