Kenyan Marius Kimutai wins Ljubljana Marathon
After the race, Kimutai said that the main trouble today was the strong wind: "Temperatures were good and the organisation was excellent." He added that there was also minor issues with setting the tempo as those runners tasked with it failed to do their job.
The wind was also highlighted by Ethiopian Shuko Genemo Wote, who finished the 42-km race with the time of 2:27:02 and crossed the finish line as the fastest woman today. She was followed by Kenyans Purity Jebichii Changwony (2:27:52) in the second and Jane Jelagat Seurey (2:28:05) in the third place.
The best Slovenian, Mitja Krevs won the national championships in marathon with the result of 2:32:25 and 11th place among men. "My only goal today was winning the national championship, we can forget the rest," said the Slovenian, who was injured in the spring.
Krevs, who was taken to the medical staff due to cramps immediately after crossing the finish line, was followed by Simon Navodnik, who beat the Slovenian youth record with the time of 2:36:37, and Gregor Kostec (2:36:54).
Among women, Jasmina Pitamic Vojska finished the race in the seventh place with the time of 2:53:05 to win the women's national championship in marathon. Petra Tratnik was eighth (2:59:13) and Eva Zorman (3:03:42) ninth.
Slovenians fared better in the half-marathon, with Rok Puhar, a member of the national team, running the track in 1:08:17. Australian Michael Marantelli (1:09:09) was second and Slovenian Jan Brešan (1:09:37) third.
Among women, Hungarian Fruzsina Bakonyi was the fastest (1:22:38), followed by Slovenian Klara Ljubi (1:22:49) and Serbian Biljana Cvijanović (1:24:00).
The 10-km race was dominated by Slovenians, with Jan Kokalj (32:21) taking the first place overall and Maruša Mišmaš (33:57) the first place among women.
According to the organisers, more than 23,000 people took part in the two-day event, with 9,350 runners starting in the marathon and half-marathon races, and 6,040 in the 10-km race. On Saturday, 7,956 children and youths raced along the streets of the capital.