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
- 2027 date: Sunday, April 18th for the main event
- Book a two-hour walking tour* for your visit
- 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 registered for the full classic marathon in 2026.
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 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.
Back in 2025, 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 2026 marathon saw Ethiopian and medal-winning Paralympian Tigist Gezahagn cross the line first in the women’s event with a time of 2:20:06. Kenyan Fanny Kiprotich won the men’s event with a time of 2:06:53.
The race three 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.
The Vienna marathon is not just about a single run, though. 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
- A Tchibo 10k coffee run
- 5k and kids races
- The Coca-Cola Inclusion Run
The 10k run was new for 2026 and included coffee and pastries at the finish. You have to love Vienna.
(The marathon ends close to the Rathaus: Vienna’s city hall)
Over 49,000 participants registered across all 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.
2027 dates
The 2027 Vienna marathon will be the 44th edition and takes place on Sunday, April 18th, normally along with the half-marathon, relay marathon and 10k run. The other races usually fill slots the day before.