Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/4/19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                       Vienna City Marathon On 7 April:
 
          Nancy Kiprop aims for historic women's hat-trick in Vienna
 
Nancy Kiprop says she is ready to make history in the 36th edition of the 
Vienna City Marathon on Sunday by becoming the first woman to win Austria's 
biggest sporting event three times. The Kenyan, champion for the past two 
years, has arrived in the kind of shape which makes her believe that she 
can improve on her best of 2:22:46 and that would also improve the course 
record by a considerable margin. But the Kenyan should face strong 
opposition in the shape of Ethiopia's Rahma Tusa, whose best is 2:23:46 and 
her fellow Kenyan Angela Tanui who has been in fine form over shorter 
distances recently. Swiss Record holder Maja Neuenschwander, the 2015 
winner, is looking to restart her marathon career after lengthy injury. The 
Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race and more than 40,000 
are expected to participate in the marathon and its parallel events.
 
Nancy Kiprop radiates enthusiasm for running and life in general and there 
was no dimming of energy when she spoke about her aim on Sunday: to win the 
Vienna City Marathon title for a third time and break the course record. 
The latter currently stands at 2:23:47, set by the Italian Maura Viceconte 
in 2000. Judged by her recent performances, Kiprop is right on schedule 
since she improved her best to 2:22:46 to finish seventh in Frankfurt last 
October. "I'm excited to be here once again and am really going for a 
personal best. I'd be really happy if I can run around 2:22 or 2:23 and 
that would be a great achievement for me," said the Kenyan at Thursday's 
press conference.
 
She has won the title for the past two years and holds the second and third 
fastest women's times ever in Vienna with 2:24:18 in 2018, two seconds 
faster than her winning performance the previous year. But she concedes 
that the one factor which can play havoc with any record attempt is the 
Viennese weather: "Vienna is a perfect course but the challenge is the 
weather. Sometimes it is very warm but the course is perfect."
 
Nonetheless she coped with hot conditions to run the event's second fastest 
time last year. Wind can also be a factor so Kiprop will also keep a close 
watch on her rivals such as the Ethiopian Rahma Tusa, three-times winner of 
the Rome Marathon and with a best of 2:23:46 from her 2018 win in the 
Eternal City. Making good progress up the marathon charts is Nancy Kiprop's 
fellow Kenyan, Angela Tanui. Her best is 2:26:31 and she ran 69:53 to win 
the Naples Half Marathon in late February.
 
On recent form Nancy Kiprop certainly has a strongest claim to go to the 
start line as women's favourite. She credits her resilience and motivation 
not only to a passion for running but to the project which has a strong 
connection with her first Vienna City Marathon win in 2017. She used the 
prize money to establish a school in her local village at Chesitek, near 
Iten in Kenya. It is now flourishing with over 120 students and seven 
teachers: "It has given me extra motivation. My entire school now depends 
on my work [Running] and this is something you can do from your heart."
 
Another who has tasted victory in Vienna is the Swiss record holder Maja 
Neuenschwander. She won the VCM title in 2015 and her best of 2:26:49 was 
achieved in finishing sixth in Berlin later that year. Her marathon 
sequence continued to improve and she finished 29th in the Olympic Marathon 
in Rio in 2016. But a stress fracture ruled her out of competition last 
year and Vienna will mark her cautious return to the classic event.
 
Selected women elite runners with personal bests:
 
Nancy Kiprop        KEN 2:22:46
Rahma Tusa          ETH 2:23:46
Angela Tanui        KEN 2:26:31
Maja Neuenschwander SUI 2:26:49
Maurine Chepkemoi   KEN 2:27:12
Milliam Ebongon     KEN 2:27:16
Caterina Ribeiro    POR 2:30:10

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

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