Press Release - Vienna City Marathon - 4/28/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

              Austria's President Heinz Fischer invited
              winners Kirui and Talpos into the Hofburg

There was more honour for the winners of the 25th Vienna City Marathon a 
day after the race: The President of Austria Mr Heinz Fischer invited 
Kenya's Abel Kirui and Romania's Luminita Talpos for a reception to his 
office in the famous Wiener Hofburg which is next to the finish line of the 
race. The President is a runner himself and had met winners of the race in 
some previous years. 25 year-old Abel Kirui had established a course record 
on Sunday with 2:07:38 while defending champion Luminita Talpos had clocked 
2:26:43. With world-class times, 30,072 runners altogether and 300,000 
spectators the jubilee race was the greatest running event ever seen in 
Austria.

"When I came here I had three goals: Winning the race, qualifying for the 
Olympic Games and meeting the President of Austria," Luminita Talpos said. 
She had been told about a possible reception a year ago, but then Mr 
Fischer had to cancel the meeting because of other commitments. Luminita 
Talpos has achieved all her goals though she had a problem before going to 
the Hofburg today: "I was so focussed on the race that I forgot to bring 
appropriate clothes." So on Monday morning the 35 year-old went shopping.

Next year Luminita Talpos could become the first woman to win the Vienna 
City Marathon three times in a row. "I know about the possibility of a 
unique triple and would very much like to come back to do it." But first 
she will concentrate on the Olympic Games. "Of course the race in Beijing 
will be a very tough one. But it will be the same for all the runners. I 
don't expect to get health problems."

Abel Kirui, who had celebrated his win with the Kenyan ambassador in Vienna 
on Sunday evening, has a different schedule concerning this year. "I would 
like to run the Berlin Marathon in September," he said. It was in Berlin 
2007 where he was second with his personal best of 2:06:51. His wife, who 
is expecting their first child next month, already agreed to call the baby 
Vienna should it be a girl. Abel Kirui also revealed that his wife was 
slightly disappointed at first when he told her he had run 2:07. "She said: 
why did you not run 2:05! But when I told her about the course record she 
was happy," said Abel Kirui who would like to come back to Vienna next 
year. "I think I can improve on my performance. I will work on getting 
stronger on the last seven kilometres."

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