Kenyan runners win both Wachau half-marathon races

Kenya claimed a double victory at the Wachau Half Marathon on Sunday, with Nathan Kipkoech winning the men’s race and Christine Njoki setting a women’s course record, ORF reported. About 8,000 athletes took part in the event, Lower Austria’s largest running competition.

Kipkoech completed the 21.1-kilometre race in 1:00:41. His compatriot Mkulia Kipandie, last year’s winner, finished second, 49 seconds behind.

The two Kenyans ran at course-record pace during the opening kilometres but slowed in the final stages. Kipkoech’s victory was Kenya’s 21st in the 26 editions of the Wachau Half Marathon. The men’s course record of 59:47, set last year, remained unbeaten.

Njoki set a new record in the women’s race by finishing in 1:08:17. The previous record of 1:08:33 had been set last year. Njoki was competing in the Wachau for the first time.

The marathon started in Emmersdorf, the half marathon in Spitz and the quarter marathon in Achleiten. All three races followed the Danube through the Wachau and finished in Krems. Relay races were also held on Sunday, while the junior marathon took place on Saturday. An inclusion run was held for the first time in Krems Stadtpark.

The routes were slightly changed because the Mautern Bridge remains closed. To keep private traffic moving, the quarter marathon, half marathon and marathon shared a route through the city. The traditional loop through Krems’s old town was removed and replaced by a roughly two-kilometre section on the B3.

Traffic restrictions remained in place around the event. The B3 between Emmersdorf and Krems was scheduled to remain closed until 3:30 p.m., while restrictions in Krems were expected to continue largely until the evening.