Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/26/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
                              Contact: Andreas Meier (Press Officer)
                                       +43 – 650 350 1488 
                                       

           
                       Baranovsky, Chebet, Cherono: 
   High-class men’s field entered for Vienna City Marathon on 7th May
 
The major marathons in April are finished but there is more to come this 
spring: On 7th May the 23rd edition of the Vienna City Marathon will be 
started. Organisers of the biggest one day sporting event in Austria expect 
more than 20,000 runners in various events next week. The prime race will 
of course be the marathon for which a high-class field has been put 
together. 

There are few top marathon runners from Europe who are able to keep up with 
the Kenyans at present. One of them will be running the Vienna City 
Marathon on 7th May: Dmytro Baranovsky. The 27 year-old Ukrainian is the 
winner of the Fukuoka Marathon 2005. When he took this prestigious Japanese 
marathon he clocked a personal best of 2:08:29 hours with which he was 
number three in Europe last year. But winning Vienna next week will be a 
tough task for Dmytro Baranovsky although his personal best is six seconds 
faster than the course record. Kenya’s Samson Kandie had clocked 2:08:35 in 
2004.

Kenya’s runners will once again have a strong impact on the race. One of 
the pre race favourites is Peter Chebet. The 31 year-old has a personal 
best of 2:08:43 with which he had finished fourth in the Chicago Marathon 
in 2003. Though his PB is slightly slower than that of Dmytro Baranovsky he 
has again and again produced strong performances in recent years. It was in 
September 2005 when Peter Chebet finished second at the Berlin Marathon 
with another sub 2:09 time (2:08:58). His personal best at the half 
marathon suggests that he might be able to run an even faster marathon. He 
had clocked 60:56 minutes when finishing 7th at the World Half Marathon 
Championships in 2001.

Another one to watch will be Frederick Cherono. The 28 year-old Kenyan has 
as well already broken 2:09 twice. When he won the Rome Marathon in 2003 he 
clocked 2:08:47. A year later he improved to 2:08:38 when taking the Turin 
Marathon. Noah Bor (Kenya) is another top name on the starting list. The 28 
year-old had placed second in Rome 2003 with 2:08:48. William Todoo Rotich 
could cause a surprise. The Kenyan will run his marathon debut in Vienna. 
Three months earlier he had won the Rome-Ostia half marathon with a 
high-class time of 60:12 minutes. 

Pumper and Alagia added to women’s field

For the first time Japanese elite women’s runners have entered the Vienna 
City Marathon. As already announced Chieko Yamasaki, who has a personal 
best of 2:27:22, and Tomo Morimoto (2:27:46) have been signed. Austria’s 
Susanne Pumper has meanwhile also entered the race which will be her 
marathon debut. The 35 year-old has a good track record and broke the 
Austrian half marathon record a year ago in Vienna with 73:20 minutes. 
Another one added to the women’s field is Tiziana Alagia. She features a 
personal best of 2:27:53 and wants to keep up the tradition of strong 
Italian women’s performances in Vienna. There have been three Italian 
winners since 2000. Six years ago Maura Viceconte set the course record of 
2:23:47.

Online registration for the 23rd Vienna City Marathon on 7th May 2006 is 
available until 30th April (this Sunday) at: www.vienna-marathon.com.



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