A cultural running tour

You run the marathon in the footsteps of Eliud Kipchoge, who was the first and so far the only person to run the marathon distance in under two hours (1:59:40.2) on the Prater Hauptallee in October 2019.

At the start, close to the United Nations headquarters beside the River Danube, runners feel the flair of the modern capital. It blends with the most famous sights of the cultural and musical metropolis. During the run you see the Vienna State Opera, Schönbrunn Palace and the great museums. The magnificent Ringstrasse boulevard in the very heart of the city is your home stretch. “The Vienna City Marathon is like a visit to a museum wearing shorts,” says race director Wolfgang Konrad. “We welcome runners from all over the world to enjoy this special atmosphere of culture and togetherness.”

Year after year, Vienna is named the world’s most liveable city. The reasons are the diverse cultural and leisure activities, the excellent infrastructure, the large green spaces, safety and good environmental quality.

The Vienna City Marathon offers two days of running events for the whole family. In the next edition the marathon, a half marathon and a relay marathon (for teams of four) will take place at the same time. The day before there is a 10km run, the children’s run over 2km, The Daily Mile Run over 1.6km and the Coca-Cola Inclusion Run.

Those who want to chase a personal best time will find great conditions for it: an attractive course lined by an enthusiastic audience. A quarter of the Vienna City Marathon‘s course is on Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59 route. The event records are held by the Ethiopian Getu Feleke with 2:05:41 and the Kenyan Nancy Kiprop with 2:22:12.

Vienna is a city with a unique history in sport. As long as 200 years ago running events on the Prater Hauptallee attracted great interest.

The first edition of the Vienna City Marathon took place in 1984 with only 794 participants. Since then the enthusiasm for running has developed enormously. The event quickly gained international stature. Running legend Haile Gebrselassie has run the half marathon here three times. In 2012 he clashed with Paula Radcliffe, who started the race with a time allowance, in a fantastic duel between the then world record holders.

By 2021 the event regularly attracted over 40,000 runners from more than 125 nations with 8000 runners or more tackling the full marathon distance.

The most recent edition of the event was held on 12 September 2021. It was the first big international marathon since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and a highly emotional comeback race after a long standstill. The Viennese health authorities have subsequently confirmed that no covid infections were recorded in connection with the event. 18,000 runners participated in various runs over the weekend. It was well below the usual numbers but a fantastic restart and motivational boost for marathon running.

All finishers will receive their medal in the shape of a star. For those who have completed the full marathon of 42195 metres, it will shine in gold and feature a Swarovski crystal. You will feel like a marathon star and will be proud of your marathon star keepsake.