Julia Mayer sets Austrian half-marathon record

Julia Mayer set an Austrian women’s half-marathon record on Sunday, running the 21.1 kilometres in 1:10:11. ORF reported that she finished fourth overall, while Felix Geieregger was the fastest man in the race.

Mayer said she was 19 seconds faster than the time she had hoped for. She credited her good form, the fast course in Graz and favourable weather, and said the support from spectators made the race especially emotional.

She plans to run the half-marathon in Valencia later this year. In December, she will also run the full marathon there, where she hopes to post a time relevant to her Olympic ambitions. In Graz, she said, she had spent most of the race running alone; in Valencia, she hopes to run with a group of top athletes and finish the half-marathon in under 1:10.