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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