Two time winner Luminita Talpos returns to Vienna City Marathon – Organisers announce a record field of more than 30,500 runners

The women’s race of the 27th Vienna City Marathon may turn into a battle of two runners, who have won this event in the past three years: Luminita Talpos (Romania) and Andrea Mayr (Austria). Talpos had taken the honours in 2007 and 2008 while Mayr, whose participation had been announced earlier, is the defending champion.

The Romanian will additionally be eager to write Vienna City Marathon history by becoming the first woman runner to win the race three times. But with Kenyan Hellen Kimutai signed as well Talpos and Mayr face a runner who is well capable of ruining their hopes of another Vienna City Marathon triumph.

Record field of more than 30,500 runners – Online entry still possible
Adding races at shorter distances on 30th March organisers announced a record field of more than 30,500 runners. This figure makes the Vienna City Marathon the biggest spring running event in German speaking territory. The previous record was at 30,072 participants in 2008. The number of runners may well rise to 32,000 as online entry for the race is still possible until 9th April.

Luminita Talpos goes for a an unprecedented third victory – and a meeting with Mr. President!
Luminita Talpos is a familiar face in Vienna. In 2007 she won the race with 2:32:21 in warm weather conditions. But then there was a disappointment to follow. Usually winners are invited by Austria’s President Heinz Fischer into the Wiener Hofburg on Monday. But that year the President had to cancel the visit on short notice due to other commitments. So Luminita Talpos returned to Vienna a year later and said she had three goals: “Winning the race, qualifying for the Olympic Games and meeting the President of Austria!” She really made sure that she was number one by running fast in yet another warm weather race: Luminita Talpos clocked 2:26:43, which remains her personal best until today. She achieved all her goals in 2008 and became only the second woman to win the Vienna City Marathon twice. Czech’s Ludmila Melicherova is the other one (1990 and ’91). Now Luminita Talpos returns for more Vienna glory. And victory would set up a second meeting with Heinz Fischer on Monday after the race at lunch time.

Strong performances in 2008
Apart from her win at the Vienna City Marathon, 2008 had been a very good year for Luminita Talpos. She achieved a fine 18th place in the Olympic Marathon and then went on to finish ninth in the World Half Marathon Championships in autumn. After some problems in 2009 the Vienna City Marathon will be the first race since March last year for the 37 year-old.

Fascinating contest for glory with defending champion Andrea Mayr, Hellen Kimutai and Derbe Godana
Andrea Mayr is reported to have trained well and thus looks likely to become the first Austrian sub 2:30 marathon runner. With Hellen Kimutai and last year’s runner-up Derebe Godana (Ethiopia/2:31:31) also in the race this could become a fascinating contest for victory. The 32 year-old Kimutai is the one with the fastest personal best in the field. She had clocked 2:25:53 when she took the Hamburg Marathon in 2003.

Two years later the Kenyan showed a fine performance in the World Championships’ Marathon when she took ninth place. More recently Hellen Kimutai confirmed that she still is in top shape: In October 2009 she was second in the Frankfurt Marathon with 2:27:50. As well as Mayr and Talpos the Kenyan also knows the course of the Vienna City Marathon. Ten years ago she had finished second in this race with a fine 2:26:54.

Athens’ marathon flame at the Vienna City Marathon
This year marks a unique jubilee for marathon running. It is 2,500 years ago that the marathon was born, when the Battle of Marathon took place in Greece 490 BC. To announce the Greek victory against the Persians the messenger Pheidippidis is said to have run the distance from the battlefield to Athens. After doing so he collapsed and died. To mark the birth of the marathon a flame is lighted annually at a tomb on the former battlefield.

This happens on the day before the Athens Marathon in autumn. After the big flame was lighted in November 2009 representatives of the Vienna City Marathon proudly received a smaller flame in a lantern. They brought it back to Vienna. The original marathon flame will feature during the Vienna City Marathon on 18th April. Runners will for example pass it in the finish area at the Wiener Hofburg.