Sabrina Mockenhaupt Wins Austrian Women's Run

10,105 Women and Girls From 37 Countries Competed in the Event in
Vienna on Sunday June 12, 2005.

Mockenhaupt sets new record for the course

Sunday's Austrian Women's Run featured top international female
athletes for the first time. Soon after the starting gun, Sonia O`Sullivan
(Ireland), Sabrina Mockenhaupt (Germany) and Anikò Kàlovics (Hungary) emerged
at the head of the pack of the other elite runners. Sabrina Mockenhaupt was
out in front by kilometer 3 and maintained her lead until the finish line.
The 24 year old German athlete ran the 5 kilometer stretch in 15:42.9, thus
setting a new record, which had been held by Susanne Pumper who ran the
course in 15:43.4 in 2004. The Hungarian marathon specialist Anikò Kàlovics
turned in a great performance as the runner-up, covering the course in
15:57.1, ahead of 2000 m world record holder Sonia O`Sullivan (16:04.3).
The fastest Austrian runner was Eva Maria Gradwohl, who finished in fifth
place (17:23.3).

Kathrine Switzer wins Austrian Women's Run Award

A highlight of the event was the awarding of the Austrian Women's Run
Award to the American runner and founder of the world's first women's
distance running event, Kathrine Switzer, who was instrumental in having the
1984 women's marathon accepted as an official Olympic event. For Switzer, the
concept of a women's run is still a highly contemporary one: "Women's runs
still have their place today. For one thing, women are more inhibited when it
comes to athletics and competitions. In women's competitions, there is less
fear of being touched and the anxiety level is lower. The other point is that
women-only events enable women to plan their training and prepare for the
competition more strategically without being influenced by male trainers."
The prize winner of course also participated in the race on the Vienna Prater
and proudly wore the number 10,000 during the event. Switzer ran the 5
kilometer course in 26:04. After the event, she encouraged the organizers to
apply for the world championship, since in Switzer's expert opinion, the
Austrian Women's Run has become a world class event.