Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/21/23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
                      Vienna City Marathon on Sunday:            

   Yegon and Mailu looking for fast time, Moen targets sub 2:10 in Vienna

The jubilee edition of the Vienna City Marathon will most likely see an 
attack on the course record in the men's race. Kenyan favorites Bethwell 
Yegon and Samwel Mailu are expected to run a pace that will be in the 
region of the 2:05:41 mark. Behind them a group of European runners led by 
Norway's Sondre Moen target a sub 2:10 time inside the qualifying mark for 
the World Championships in Budapest later this year. If he can hold on to 
this pace Andreas Vojta could become the first Austrian to break 2:10. 

Organisers of the Vienna City Marathon have registered close to 40,000 
entries from 130 nations, including races at shorter distances. Over 9,000 
of them are marathon runners. The Vienna City Marathon is a World Athletics 
Elite Label Road Race. The race will start at  9 am on Sunday and there 
will be a live stream which is accessible worldwide at: 
www.vienna-marathon.com

During the press conference in Vienna on Friday morning organisers 
explained that a small group of athletes want to run a pace that could lead 
to a course record. Back in 2014 Ethiopia's Getu Feleke established this 
mark with 2:05:41. At that time and well before the new generation of 
running shoes it was a world-class result. 

Kenyans Bethwell Yegon and Samwel Mailu are among the runners planning to 
go with the  pace of the leading group. "My aim is to run a personal best 
on Sunday," said Bethwell Yegon, who has a PB of 2:06:14 which makes him 
the third fastest on Vienna's start list. The 30 year-old ran his PB when 
he took second place in the Berlin Marathon two years ago, where he 
overtook Ethiopia's superstar Kenenisa Bekele and finished ahead of him. 
"This race changed my life and showed me that I am on the right track," 
said Bethwell Yegon, who trains in Iten, Kenya. Originally he was supposed 
to run a marathon later in spring. "I trained in Iten and reached very good 
form. So I decided to look for an earlier race than planned and now I run 
here in Vienna."

In contrast Samwel Mailu has focussed on the Vienna City Marathon for 
months. The Kenyan ran his personal best of 2:07:19 in an unexpected 
marathon debut in Frankfurt last autumn. "Originally I was a pacemaker in 
Frankfurt, but I then felt very good and continued," said Samwel Mailu. "My 
form is at least as good as before Frankfurt." The 30 year-old was 
originally motivated to start running after watching his fellow-pupils 
participating in school competitions. As many other African world-class 
runners he already had a certain training level when he started since he 
used to run to school and back home. Later Samwel Mailu was inspired by the 
Olympic steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi and marathon superstar Eliud 
Kipchoge.

Sondre Moen is without doubt the most prominent name among the elite 
runners on the start list for the Vienna City Marathon. And with his PB of 
2:05:48 the former European record holder is the fastest athlete as well. 
However he will choose a more conservative approach on Sunday. "My aim is 
to run in the 2:09 group on Sunday", said Sondre Moen, who struggled last 
year. „First I suffered of Corona in February and then I needed surgery on 
my heel in July. But recently all went well."

Sondre Moen will most likely be joined by Germany's Sebastian Hendel and 
Andreas Vojta of Austria. The aim for this group of runners is to finish 
inside the 2:09:40 qualifying time for the World Championships in Budapest 
this summer. Sebastian Hendel ran a fine marathon debut in Munich in 
October 2022 with 2:10:37 and recently improved his half marathon PB to 
61:52 in Berlin. 

Andreas Vojta has run one marathon so far as well, but this was not a 
serious attempt. After pacing in Vienna a year ago he went on to finish in 
2:23:21. "My training was very good, I had no problems," said Andreas 
Vojta, who has a half marathon PB of 63:18. "On Sunday I want to run with 
Sondre and Sebastian. I am looking for a 2:10. I am not sure if I manage to 
run this time, but I know I have the potential to do it." For Hendel and 
Vojta the mid-term goal will be to try to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Elite runners with personal bests

Sondre Moen       NOR 2:05:48
Abdi Fufa         ETH 2:05:57
Bethwell Yegon    KEN 2:06:14
Samwel Mailu      KEN 2:07:19
Titus Kimutai     KEN 2:08:31
Joshua Kogo       KEN 2:09:09
Weldu Negash      ERI 2:09:14
Felicien Muhitira RWA 2:09:18
Abe Gashahun      ETH 2:09:25
Joel Melly        KEN 2:09:45
Sebastian Hendel  GER 2:10:37
Kamil Jastrzebski POL 2:11:08
Sibusiso Nzima    RSA 2:11:43
Dominic Letting   KEN 2:12:03
Josphat Bett      KEN 2:13:59
Marcus Schöfisch  GER 2:15:05
Levente Szemerei  HUN 2:17:16
Peter Jenkei      HUN 2:17:42
Andreas Vojta     AUT 2:23:21
Elvis Cheboi      KEN Debut
Yakoub Labquira   MAR Debut

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

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