"The bet is on..."

Mayor in a tough running duel across Vienna

Hoffmann and Brandstätter ran a hot race.

(Bild: Privat/Krone KREATIV)

"Simmering against Kapfenberg, that's what I call brutality." Of course, Schattendorf versus Gols was not as bad as the iconic quote by legendary cabaret artist Helmut Qualtinger suggests. Nevertheless, the mayors of the two municipalities gave their all in the direct running duel to achieve top times.

There was a lot going on at the "Vienna City Marathon". For the first time, 37,633 runners made it to the finish line in various competitions last Sunday. With this record, the previous record from 2017 was surpassed by 1279 athletes.

Every minute counted
In the middle of it all, Thomas Hoffmann, mayor of Schattendorf, and Kilian Brandstätter, head of the village of Gols, went head-to-head in the half marathon. The latter had challenged his eight-year-older counterpart to a duel.

Local politicians kept up the pace
"The bet is on," Hoffmann said to himself, took a deep breath and faced the challenge with great motivation. The athletes' entourage made good progress. The mayor of Schattendorf kept his nose in front and reached the finish line faster.

Clear lead
The 40-year-old set a total time of two hours, nine minutes and 20 seconds. The challenger remained well behind his counterpart with a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 39 seconds. "When Kilian crossed the finish line, I was already cold. I had to warm myself with a blanket," Hoffmann revealed.

For Brandstätter, it was immediately clear: the Vienna City Marathon will be calling for a rematch in 2025.