Half marathon

Favorite victories for Julia Mayer and Andreas Vojta

Julia Mayer(Bild: VCM / Roman Pfeiffer)

Half marathon with a 10 km run-up! Record-breaking runner Julia Mayer used a preparatory run for the Vienna City Marathon on April 21 for an impressive training session in Vienna. Immediately before the 21.1 km race, she completed a 10 km training run, started on the Reichsbrücke after a few minutes break and then, after adverse weather conditions, crossed the finish line on the Hauptallee in 1:14:54 hours.

"It was really tough today. At kilometer three I briefly thought about giving up. The wind simply takes a lot of energy. But this run gives me a lot of mental energy for the marathon, because there too it's about persevering when the going gets tough," said Julia Mayer, who had a training week of 200 km behind her. All the runners were disadvantaged by a sometimes very strong wind in this half marathon.

Vojta ahead of Bauernfeind
Andreas Vojta won the men's race in a strong field in 63:31 minutes. Mario Bauernfeind came second in 64:45 ahead of Dominik Stadlmann (64:59). Andreas Vojta from team2012.at said: "In good conditions, my run would certainly have been worth 62 minutes. Most of the time I had to run alone, you put a lot of energy into it. I always tried to keep up the pace. I can already assess the result very well."

Austria's marathon record holder Peter Herzog initially ran at the front of the field and completed a perfect 15 km training run - three days after the birth of his second daughter Hanna. His next goals are the Berlin half marathon on April 7 and the full marathon distance at the VCM on April 21.

Best time for Millonig
Obstacle specialist Lena Millonig continued to show her improving form in the 5 km race. She won in a personal best time of 16:21 ahead of Lisa Oberndorfer (17:15/also best time) and Sophie Grabner (17:35). "I was expecting a time of 16:40, so I'm very pleased with my result," said Millonig after the race. "A group of men helped me well against the wind and I was able to let myself drift with the wind."