It could well be the women who produce the headlines at the Vienna City Marathon on 19th April. Ethiopians Haftamnesh Tesfaye and Tigist Gezahagn lead the women’s elite start list and they are keen to produce some fast racing. Organisers hope that the 2:20:59 course record will be broken and the 2:20:00 mark as well in the process. The Ethiopians will be challenged by Kenya’s defending champion Betty Chepkemoi.
A record total of over 46,000 athletes have been registered for the 43rd edition of the Vienna City Marathon which is a two-day event. While this figure includes races at shorter distances there will be 13,000 runners competing in the marathon. The Vienna City Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race.
Could the Vienna City Marathon witness a Tesfaye 2.0 on 19th April? It was Foyten Tesfaye who ran an astonishing marathon debut earlier this month, winning in Barcelona. Crossing the line in 2:10:51 she instantly became the second fastest women ever over the distance. While these sort of times will be out of reach, her sister Haftamnesh Tesfaye, who is three years older, will travel to Vienna as one of the favourites and could produce a strong performance. The 31 year-old ran a fine 2:20:13 debut in the 2018 Dubai Marathon which remains her personal best. Haftamnesh Tesfaye took a break from the sport in 2020 for several years and became a mother of two boys. Now she will run her first marathon since her return and is said to have trained well. Haftamnesh Tesfaye joined the extraordinary successful training group of Gemedu Dedefo in Addis Ababa to prepare for the Vienna City Marathon. Apart from her sister a large number of world-class athletes are her training partners. Former world record holder and Olympic silver medallist Tigst Assefa, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion Hawi Feysa and Tigist Ketema, the winner of the Dubai and Berlin marathons in 2024, are among them.
Tigist Gezahagn has already won a marathon this year. The 26 year-old took the race in Doha in January, improving her personal record to 2:21:14. She now intends to run even faster in Vienna, where she targets the 2:20:59 course record set by Kenyan Vibian Chepkirui in 2022. “Tigist has recovered well after Doha and her preparations for Vienna are going well. If the weather will be suitable a very strong performance is possible,“ said her manager Tadesse Abraham, who is the retired Swiss marathon record holder. Gezahagn lives in Addis Ababa and belongs to the strong training group of coach Getamesay Molla.
Defending champion Betty Chepkemoi is number four on the current start list. A year ago she ran a remarkable race in freezing conditions. 25 year-old Chepkemoi was more than a minute ahead when she clocked a huge PB of 2:24:14. In her second marathon she was more than ten minutes faster than in her debut in Istanbul five months earlier. “My training is going well and I am happe to come back to Vienna. The goal will be to improve my PB and if possible defend my title,“ said Betty Chepkemoi, who trains in Kapsabet under the guidance of Claudio Berardelli, the coach of Sabastian Sawe.
Lindsay Flanagan is the fastest non-African woman on the current start list. The American ran a fine personal best of 2:23:31 in Chicago two years ago. However due to a hamstring tear she has not been able to run a marathon since. The Vienna City Marathon will now be a comeback race over the classic distance for the 35 year-old.
A surprise might come from Faith Chepkoech. The 28 year-old Kenyan has already produced an upset at the Vienna City Marathon two years ago. Entered as an athlete of the “OPEC Fund Rookie Team” she ran her marathon debut here and finished runner-up with 2:26:22. This remains her pesonal best and she will be eager to break that when she returns to Vienna.
For more information please visit www.vienna-marathon.com or contact Andreas Maier (Press Officer): andreas@vienna-marathon.com
Please Note: You may use the attached photo, showing Betty Chepkemoi competing in Vienna last year, only in conjunction with this press release with the following credit: VCM / Roman Pfeiffer
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