Each year, thousands of people take part in the various races falling under the umbrella of the Vienna marathon. And those of us with a little less energy get to watch.
- Major international marathon with a top-class field
- Plenty of ancillary races and events, too
- Participants run past various tourist attractions
- 2026 date: Sunday, April 19th for the main event
- See also:
The event and its route
(The final few metres outside the Burgtheater; press photo courtesy of and © Vienna City Marathon: VCM / Jenia Symonds)
Vienna occupies a prestigious place in the running world, not least because the city hosted Eliud Kipchoge’s successful attempt to became the first human to break the two hour mark for the marathon distance (at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge way back in 2019).
As such, the Vienna event attracts competitors from all over the globe, including top-class athletes with Olympic experience. Just under 13,000 took part in the full classic marathon in 2025.
The main race begins at the United Nations building to the sound of the Blue Danube waltz before crossing over that very river towards the city centre.
This route typically takes participants on a tour of some of Vienna’s main historical sights. For example:
- The Prater with the Riesenrad and national football stadium
- Along the Donaukanal arm of the Danube
- The Stadtpark and around the Ring boulevard to the Rathaus (and then finish line)
- Schönbrunn Palace
Think of it as a sightseeing bus tour without the bus. Both runners and the watching crowds can usually also enjoy music and other entertaining or motivating features along sections of the race.
Last time out, for example, we had various Strauss-themed moments in honour of his 200th birthday, including a successful attempt to break a waltzing world record at the start of the race.
The 2025 marathon saw Ethiopian Hafatamu Abadi win the men’s event with a time of 2:08:28. At 21, Abadi became the youngest winner in the history of the Vienna marathon. Kenyan Betty Chepkemoi crossed the line first in the women’s event with a time of 2:24:14.
The race two years earlier produced a new course record for the men: Kenyan Samwel Mailu’s time of 2:05:08 knocked 33 seconds off the previous best set in 2014.
Needless to say, the Vienna marathon is not just about a single run. Several ancillary races take place throughout the weekend, for example, as do related activities. At the previous event, these included:
- The Vienna Sports World expo in the Marx Halle (free admission)
- The Wiener Städtische half marathon and Powerade relay marathon
- 5k and kids races
- The Coca-Cola Inclusion Run
(The marathon ends close to the Rathaus: Vienna’s city hall)
Over 46,000 participants from 146 countries registered for the running events last time out. (The absence of a 100m walk means I am, sadly, unable to ever be one of them.)
For full details on competing, routes, locations, etc., see the official website.
2026 dates
The 2026 Vienna marathon will be the 43rd edition and takes place on Sunday, April 19th.
The main race, half-marathon and relay marathon typically begin from 9am with other races filling slots the day before.