Richard Omaya Atuya on his way to Grossglockner Mountain Run victory (© WMRA 
Marco Gulberti)
Richard Omaya Atuya and Ruth Gitonga Mwihaki claimed victory at the Grossglockner Mountain Run in Austria, leading Kenyan podium sweeps at the eighth race of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup on Sunday (5).
The 13.3km course, featuring 1300 metres of ascent, took runners through a constantly changing landscape. Leaving Heiligenblut behind, athletes climbed through forests and waterfalls before emerging into alpine meadows and the high mountain terrain overlooking the glacier. The final kilometres led towards the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and the race's most famous feature: the legendary 522 steps that provide a fittingly brutal conclusion to one of Austria's classic mountain races.
The men's race took shape early on. By the time the athletes reached the Leiter Waterfall, around six kilometres into the course, Atuya had opened a gap of around 50 metres on the rest of the field.
Behind him, a small chasing group formed, with the remainder of the contenders still within sight as the race climbed through the forests above Heiligenblut before emerging into the alpine meadows and the higher slopes overlooking the Pasterze Glacier.
Atuya never looked in danger and continued to increase his advantage on the climb to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, eventually taking victory in 1:10:20. Ephantus Njeri followed in second in 1:12:33, while Elijah Kamau Kariuki completed the Kenyan top three in 1:14:26.
The battle behind the podium remained close throughout the race. Italy’s Tiziano Moia delivered one of the strongest finishes of the day, moving up from around sixth position at the start of the final climb to claim fourth place in 1:14:38, just 12 seconds behind Kariuki. Germany’s Lukas Ehrle continued his encouraging return from injury with fifth place in 1:14:50.
The women's race remained closely contested through the opening kilometres. A leading group stayed together through the forests above Heiligenblut and was still largely intact as the athletes passed the Leiter Waterfall.
It was on the climb towards Margaritzenstausee and the Sandersee that the race began to stretch out. By the time the athletes reached the high alpine terrain overlooking the Pasterze Glacier, the gaps between the leading runners had largely been established and would remain unchanged through to the finish.
Gitonga gradually moved clear to secure victory in 1:22:29, confirming her strong form as the World Cup season reaches its halfway stage. Jedidah Sang followed in second in 1:23:26, while Gloria Chebet completed the Kenyan podium in 1:24:34.
The European challenge was led by athletes from Great Britain and Italy. While Kirsty Skye Dickson and Ellen Crombie secured fifth and sixth places respectively for Great Britain, Italy placed three athletes inside the top 10 through Benedetta Broggi, Arianna Dentis and Arianna Del Pino.
Héctor Rubio (WMRA) for World Athletics
