Icy path as a goal

Trial marathon, but in Greenland: he’s done it!

A meaningful trophy - but only for a snapshot, the medal for 7th place in the tough competition followed.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg,)

He is the head of a village with 128 inhabitants, works as a construction foreman and is happy to help organize regional sporting events free of charge. What else "drives" the running enthusiast from the Weinviertel region is remarkable: 44 marathons, 350 half-marathons - recently finished in Greenland. 

Thomas Appel is the head of Ungerndorf - and is quick to respond when one of the 128 inhabitants of his village in the northern district of Mistelbach has a problem. Apart from his day job as a construction foreman, the 44-year-old's hobby is worth mentioning: in his spare time, he has already run 44 marathons, not to mention 350 half marathons.

Dedicated and always on the go: everything runs smoothly for Appel
"I live for the Weinviertel and love it," emphasizes the sportsman, who also works as an organizational volunteer. But even the run to the highest elevations in the Weinviertel (maximum 428 meters) hardly challenges his physical condition.

. . . it may well be a cooling "power nap"!(Bild: zVg)

After the medal presentation . . .(Bild: zVg)

He ran away from his camera team
This year, his 15th Vienna City Marathon was even worth a special broadcast by ORF. Only: Appel had long since crossed the finish line when the camera team was still wandering around the course. An anecdote that explains why he is also known as a "human running machine".

A fixed date in the annual calendar: off to a competition abroad. Yesterday, Wednesday, he returned from the "Icefjord Midnight Marathon" in Greenland, a marathon trail over rocks, scree and swamps in icy winds. Summary: "There will be another trail in 2025 - Iceland is already booked." Incidentally, Appel's trip to Greenland was not the northernmost point on the globe where the "Speedy Gonzales of the Weinviertel" left his mark: "Before Corona, I was already running in the Arctic Circle."