‘Vienna Calling’ Half Marathon on 16 May

This officially approved run is a VCM test event for the implementation of Covid-19 prevention strategies.

The race starts on the Reichsbrücke, and finishes in the Prater. The race incorporates the Vienna Championships and takes place in accordance with Section 15 of the Covid-19 Protective Measures Ordinance.

Almost 200 participants are registered, which is the legal upper limit. Austria’s marathon record holder Peter Herzog, already qualified for the Olympic Games, will use the race as training under competitive conditions and run sections at a marathon tempo after recovering from a torn muscle.

“This is important for the running scene as a whole,” said Herzog. “For me, too, it’s about picking up speed again.” The women’s favourite is half marathon national champion Julia Mayer.

“For our big goal of running the Vienna City Marathon on 12 September, we need smaller events in advance to test and practice processes,” said race organiser Wolfgang Konrad. “We also want to give the runners motivation and an impetus for training.”

Exactly four months before the date (12 September) over 20,000 runners have already registered for the marathon, half marathon and relay marathon.

At the Vienna Calling 21K Half Marathon on 16 May everyone involved must upload a valid antigen or PCR test in advance. Self-tests are not recognized. A digital “Safe Guest Management Tool” is used as a pilot project to record the test evidence. The starting process takes place according to the “Keep in Flow” principle.

Access to the start and finish area is only possible for the people involved in the event. In the event area, FFP2 masks are compulsory. The run itself is without masks.

The route “in the footsteps of Eliud Kipchoge” is suited for fast times. After starting on the Reichsbrücke, the course leads into Lassallestrasse, Praterstern and the Hauptallee. There are two laps of the full length of the Hauptallee, between Praterstern and Lusthaus, each with two turns. The finish line is on Hauptallee at the stadium.

In the starting phase from 07.00 to 08.15 the Reichsbrücke carriageway leading out of town will be closed. From 08.15 all traffic measures will end and the event will then take place exclusively on the Prater Hauptallee, a closed road.