Tartu City Marathon Won with a Powerful Course Record
The 13th Tartu City Marathon, held today, was won by Karel Hussar, who set a new course record, completing the 42.2 km distance with a time of 2:21:55. Among women, the fastest runner was Kelly Nevolihhin, finishing with a time of 2:54:52.
“The goal was to aim for a time of 2:20, and during the first half of the marathon, I felt really good. In the last five kilometers, I got to feel that marathon pain,” commented Hussar, who was running his first marathon. “I had a sense of my abilities since I've run half-marathons and trained for the marathon, but the question was what would happen after the 30th kilometer. Luckily, for the first time, it turned out more or less okay,” Hussar added.
In the half marathon, which doubled as the Estonian Championships, Leonid Latsepov won the men's title with a time of 1:06:59. “My only goal today was to win, as the Estonian champion title was the one thing I was missing this year,” Latsepov explained. In the women's race, Liis-Grete Arro won the half marathon and the Estonian championship title with a personal best time of 1:16:49. “Today, the conditions were perfect for running a personal best,” said Arro.
In the 10 km race, Tiidrek Nurme triumphed, much to the delight of the local crowd, with a time of 30:32. “I didn’t come to set a course record today, as in the last few weeks, I’ve focused more on school and home rather than sports,” Nurme commented. “Today’s race was perfect for keeping my spirits up and preparing for next spring because the event is well-organized, there are lots of spectators, and Tartu City Marathon is gaining more and more international recognition. It would be silly to skip this race in my hometown,” explained Nurme, who is preparing for the European Road Running Championships next April. “There’s also the goal of breaking the Estonian marathon record,” added Nurme. In the women's 10 km race, Liina Luik won with a time of 37:09.
Over 8,000 people participated in the Tartu City Marathon events, setting a new participation record. The virtual races are open until October 13th.
You can find the results of the 13th Tartu City Marathon HERE.