Salzburg Marathon returns on Sunday after a three-year break

Runners from 60 nations join the wide range of running events over the weekend. Austrian national marathon championships are the main sporting focus.

Known as a worldwide centre for classical music, the running event takes place under the name of “Running Festival of Mozart’s City”. A diverse and colourful programme with ten different competitions and the motivating atmosphere of peaceful togetherness inspire several thousand participants.

From a sporting point of view, the Austrian National Marathon Championships take centre stage. National record holder Eva Wutti hopes to qualify for the European Championships in Munich. She needs to beat the time of 2:32:00 hours. In the men’s race, Mario Bauernfeind, Isaac Kosgei and Georg Schrank are among the contenders for victory and the championship title. While the elite field consists of Austrian runners, the event as a whole is a huge international get-together.

The attractive marathon and the tourist appeal of Salzburg bring runners from 60 countries to the start.

The comeback of the Salzburg Marathon for its 19th edition has special significance for race director Johannes Langer: “Running brings people together. Finally we can garnish the desire to run with the special experience factor again – and all this at an atmospheric, international running event.”

Salzburg Marathon course records stand at 2:14:16, set by Eliud Kiplagat in 2013, and 2:35:05 by Risper Kimayo in 2011. While the men’s record looks safe this year, the women’s record could come under threat, as Austrian favourite Eva Wutti has a personal best of 2:30:43 from 2020.

The Marathon starts on Sunday, 15 May, 9.00 am. Last minute entry will be available on site.

The route leads through Salzburg‘s historic old town, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for 25 years, and touches the green surroundings outside of town. It is a flat and AIMS certified course that is officially recognized as a qualification event for international championships. Austrian Athletics Federation holds the national marathon championships there for the seventh time since 2007. Finish area is located in front of the world-famous Grosses Festspielhaus (Large Festival Hall) with a breathtaking view of Fortress Hohensalzburg.

Shorter distances at the Salzburg Marathon weekend motivate many people to participate and lead an active lifestyle. On Sunday, in addition to the marathon, the Sparkasse Half Marathon, the Hervis-10K Salzburg CityRun and the Hyundai Relay Marathon will take place. Among the participants in the relay is Olympic athlete Peter Herzog. The Austrian marathon record holder (2:10:06) is preparing for a start at the 10,000 m European Cup at the end of May.
The Salzburg Women‘s Run (5.5 km) on Friday as well as the CUP&CINO breakfast run, children‘s runs and the Inclusion Run on Saturday are also part of the running festival.

Public transport to the race and back home is available free of charge to all participants within the city of Salzburg on their day of running. Salzburg Marathon is certified as an ecologically sustainable event by Austrian control authorities. Runners enjoy high quality organic food made of local products at the marathon village. The use of renewable materials and an integrated programme for the reduction of transport and natural resources is in force.