2:06:35 hours

Vienna runs around the globe 21 times today

Chala Regasa crossing the finish line

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The 41st Vienna City Marathon has its winner. The Ethiopian Chala Regasa won on Sunday in 2:06:35 hours. The best Austrian was Mario Bauernfeind, who crossed the finish line after 2:14:19 hours. Nazret Weldu triumphed in the women's race in 2:24:08. The race is still running, we are reporting live (see ticker below).

Regasa secured the first Ethiopian VCM victory since 2015, when Sisay Lemma won in 2:07:31. Regasa himself had only competed in one marathon before that, finishing fifth in Rotterdam in April 2023 in 2:06:11. However, he had already been to Vienna in 2019 when he paced Eliud Kipchoge in his 1:59 "lab race" in 2019, including on parts of the VCM course. "I'm not here to hold back," Regasa said on Thursday - and put his plan into action.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Bauernfeind beats Herzog
In the end, he had a huge lead of more than four minutes over the second-placed Kenyan Leonard Barsoton. Bauernfeind clearly won the duel with ÖLV record holder Peter Herzog for the best ÖLV athlete and was also ranked among the European leaders in this race. Herzog was a good minute behind his compatriot. "This is a dream come true for me," said a delighted Bauernfeind.

Mario Bauernfeind

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Mayer defies her period
Julia Mayer was unable to match her ÖLV record, but her performance was almost as impressive as the magnificent 2:26:43 in Valencia. "Unfortunately, I'm going through a difficult phase at the moment, I'm on my period," Mayer reported at the finish. "But I've already been able to prepare myself mentally for it. But it was a really good performance today and I'm proud of it." She finished tenth and second best European in 2:31:25. "That's also a respectable result."

Austrian victory
There was an Austrian victory in the half marathon. The 19-year-old Timo Hinterndorfer from Vienna ran with the marathon leaders and completed the distance in a new personal best time of 1:03:05 hours, just two seconds slower than the VCM leaders. Just two weeks ago, Hinterndorfer had won the Linz half marathon in 1:03:25. Timon Theuer in 1:05:45 and Thomas Messner in 1:06:29 completed an Austrian triple victory.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The race took place in better conditions than had been feared from the forecast. Even at the start area, the 35,000 athletes, including the side events, were greeted by sunshine, temperatures were in the low single digits and the wind was not as disruptive as expected.

Read our live coverage here:

• 11.33 am: Julia Mayer finishes in tenth place and best Austrian with 2:31:25.

• 11.24 am : The winner has also been decided: Nazret Weldu wins in 2:24:08 and secures her Olympic ticket.

Nazret Weldu

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

 

• 11.07 am: He has crossed the finish line! Chala Regasa crosses the finish line in front of the Burgtheater to the thunderous applause of the spectators and the half marathon runners. His finishing time is an impressive 2:06:35.
• 11:03 am: Nazret Weldu has already pulled out a half-minute lead. For the first time since 2015 there will be no Kenyan winner at the Vienna City Marathon in either the men's or women's race.
• 11:01 am: Regasa is already on the ring road, only a fall can still cost him victory. He will win his second marathon in a very strong time.
• 10.57 am : There is likely to be a first in the women's race, in the form of an Eritrean victory. Nazret Weldu has pulled away from Rebecca Tanui.
• 10.50 am: The preliminary decision has been made in the battle for the best Austrian. Peter Herzog, whose preparation was clouded by a viral illness, had to let go after around 34 kilometers. Mario Bauernfeind is now on his way to victory within the team.
• 10.45 am : After 29 kilometers, Julia Mayer still has her two pacemakers Stephan Listabarth and Simon Stützel ahead of her. At the moment, her passage times suggest a final time of around 2:29, but as her manager Richard Schmied confirmed, she took a rather defensive approach. It is therefore quite possible that she can still make up ground. 
• 10:41 am: Chala Regasa is looking very good and has now opened up a lead of a few meters. He will probably not reach the course record of 2:05:08, but a time around 2:06 should be possible. Incidentally, it would be the first Ethiopian victory in Vienna in the men's race since 2015. 
• 10:34 am: Mario Bauernfeind and Peter Herzog have also lost the last pacemaker, the two are now really fighting a duel on their own, but are supporting each other by taking turns in the lead. A fair fight for the title of the fastest Austrian!
• 10.30 a.m.: The Ethiopian Chala Regasa, the man with the fastest entry time, has pulled away slightly in the main avenue and is now alone in the lead after the last pacemaker Stanley Kurgat has dropped out. The 26-year-old knows the avenue very well. Five years ago, he was one of Eliud Kipchoge's helpers here during his legendary sub-2-hour run.
• 10.28 am: The women's race is shaping up to be a thrilling duel for victory. Nazret Weldu and Rebecca Tanui have pulled away from the rest of the field by 13 seconds. Mario Bauernfeind and Peter Herzog are also still neck and neck in the race for the title of best Austrian. 
• 10.25 am: After 25 kilometers, the leading group has been reduced to six runners. At a glance: Chala Regasa (Ethiopia), Daniel Paulus (Namibia), Felix Kibitok, Leonard Barsoton, Bernard Muia and pacemaker Stanley Kurgat (all Kenya). The calculated finishing time is still under 2:06 hours.
• 10:20 a.m.: Julia Mayer's half marathon time is 1:15:00, so her best time is now well out of reach. Of course, she ran a fantastic 2:26:43 on the completely flat course in Valencia, which is a good deal easier than the Vienna City Marathon.
• 10:17 a.m. : Hinterndorfer was overjoyed with his performance. "It was a great feeling to run with the marathon leaders for so long today. The atmosphere was just great. One of the best runs I've ever experienced."
• 10.05 am: The half marathon time of 1:03:03 for the leading group was almost identical to Hinterndorfer's time, although the runners now have to cover another 21.1 kilometers. Chala Regasa is still among the seven men at the front, but last year's second-placed Bethwell Yegon has dropped back slightly.
• 10.03 am: An Austrian is the first to finish! The 19-year-old Timo Hinterndorfer wins the half marathon in 1:03:05. A great test of talent, especially as he had already won the Linz half marathon in 1:03:25 just two weeks ago.
• 9.59 am : Julia Mayer is also surrounded by a group of around ten men and women, including her two pacemakers Stephan Listabarth and Simon Stützel. 
• 9.57 am: The leading group is now sweeping through the sloping Mariahilfer Straße at almost 19 km/h. Among them are Chala Regasa and Bethwell Yegon, the two top favorites, and the Austrian half marathon runner Timo Hinterndorfer is still in this group and can hope for a top time.
• 9.48 am: The men's lead pack still consists of ten men. It could be a real thriller again today. The pace has now dropped a little behind the record, perhaps also because the first 15 kilometers tend to be slightly uphill. Mario Bauernfeind and Peter Herzog are still maintaining their planned pace, currently heading towards a finishing time of 2:13:30.

• 9:37 am: The pacemakers are currently a little too fast for the top athletes, having already passed kilometer 10 in 29:36. Of course, this also corresponds to their time target, in the best case they should help to improve the course record of 2:05:08 from the previous year. The leading women pass the 10 km mark in 33:49, Julia Mayer in 35:17, but the Austrian record holder has announced that she intends to attack, especially in the second half of the race, if she is feeling well.

• 9.25 am: Mario Bauernfeind and Peter Herzog are running together in the fourth group as expected. At kilometer 5, they passed through in 15:50, which would extrapolate to a time in the 2:13 to 2:14 range. 20 seconds behind them is triathlete Lukas Hollaus, who is making his marathon debut. Julia Mayer is taking a more cautious approach than planned. She covered the first 5 kilometers in 17:33, around 15 seconds slower than she had planned yesterday.

• 9:15 a.m. : For the first time, the front is in the Prater Hauptallee. A group of 13 runners has formed at the front with the favorites to win, led by three pacemakers, who have covered the first 5 kilometers in 14:52 minutes. They also include the Austrians Timo Hinterndorfer and Timon Theuer, who are tackling the half marathon.

• 9 a.m. sharp: The elite are on their way, including Austria's top athletes Julia Mayer, Peter Herzog and Mario Bauernfeind.

  The conditions for the race are better than expected because the wind is not as strong as feared, at least for the time being. On average, there will probably only be 15 km/h, with gusts of up to 40 km/h, but hopefully these will come from the north rather than the west.

  The temperature at the start is expected to be around 5 degrees, rising to 8 degrees during the race - ideal for the top athletes.

When the starting signal was given for the first "Vienna Spring Marathon" on March 25, 1984, it would have been hard to imagine what this race would one day become. 794 people took part 40 years ago, this weekend there are over 42,000. To put this into perspective: only eleven cities in Austria currently have more inhabitantsA

But even more people are involved in the Vienna City Marathon. Around 2,500 employees are on duty along the route and in the finish area for the running spectacle, plus around 500 police officers, 300 rescue workers and 900 suppliers who make sure that everything is available: 150 tons of material for barriers, 50,000 liters of Powerade, 60,000 bananas, 35,000 apples.

The Inclusion Run kicked things off.

(Bild: JENIA SYMONDS)

Of course, the focus is on the participants, who will cover 840,000 kilometers this weekend - 21 times around the globe. Among them are:

• Even more elite runners than usual, because for many, Vienna offers the last chance to qualify for the Olympics. For example, Nazret Weldu from Eritrea, who finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships. One of her fingernails is adorned with the flag of her home country, and if she wins, the Austrian flag will be added.
  
  
• Thanks to the OPEC Fund, four rookies from Kenya will have the opportunity to make their breakthrough at the Vienna Marathon.
  
  
• The endurance runners Alfred Biela, Bernhard Bruckner, Franz Gschiegl, Gerhard Tomeczek as well as Erwin and Michael Reichetzeder have completed every VCM so far and want to reach the finish line again this year.
  
  
• Simone Staudacher will set Brigitte Heinz's women's record with her 25th VCM.
  
  
• Jürg Kellenberger, who ran 626 kilometers from Switzerland to Vienna in eleven stages, the twelfth will be the marathon.
  
  
• At 84 years of age, Felix Pauli (Lower Austria) is the oldest participant over 42.195 kilometers, the oldest woman is Mireille Carrara (Fra).
  
  
• 8-year-old Bilel and 10-year-old Mia-Sophie are allowed to give the starting signal for the VCM today after taking part in the children's races yesterday. Bilel ran 3:45, the 800 m seemed rather short to him, as he had run seven VCM kilometers last year - without registering.

(Bild: Krone Kreativ)

As always, there are also fundraising campaigns. In the children's races, whose participants had fun yesterday despite the rain, two euros per starter will be donated to SOS Children's Villages, while six euros per head from the Inclusion Run will go to Special Olympics, with Coca-Cola doubling the amount. Part of the entry fee from the 5 km run will be used for tree planting in Vienna. Private donations will also be collected.G. Bachler