The Vienna City Marathon is an annual
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
since 1984.
History
The first edition was held on with a total of 794 competitors. It is Austria's largest
road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
These events are usually classified as long-distance ...
event and the 2010 edition had record participation with 32,940 runners from 108 nations taking part in the day's races. The race has been organised by
Wolfgang Konrad since 1989.
The race day's events also include a marathon team relay event, a 4.2 km
fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pr ...
and a
half marathon. In 2011,
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...
ran the fastest ever time on Austrian soil for the half marathon distance. The 2012 edition saw Haile and
Paula Radcliffe engage in a novel half marathon race, with Radcliffe receiving a head start 7:52 minutes (the difference between the two athletes personal bests). Gebrselassie crossed the finish line 3 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of Radcliffe.
Due to the
coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 edition of the race was cancelled and the 2021 edition was postponed to .
Course
The route starts at the
Vienna International Centre, traverses the
Reichsbrücke and the traffic junction
Praterstern on the left side of the
Donaukanal, then runs alongside the
Ringstraße until reaching the
Vienna State Opera. After crossing the left bank of the
Wien river on
Wienzeile to the
Schönbrunn Palace, the route goes back to the
Heldenplatz (via the Mariahilferstraße) where the half-marathon finishes. The full-marathon runners, however, are continuing past the
Rathaus
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
to the
Alsergrund
Alsergrund (; Central Bavarian: ''Oisagrund'') is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria (german: 9. Bezirk, Alsergrund). It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburb ...
and to Friedensbrücke. The track continues via the left side of the
Donaukanal and the
Praterstern to reach the Prater again. After having passed the
Ernst-Happel-Stadion
Ernst-Happel-Stadion (), known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It w ...
and the
Lusthaus, the route leads over the Franzensbrücke to the Ringstraße where the runners reach the finish at the Heldenplatz.
Winners
Key:
: Course record
: Austrian championship race
Marathon
Half marathon
Notes
References
;List of winners
Vienna Spring Marathon Association of Road Racing Statisticians
The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...
(2009-04-20). Retrieved on 2010-02-17.
External links
Official website Every participant in a video
{{IAAF Gold Label
Marathons in Austria
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
Recurring sporting events established in 1984
1984 establishments in Austria