About the marathon that never happened: Everything was set up for a very special weekend

On Sunday, April 19, the Vienna City Marathon 2020 would have taken place. As is well known, it turned out differently. There was no race, no results list and no winners. We all know there are more important things right now. But we try to draw a picture of this marathon, which never came into being.

Running at top speed

Until the beginning of March, everything was pointing towards a marathon of records. Everything was set up for a very special weekend. More runners than ever before, both Austrian and international, had registered for one of the VCM events. The interest even indicated a total number of 45,000 registrations. In the marathon competition alone, there would have been over 10,000 registrations for the first time in almost 20 years. With the Corona crisis, the mood changed. At the beginning, we in the VCM team were firmly convinced that we would still be able to hold the event with numerous precautions and adaptations. This soon proved to be a delusion. The government's measures and the prospect of months of restrictions put a sudden stop to the preparations. We were travelling at top speed and had to come to a standstill from one moment to the next. This is not possible without skidding and bruising. We were barely able to avoid a total crash.

Enthusiasm like it hasn't been for a long time

Before that we felt a drive in the running scene like we haven't felt in a long time. Why? We asked ourselves that question and found some possible answers: The whole year before, our team was present at more running events than ever before to promote the Vienna City Marathon. The great VCM 2019, in which weather, atmosphere and top performances were perfectly matched, may have played a role. We offered participation in the VCM Winter Running Series free of charge for marathon and half-marathon runners - three out of four planned runs have already taken place with record fields. We have given the free VCM training offer a new lease of life with joint runs, training plans and competent support. The winter offered sensational conditions for running, at least in the greater Vienna area and outside a few alpine regions. The best Austrian marathon runners in the VCM Team Austria already announced their start together in December, thus drawing the sporting interest to the VCM. And finally there was Eliud. Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59 Marathon on October 12th in the Prater Hauptallee simply electrified runners. To run right here, on the course of the first ever marathon under two hours, that's what many wanted to experience.

Innovations were fixed planned

Almost all productions were already planned and ordered. For Saturday we had fixed an attractive new feature in coordination with police and authorities. For the first time, the start for Vienna 10K and Vienna 5K would be in the immediate vicinity of the Marx Halle, where the Vienna Sports World with the distribution of start numbers is located. For the participants, the event would have been more compact, because the way to the previous start in the Prater would have been eliminated. The VCM Kids Race over two kilometres and the Coca-Cola Inclusion Run would have taken place unchanged. The interest in these two shortest runs was also particularly high. The running initiative The Daily Mile, which the VCM started at Austrian elementary schools in September, also increased the enthusiasm for the VCM Kids Run. And the Coca-Cola Inclusion Run even wanted to scratch the 1,000 participant mark. The pre-registrations for the run in the spirit of social togetherness were promising. In any case, a strong signal for social inclusion would have been sent out, including financial support for Special Olympics Austria.

With the VCM Carbo Loading Party in the magnificent ballroom of the Vienna City Hall and a Beethoven concert by an ensemble of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the State Opera House, two popular side events would have been on the programme on Saturday, which can only be held in Vienna in this way. On Sunday, Austrian public TV station ORF would have again conjured up a rousing live broadcast. Popular political scientist Peter Filzmaier would have acted as co-commentator in sports for the first time. On the Reichsbrücke, #glaubandich ('believe in yourself') would have stood in large letters, and tens of thousands of runners would have started their race here. We would have rebuilt the finish of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge on the spot in the Prater, so that all marathon runners would have run through at kilometers 31 and 35. "Run Vienna. Run the Marathon Star." - This motto would have been found in many places at the event. When we think about it too much, it makes us feel wistful.

Austria's top runners were ready

The weather would have been almost perfect. Pleasant and just over 20°C on Saturday. Cooler with temperatures of 12-14°C, only little wind but a few rainy spots on Sunday morning.

From a top athletic point of view everything was prepared for a great race. From Austria the best team that ever existed was united. National marathon record holder Lemawork Ketema (2:10:44) wanted to run a time of 2:09 hours for the first time. Valentin Pfeil would have put everything into the scales to undercut the Olympic limit of 2:11:30. Eva Wutti had the same intention - her Olympic target time was 2:29:30. Marathon debutant Timon Theuer let hope for a top performance. In February, he had achieved a strong half-marathon time of 62:34 minutes. Christian Steinhammer also showed himself in top form with a 63:37 half marathon. Stephan Listabarth was about to show a strong marathon performance in his home town. Christian Robin would have been in action as a pacemaker. Victoria Schenk was preparing for her personal "159 minute challenge" and wanted to break the 2:40 hour mark. Peter Herzog, who already has the marathon Olympic ticket in his pocket, was programmed for a really fast half marathon race.

The plan was to do a championship triple, which had never been done before in this form. The national marathon championships of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia would have taken place simultaneously.

International stars wanted to go to Vienna

Even beyond that, the VCM would have been sure to attract attention. Mark Milde had put together a top-class international field for the World Athletics Gold Label race. The marathon record holders from Switzerland (Tadesse Abraham), Germany (Arne Gabius) and Poland (Henryk Szost) were announced at the beginning of March. Many more top runners had decided to start in Vienna, among them the national team of Eritrea, which wanted to run its Olympic qualification here. Among others, the longtime half marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese and the marathon world champion of 2015, Ghirmay Ghebreselassie, would have started at the VCM. The current fastest German marathon runner Melat Kejeta (2:23:57) and the Rotterdam Marathon winner Visiline Jepkesho (2:21:37) from Kenya would have led the women's field.

Instead of "would have" and "would be": Yes, I do

A lot subjunctives. A lot of ambition, training and sweat, which failed ten thousand times. It's just the marathon that didn't happen. What has also already happened in the last months are activities of our partners at VCM Charity. Due to the cancellation these organisations lost an important opportunity to collect donations. In the previous year the total amount was 170,000 Euro. They are all directly affected by Corona, because they help people who belong to the risk group or who are especially challenged right now: Children and families with serious or rare diseases, children in family crises or poverty, homeless people.

• MPS - Help for children with this rare metabolic disease
• Help for "Butterfly Children"
• Arche Herzensbrücken - for families with seriously ill children
• Momo - mobile children's hospice Vienna
• Kindernothilfe - Street children / Help in crisis areas
• RAINBOWS - Contact point for children and young people after separation/divorce of parents or death of a loved one
• Samaritan Federation

Take a look at www.vienna-marathon.com/charity. If you want, you can support an organization of your choice here. This will turn "would" and "would have" into something concrete and actual.


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We will of course, as already announced by e-mail, send an offer for the entry fee to the runners registered for the VCM 2020. This is absolutely clear. We want to find a satisfactory solution for the participants, which will also enable the event to continue. We will also, as already announced, present a solution for ordered additional services (e.g. T-shirts, vouchers for the VCM Carbo Loading Party). For all this we need some more time and ask for your understanding.


VCM News / AM