Nina Engelhard was the clear-cut winner of the women’s race while Richard Omaya Atuya just got the better of Josphat Kiprotich in the men’s race at the Grossglockner Mountain Run, the third race of the 2024 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup.
While Broken Arrow, which featured the first two races a couple of weeks ago took place under clear blue skies, the athletes had very different conditions for this 13.4km test.
For Heiligenblut in Austria delivered misty, rainy and cool conditions, with a temperature of 9 degrees centigrade and winds of up to 30 kph under the shadow of Austria’s highest mountain, Grossglockner (3,798m)
Here’s how it all played out…
Women’s race – Engelhard stretches winning run
Last year’s winner Philaries Jeruto Kisang led it out early on along with fellow Run2gether athlete, Gloria Chebet.
Just a few seconds back lay Scout Adkin, last year’s winner Joyce Muthoni Njeru, 2023 runner-up Engelhard and Susanna Saapunki.
And as a recent winner of both the uphill only and up and down race at the European Off Road Running Championship, everyone knew that Engelhard was a runner in form.
And so it proved as she took control in the middle section of the race and opened up a lead of over a minute.
It was soon obvious that Engelhard wouldn’t be caught, but the battle for the other podium places was incredibly close, with very little between the next five runners.
Engelhard hit the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe first to take the win in 1.22.09, with Jeruto Kisang claiming second in 1.23.45.
Chebet completed the podium just 13 seconds behind, with only another seven seconds back to Adkin and Muthoni Njeru in fifth.
Men’s race – Close call!
The men’s race was incredibly close right from the start.
It was Richard Omaya Atuya who led it out from the start, with Josphat Kiprotich right on his heels and Ephantus Mwangi Njeri just behind.
It remained close but it was Omaya Atuya who emerged at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe first to take the win in 1.10.04, just 21 seconds ahead of Kiprotich, with Michael Selelo Saoli rounding out the podium just over two minutes back.
Grossglockner Mountain Run results, Sunday 7 July 2024, 13.4km
WOMEN:
- Nina Engelhard – 1.22.09
- Jeruto Kisang – 1.23.45
- Gloria Chebet – 1:23:58
MEN:
- Richard Omaya Atuya – 1:10:04
- Josphat Kiprotich – 1:10:25
- Michael Selelo Saoli – 1:12:42
