L. MathekaOrganisers targeting two records at the women’s Vienna Marathon
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 21.04.23. | 10:07
Jepkesho is the fastest woman on the start list, coming back after maternity leave, she will run her first marathon since 2019.
Former Paris and Rotterdam Marathon champion Visiline Jepkesho headlines a women’s field for the Vienna Marathon set for 23 April as organisers target the course and Austrian records.
While the current course best stands at 2:20:59 and an attack on that might lead to a first sub 2:20 winning time in the history of the race, no Austrian woman has ever run under 2:30.
In 2019 Kenya’s Nancy Kiprop broke the record, running 2:22:12. The late Italian Maura Viceconte had held the record at 2:23:47 since 2000. However, this time the mark survived only one edition of the marathon and was then broken by Vibian Chepkirui. The Kenyan clocked 2:20:59 a year ago.
A strong group of Kenyan runners are the favorites with four of them featuring personal bests of sub 2:24. Jepkesho (2:21:37), Magdalyne Masai (2:22:16), Rebecca Tanui (2:23:09) and Agnes Keino (2:23:26) are the ones who have entered the race with PBs of sub 2:24.
Preparing for Vienna, Masai showed fine form when she ran 67:07 in the Rome Ostia half marathon little over a month ago.
“This PB gives me a positive feeling for Vienna. I hope to be able to fight for victory and break the course record,” said Masai, who is the younger sister of the 2009 World 10,000 m Champion Linet Masai and of Moses Masai, the bronze medalist at these championships over 10,000 m.
Jepkesho is the fastest woman on the start list. Coming back after maternity leave she will run her first marathon since 2019, hoping to come back strongly.
Supported by Brother Colm O’Connell in Iten, Kenya, she has won a number of marathons, among them Paris in 2016 and Rotterdam two years later.
While it will be interesting to see if she can achieve a result in the region of her 2:21:37 PB fellow-Kenyans Tanui and Keino intend to break their personal records in Vienna.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself,” said Tanui, who took the San Sebastián Marathon last year with 2:23:09.
Keino also clocked her PB of 2:23:26 in 2022, when she won the Munich Marathon, defeating former World Champion Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia.
“I am in better shape than before Munich and I want to break my PB in Vienna. If conditions are good then a time of 2:21 could become a target,” Keino said.
No Austrian woman has ever run a sub 2:30 marathon. This barrier could be broken on Sunday by 30-year-old Julia Mayer. She competed in an elite only race in the Vienna Prater Park and clocked 2:46:35 in December 2020.
It was in this race, when Eva Wutti broke the Austrian record with a time of 2:30:43 that still stands today. She will be competing on Sunday as well. Last year Mayer improved the Austrian half marathon record to 71:13, a time that indicates that she should be capable of breaking 2:30.
Elite women runners
Visiline Jepkesho KEN 2:21:37
Magdalyne Masai KEN 2:22:16
Rebecca Tanui KEN 2:23:09
Agnes Keino KEN 2:23:26
Caroline Jepchirchir KEN 2:26:11
Gadise Mulu ETH 2:26:20
Angelika Mach POL 2:27:48
Nuriet Shimels ETH 2:27:58
Viola Yator KEN 2:28:11
Branna MacDougall CAN 2:28:36
Eva Wutti AUT 2:30:43
Sasha Gollish CAN 2:31:40
Valdilene Silva BRA 2:32:01
Rutendo Nyahora ARG 2:34:49
Zsofia Erdélyi HUN 2:35:37
Julia Mayer AUT 2:46:35
