January 25, 2012" - 11:00 am (CET)
- Paula Radcliffe is to run the OMV Half Marathon in Vienna on April 15, 2012
- OMV is title sponsor at the Vienna City Marathon for the first time
OMV and the Vienna City Marathon (VCM) are proud to present
the marathon world record holder - superstar athlete Paula
Radcliffe - at Austria's biggest sporting event. The Brit
will run the OMV Half Marathon at the VCM on April 15, 2012
and is keen to finish the 21.0975 kilometer distance in first
place with a stellar time.
In 2012, OMV will for the first time act as main sponsor for
the half marathon, making this world-class race in Vienna
possible.
"I am very much looking forward to racing in Austria for the first time. It will be a very important test for me. I want to run this half marathon fast and then build on that for the Olympic Games," said multiple world champion Paula Radcliffe in a telephone conversation with VCM, speaking from Iten in Kenya where she is currently training at an altitude of 2,400 meters. The 38-year old British athlete is gearing all her training in 2012 towards the marathon at the London Olympics, where as world record holder in her discipline, she is one of the host country's greatest medal hopes.
Gerhard Roiss: "OMV gets people moving"
"Paula Radcliffe is in the spotlight more than any other
female runner," says OMV CEO Gerhard Roiss. "In
just a few months, she will be competing for a medal in the
Olympic marathon, as world record holder and in her own
country. We are therefore especially proud that she will be
on the starting line at the OMV Half Marathon. There is a
long tradition of running at OMV; we want to get people
moving, as is shown by our race sponsorship and also by our
fitness program for our own employees - OMV Run & Fun. For
the tenth time, some 500 OMV staff members will be competing
in the VCM this year," adds Roiss - himself a marathon
runner - underlining OMV's commitment to the sport.
"Furthermore, one of our most vital tasks as a company
is to manage limited resources responsibly and sustainably.
Similarly, as a runner I know that conserving my own energy
resources means everything at the marathon distance. All in
all, Austria's largest race event is a perfect fit for us,
and I am confident that the passion Paula Radcliffe has for
the sport will inspire even more OMV Run & Fun participants
and runners to join in," adds Roiss, a veteran of
several marathons.
Paula Radcliffe: "You must run Vienna"
The legendary athlete, Haile Gebrselassie, gave Radcliffe a
major push towards competing in Vienna after he ran the VCM
Half Marathon in 60:18 minutes last year: "I spoke to
Haile at the Berlin Marathon last autumn," Radcliffe
describes. "He told to me how supportive the public was
and how fast he found the course. He said: 'You have to do
it!', and that made me want to come to Austria and run
fast." Radcliffe's uncompromising commitment to every
race has become her trademark. The mother of two - her
daughter Isla came into the world in January 2007 and her son
Raphael was born in September 2010 - has also developed into
a leading ambassador for her sport: "I talk about the
health benefits and self-confidence running can bring. We see
that children who run or play sport get better results at
school and cooperate better within a team or in the
workplace. I consider that very important. I want to say to
as many adults and children as possible that they ought to
run to see how much fun they can have and what the benefits
can be."
Wolfgang Konrad: "The VCM is Radcliffe's Olympic dress
rehearsal"
"I am delighted that we are able to bring this
exceptional athlete runner to Vienna in this Olympic year
with OMV's support. Her appearance in Vienna will be very
special," says VCM organizer, Wolfgang Konrad. For
Konrad, Paula Radcliffe's participation in the Vienna City
marathon ahead of the Olympic Games underlines the confidence
that exists in the quality of the event. "Paula does not
leave anything to chance and has deliberately chosen to race
in Vienna. For us as organizers, it was clear that
expectations are high after Haile Gebrselassie's star
appearance last year. We have taken up the challenge and want
to bring world-class performers to Vienna once again. Paula
Radcliffe has been one of the absolute leading lights of
running for more than a decade. She is a charming and
intelligent woman. Her fighting spirit is legendary, as is
the forthright way in which she has spoken out against doping
and for fairness in sport. I firmly believe that Paula will
capture the hearts of Austrians."
Paula Radcliffe's outstanding success
Paula Radcliffe secured qualification for the London Olympics
by finishing third in the Berlin marathon last September in a
time of 2:23:46. The 2002 IAAF Athlete of the Year will thus
compete in her fifth Olympic Games. Her previous
highest-placed finishes at an Olympics are fourth place in
Sydney in 2000 in the 10,000 meters and fifth in Atlanta in
1996 in the 5,000 meters.
However, 38-year-old Radcliffe, who is married to former 1,500 meter runner, Gary Lough, has given far better proof of her exceptional class in other championships and races. Her marathon world record time of 2:15:25, which she ran in London in 2003, is recognized as one of the best performances in the whole of athletics, and no one has come close to beating it in the nine years since it was set. The second fastest time ever set by a woman is some 2 minutes and 55 seconds slower.
Radcliffe has won the London and New York marathons three times, as well as winning the Chicago marathon and becoming World Marathon Champion in Helsinki in 2005. She is also a three-time World Half-Marathon Champion and has twice been crowned World Cross-Country Champion. In the 2003 half marathon in Newcastle, Radcliffe achieved an exceptional time of 65:40. However, due to a slight downward gradient in the otherwise challenging course, this time does not count as a world record. Her best time on a regulation course is still an impressive 66:47 (World Half Marathon Championship in Bristol in 2001).
She won at the 10,000 meters in the European Championships in Munich in 2002 in the pouring rain, putting in a memorable solo run to come home in a new European record of 30:01:09. She holds a second world record in the 10 kilometer road race, set in 2003 in San Juan in a time of 30:21. Radcliffe also received the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award for winning the 2007 New York City Marathon after a two-year break from running following the birth of her first child and a stress fracture.
Competitions of the 29th Vienna City Marathon on April 15, 2012
- Coca Cola Run 4.2 (4.2 kilometer - for children and young people between 10 and 18), start: Lassallestraße, 8.30 a.m.
All of the races finish at Heldenplatz.
For more information and online registration, visit
Background information:
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales of EUR 23.32 bn and a workforce of 31,398
employees in 2010, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria's
largest listed industrial companies. In Exploration and
Production, OMV is active in two core countries Romania and
Austria and holds a balanced international portfolio. OMV had
proven oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.15 bn boe as
of year-end 2010 and a production of around 287,000 boe/d in
9m/2011. In Gas and Power, OMV sold approximately 18 bcm of
gas in 2010. In Refining and Marketing, OMV has an annual
refining capacity of 22.3 mn t and as of the end of September
2011 approximately 4,700 filling stations in 13 countries
including Turkey. In Austria, OMV operates a 2,000 km long
gas pipeline network with a marketed capacity of around 89
bcm in 2010. With a trading volume of around 34 bcm in 2010,
OMV's gas trading platform, the Central European Gas Hub, is
amongst the most important hubs in Continental Europe. OMV
further strengthened its position through the ownership of a
97% stake in Petrol Ofisi, Turkey's leading company in the
retail and commercial business.
Sustainability
OMV is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and an active
supporter to the values enshrined in its Code of Conduct.
These include a strong sense of responsibility towards the
social and natural environment, especially in economically
weak regions. OMV continuously addresses economic,
environmental and social issues related to its business in a
responsible manner. The company reports on its activities in
a sustainability report in accordance with the Global
Reporting Initiative Guidelines.
OMV sponsoring
OMV's sponsorship extends to sport and culture. In the
sporting arena, OMV is involved in regionally significant
locations in Central and Eastern Europe in ski jumping
(national ski associations in Austria, the Czech Republic,
Slovenia and Romania), running and football. OMV's cultural
sponsorship focuses on promoting cultural exchange between
its core markets in Austria, Romania and Turkey in the field
of contemporary fine arts.
About the Vienna City Marathon
The Vienna City Marathon (VCM) was first held in 1984 and has
since become Austria's largest sporting event, involving more
than 32,000 runners. Competitors from over 100 nations
underline its international reputation. 300,000 spectators
cheer on the runners along a route that takes them past
numerous historical monuments. The event combines running
with Vienna's classical culture and offers a platform for
social and charity projects. The VCM provides an important
boost to the economy and each year generates domestic
spending of EUR 18 million. The runners will put in over 2.5
million hours of training in preparation for the Vienna City
Marathon, making the VCM Austria's biggest exercise and
health initiative. The IAAF has awarded the Vienna City
Marathon the IAAF Road Race Gold Label, the world's highest
category of road race.
For further queries please contact:
Vienna City Marathon - Andreas Maier
Tel. +43 (650) 350 14 88; email: andreas@vienna-marathon.com
Homepage:
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