Kenya´s Defending champion Nancy Kiprop heads strong women’s field for Vienna Marathon

In one of the strongest women’s fields ever assembled for Austria’s number one road running event four athletes feature personal bests of sub 2:25. Kiprop is one of them with a PB of 2:24:20 but Helen Tola of Ethiopia has been well over a minute faster with a record of 2:22:51. In a thrilling battle for victory Nancy Kiprop was just five seconds ahead in the Vienna City Marathon 2017, clocking her personal best. It was the closest women’s finish in the history of the event. And it could well end similar on 22nd April. Despite the wind she ran the second fastest time ever recorded in the race. With 2:24:20 the Kenyan missed the course record by just 33 seconds. Italy’s Maura Viceconte clocked 2:23:47 back in the year 2000. Kiprop may have to further improve in Vienna to defend her title. Despite being already 38 years old she did just that last September in a half marathon. She was second in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic, when she smashed her PB with a time of 67:22.

posted Monday April 16th