| Watch over 50 IAAF Events Live and On-Demand at WCSN.com |
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.”
For more information please visit: www.vienna-marathon.com.
![]()
Austria’s President Heinz Fischer with Abel Kirui and Luminita Talpos. Photo: Victah Sailer / PhotoRun.net
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
