Short of ice, Dutch canal-skating marathon finds second home in Austria

Ice skaters make their way at dawn during the Alternative Eleven Cities Tour on Lake Weissensee, a dutch speed skating event based on the traditional 'Elfstedentocht' in Techendorf, Austria January 31, 2019. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

TECHENDORF, Austria (Reuters) - It is 22 years since canals in the Netherlands froze enough to run the country's most famous speed skating event, an epic race that snakes through towns near the northern coast.

But enterprising skaters have created a reliable backup - on a lake in the Austrian Alps.