The Vienna Marathon

It is one of the most watched sporting events in the world and reaches a very high number of entrants each year, both because of the international importance of this tradition and because of the fantastic setting in which the competition takes place. Although there are many opportunities for running amateurs and not just professionals, this race is the most important one-day race held in Austria. The Vienna Marathon missed its 2020 edition because of the Coronavirus, which peaked right around the time the event is held in March. Finally, however, there is good news because the marathon is coming back in 2021, not in March but in September because the situation is expected to be more sustainable. The race is scheduled for September 12 and the start time is 9 a.m. with the start as usual from Wagramer Strasse on the Reichsbrucke Bridge, in front of the UN building. It continues along the Danube, accompanied by the words of Johann Strauss’s famous melody, and then crosses the Ringstrasse: a series of nineteenth-century boulevards that retrace the same structure as the medieval walls that once surrounded Vienna’s historic center.
Locations
For runners taking part in the marathon, the event is the right opportunity not only to measure themselves in sporting competition in one of Europe’s most beautiful capitals, but also to visit the characteristic places that stand on the banks of the Danube, Europe’s longest river. Among these, one of the most distinctive is the Ringstrasse: a path of avenues that although it takes the name ‘ring’ i.e., ring, has a U-shape since it is interrupted by the passage of the river. This structure replaces the walls that formerly surrounded the old town, and the ring, which is 5300 meters long in total, includes several streets connected by tramway and set in natural landscapes rich in gardens and interrupted by various historic hotels and cafes. Vienna is touristically one of the most beautiful cities to visit, and there are also many opportunities for sporting activities; in fact, in addition to the Vienna Marathon, there are many routes dedicated to amateur runners and various competitions such as the half marathon. Another setting for the event is the Reichsbrücke Bridge that crosses the Danube and from which there is a breathtaking view of the city.
The Prater
Runners will pass through many interesting spots in the historic center surrounded by culture and nature, such as the Prater: a large park with old attractions such as the Ferris wheel from the late 1800s. We focus particularly us this place because it covers a huge area and is considered one of the most beautiful city parks in the world. The area consisting of forests of old trees and bodies of water makes this place a small oasis of peace to spend relaxing hours or train surrounded by greenery, likewise, the place lends itself well to be the setting of this important race due to the presence of the main avenue, more than 4 kilometers long and with a particularly strenuous route to give athletes the opportunity to measure their skills.
The State Opera
After the Prater we continue on to the State Opera, a very old theater whose inauguration dates back to 1869 and which took on this name with the birth of the first Austrian Republic in 1920.
Schoenbrunn Palace
Marathon participants will then arrive at Vienna’s famous imperial palace: a stupendous Baroque-style building that bears witness to Austrian history through its connection to the Habsburgs.
End of the race
The Vienna Marathon ends at one of the most beautiful squares in Vienna: the Rathausplatz. Renovated in 1999, this square is characterized by the presence of buildings in neo-Gothic architectural style facing a very large space that welcomes tourists and in this case runners, precisely in front of the neo-Gothic Town Hall building: the Rathaus.