• ‘Experience Hunting’: Registration figures go off the charts!
• Biggest growth among 20-30 year olds
• Registration for Wiener Städtische Half Marathon Registration will close soon.
• After this, a waiting list will be set up.
• Crowd science enables marathon growth
>> Register here for VCM 2025!
We are experiencing a marathon world record year. Never before have so many people run in the top international marathons as in 2024. Berlin celebrated the biggest marathon in history at the end of September with 54,280 happy finishers. A few weeks later, the New York City Marathon went one better with 55,646 runners crossing the finish line.
The Vienna City Marathon (VCM) is part of this incredibly dynamic development. Austria's biggest active sports event has recorded an increase in registrations of up to 70 per cent for the upcoming event on 6 April 2025 compared to the same time last year. Young people in particular are enthusiastic about running and the experience of being part of an atmospheric event.
Register quickly for VCM 2025
VCM Managing Director Dominik Konrad has a clear message for sports enthusiasts: ‘Thank you to the many runners who are already taking part in the Vienna City Marathon 2025. We ask everyone else to take the opportunity now to secure a starting place, as long as the capacity is available. Registration closes much earlier than last time.’
>> Go to the VCM 2025 registration
Registration for the Wiener Städtische Half Marathon is only available for a short time. After this, a waiting list will be set up.*
The marathon competition at the VCM and the Powerade relay marathon will also not be open for registration for as long as before. In addition to the many individual runners from Austria and a total of 150 countries, interest from companies, groups of friends, travel agencies and charity organisations is very high.
Experience Hunting
‘We are in the middle of an experience hunting boom. Registration numbers are going through the roof at almost all major events. Runners are getting younger and more and more women in Europe are taking part in running events. The VCM is seeing the biggest growth among 20-30-year-olds,’ says VCM Managing Director Kathrin Widu.
These trends were also a key topic at the recently held European Running Business Conference in Athens. The VCM scores particularly well in the scene as a marathon in the world capital of classical music, with year-round activities such as training runs and winter runs, tourist landmarks along the route, the involvement of young running communities and the modern staging of musical heritage, for example in cooperation with Johann Strauss 2025 Wien and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
Growth at marathon distance possible
The VCM organisers want to actively embrace the running boom and make it sustainable. They are working on creating additional capacity so that many of the running enthusiasts can actually start. This is particularly feasible in Vienna for the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres. ‘Our goal is to strengthen the marathon race in order to reach the next level internationally over several years,’ says VCM Managing Director Dominik Konrad.
Crowd science shows the way
This is being realised in close collaboration with crowd science expert Marcel Altenburg from Manchester Metropolitan University. Altenburg is calculating the potential to give more runners the opportunity to participate based on previous runner and timing data in combination with the conditions of the Vienna course. ‘There is still room for growth on the existing marathon course in Vienna thanks to targeted changes in crowd management. More runners will be able to start than before and the density on the course will still decrease,’ says Altenburg.
His expertise is just as much in demand from the World Marathon Majors as it is from the British government. For example, Altenburg developed the access system for the immediate funeral ceremonies of Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh in September 2022.
‘With this cooperation, we want to provide a better marathon experience for more runners with increased quality,’ emphasises Kathrin Widu.
VCM Saturday becomes a highlight
The VCM Saturday is also developing very strongly. The Vienna 5K on the Ringstraße around the city centre attracts many runners. The popularity of the Coca-Cola Inclusion Run and The Daily Mile 800 | 1600 for young runners is extremely pleasing, as is the new ‘Fledermauslauf’ in cooperation with Johann Strauss 2025 Wien for the youngest runners aged 3-6. Due to the limited cut-off times and the space available in the finish area, the junior races in particular will be fully booked early.
There were a total of 42,625 registrations for all competitions at the VCM 2024, including 35,051 for the Sunday marathon, Wiener Städtische half marathon and Powerade relay marathon.
* After the current registration for the Wiener Städtische Half Marathon at the VCM 2025 will be closed, a waiting list will be set up. If reserved starting places are returned by companies, travel agencies and charity organisations, these will be passed on to runners on the waiting list.
>> Go to the VCM 2025 registration
42nd Vienna City Marathon
Sunday, 6 April 2025
• Marathon
• Wiener Städtische Half Marathon
• Powerade Relay Marathon
Saturday, 5 April 2025
• Fledermauslauf (‚Bat Run‘) (200m) - NEW for everyone from 3-6 years old
• Coca-Cola Inclusion Run
• The Daily Mile 800
• The Daily Mile 1600
• Vienna 5K - running & walking on the Ringstraße around the city centre
Friday, 4 April & Saturday, 5 April 2025
• Vienna Sports World / VCM Expo
