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Press Conference Highlights - Monday, September 20th, 2004

2004-09-20

Rüdiger Otto, Managing Director of SCC-RUNNING

Rüdiger Otto expects for the coming real,- BERLIN MARATHON an ‘outstanding and spectacular race’, like the years before. “The starting signal at the real,- BERLIN MARATHON will be given by Manfred von Richthofen along with the ‚golden’ women’s hockey-team from the Olympics. In hopefully good weather the real,- BERLIN MARATHON will stand beside New York, Chicago, and London in the forefront of the world.”

Annika Schramm, Spokesperson real,- (main sponsor)

On the cooperation

„The cooperation between real,- and the team from the BERLIN MARATHON is wonderful and for this reason we are proudly looking into the future. Since we will carry on as title sponsor until 2006 we are looking forward to more great teamwork.”

Furthermore real,- provides food for the participants at both the marathon and the breakfast run and sponsors T-Shirts for the real,- MINI MARATHON.

Mark Milde, Race-Director

Significance of the real,- BERLIN MARATHON

„The real,- BERLIN MARATHON is more than just a sporting event. It is not only about sport but also about Culture (Literature Festival), Medicine (scientific congress), Art (exposition) and also a public exhibition (Berlin Vital). Furthermore there is an immense program for spectators and fans along the course and particular at the finish area (with new grandstand).”

About the woman runners:

„First of all I want to point out that we have this year a women quotient of 19%. This quotient grows every year by about 1%.” That would mean in six years we will have a women quote of one quarter.

The top-runners:

„In the men’s field there are four runners with personal bests of sub 2:07:00. This is quite a sensation this year. In addition Felix Limo wants to beat his personal best of 2:06:14.”

„The women, with Yoko Shibui (PB 2:21:22) in the first line, have much to offer. She is said to be in great form. She is ready for a good race in Berlin after she has trained at high altitude in China.” “Sonja Oberem (PB 2:26:12) wants to go for her personal best and prove the National Olympic Committee (NOC) that they dealt ill for not nominating her for the Olympics.”

Skater:

„The real,- BERLIN MARATHON is part of the World-Inline-Cup and also the final race of the series. Around 70 elite men and 35 elite women will compete at the real,- BERLIN MARATHON. The two time winner Juan Carlos Betancur wants to reach a hat-trick for the first time in the history of this race. But Chad Hedrick, 50 times World Champion, is also a promising candidate.”

“Last year’s champion Julie Glass will be among the top contenders of the women’s race. Women will start 90 seconds earlier than the men for the first time. This is to avoid them taking advantage of slipstreaming behind the men.”

Kathrin Weßel, 3rd at the real,- BERLIN MARATHON 2001

Kathrin Weßel wants to enjoy her last marathon ever, before she ends her career. “The marathon is always cruelty, it doesn’t matter how good you have trained for it. But behind the finish line everything is forgotten.“ She will not be in form to attack her personal best. Instead she wants „to run from behind and just take some great memories out of it.” She is looking forward “that the indispensable pressure of a competitive athlete has an end soon.”

André Unterdörfel, Berlins fastest Skater

His expectations:

„ I hope that the weather will be good and dry. I hope for a good result in the season’s final World-Inline-Cup event. Results are so close together that if you are milliseconds behind the winner that can mean you are actually quite far behind concerning your position. Berlin is a very fast course and therefore you need a very good team, which can bring you in a good position. The World-Inline-Cup had the first German stop in Hamburg and now there is the last one in Berlin – Berlin is the fastest terrain on earth for skaters.”

Reiner Pilz, Promoter Wheelchair

„There are only 33 registrations for the men this year instead of over a hundred for men and women. But this is only because all top wheelchair athletes are in the moment at the biggest sporting event for disabled athletes – the Paralympics. Actually it only shows that for years the real,- BERLIN MARATHON had the best athletes of the world. In the next year we will have them back in Berlin.”

About handbiker:

„A small ‚compensation’ for his year are the handbikers who are en vogue. They are faster than the wheelchair athletes (WR Handbiker: 1:08:13 and WR Wheelchair: 1:20:14) and one day they will break the one hour barrier.”