Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/8/19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
     Kenyan Winners of the Vienna City Marathon receive Presidential 
                            Congratulations
 
Nancy Kiprop and Vincent Kipchumba, winners of the Vienna City Marathon on 
Sunday, enjoyed a very different experience 24 hours later. On Monday 
morning they were guests of honour at the official residence of Austria's 
Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen. Each year the VCM winners receive 
the personal congratulations of the nation's president. A ceremony richly 
deserved since Nancy Kiprop broke the course record with 2:22:12 and became 
the first woman to win three VCM titles while Vincent Kipchumba produced a 
startling improvement for the first marathon win of his career.
 
By his own admission the longest race he ran in school was the 800 metres, 
but Austria's Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen confided in the 
women's Vienna City Marathon champion that he enjoys watching marathons on 
TV and had keenly followed yesterday's outcome. Nancy Kiprop said: "He is 
not a runner himself but he looks fit so I assume he walks a lot. He said 
he found yesterday's race exciting."
 
The newly crowned women's champion and course record breaker reflected on 
the events of the weekend and savoured the chance to begin a six week 
period of relaxation before resuming normal training: "It's very nice to be 
here [at the Bundespräsident's Hofburg residence] and a change from what I 
was doing yesterday."
 
After three wins in succession at the Vienna City Marathon, Nancy Kiprop 
has become a familiar figure to domestic running fans. Many know by now the 
story of how she used some of the prize money from her first VCM win in 
2017 to establish a school in her home village of Chesitek near Iten in 
Kenya. It has expanded rapidly with over 120 children and seven teachers. 
Kiprop plans to use her latest success - prize in total of 21,000 Euro 
including a bonus for the course record - to continue the development: "I 
have many plans and projects, many buildings to be constructed, many people 
to be employed, many teachers to be hired."
 
In the sumptuous surroundings of the Hofburg, built in 1660 and the former 
imperial residence before becoming the federal president's home in 1946, 
Vincent Kipchumba reflected on how his running career had leaped to a new 
level in the past six months. Since October he has been part of the Gianni 
de Madonna management group and coached by Claudio Berardelli and is based 
in Kapsabet in Kenya. Previously, said Kipchumba: "I sometimes trained 
alone or in a small group but without advice. Now my training is better and 
I have Amos Kipruto, second in the Berlin Marathon last year, as one of my 
main training partners." Kipruto's best is 2:05:43 from Amsterdam in 2017 
and Kipchumba, having improved his best by almost four minutes on Sunday to 
2:06:56, is clearly aiming for the next level.
 
Simon Rotelli, assistant manager in the de Madonna group who accompanied 
Vincent Kipchumba to Vienna, added: "We can make sure he has better 
opportunities now to race and have a better organised physio, the things 
that matter so he can train well."
 
As Vincent Kipchumba surveyed the Hofburg's reception rooms resplendent 
with the imperial grandeur of three centuries, he commented: "A beautiful 
room and a very nice place." It would be no surprise to see both Nancy 
Kiprop and Vincent Kipchumba back in contention for another presidential 
welcome at the 2020 Vienna City Marathon on 19 April next year.
 
For more information please visit: www.vienna-marathon.com

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