Overview
- Esther Pfeiffer won the Cologne half marathon on Sunday in 67:24, cutting four seconds off her own Cologne course record and improving her personal best by one second.
- She had abandoned a German-record attempt at the Berlin Marathon one week earlier after 14 kilometers because of persistent stomach pains.
- Pfeiffer said she aimed for a 66-minute half to 'save' her season and ran alongside pacemaker and husband Hendrik Pfeiffer, staying on target through 10 kilometers before losing the pace and saying she 'could not push' in the closing stages.
- After the race she did not appear at the women's award ceremony, which drew criticism from spectators and second-place Fabienne Königstein, who wrote on Instagram that they waited 45 minutes in the cold and that no official reason for Pfeiffer’s absence has been given.
- The performance underlines that Pfeiffer remains a top contender for future marathon records and points to two things to watch next: clear medical or pacing explanations for her recent drop in Berlin and how she manages public and peer relations after the no-show at the awards.