Amazing crowds and cheers turn Vienna into a running festival area

Tigist Gezahagn won the Vienna City Marathon with a course record and a personal best of 2:20:06. This is a phenomenal achievement by the 26 year-old Ethiopian, who is visually impaired and won the Paralympics 1,500 m title in 2021 and 2024. Gezahagn battled with fellow-Ethiopian Haftamnesh Tesfaye and moved clear just a few hundred metres from the finish line. Tesfaye took second in a strong marathon comeback, tieing her seven year-old personal best with 2:20:18. Kenyan Hellen Chepkorir followed in third with 2:23:48.

There was a surprise in the men’s race. In fine but increasingly warm weather conditions Fanny Kiprotich of Kenya won the race with 2:06:53, improving his personal best by more than four minutes. Pre-race favourite Oqbe Kibrom of Eritrea had to settle for second with 2:08:11 while Kenya’s Charles Mneria was third in 2:08:43.

Andreas Vojta was the fastest Austrian runner in ninth place with 2:15:07 while Eva Wutti was the fastest national woman. She finished 10th with 2:42:37.

The Vienna City Marathon, part of the European Marathon Classics, was staged for the 43rd time. Organisers registered a record number of 12,995 entries for the Vienna City Marathon, which is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. Adding other running events staged parallel during the weekend there was a total of 49,379 athletes from 150 countries - the highest ever in the history of Austria’s major running event.

There was a major upset early in the race for the Austrian spectators hoping to see a national record. Aaron Gruen, who surprisingly ran a national best of 2:09:53 last year in the US, suddenly stopped running and dropped out before the half way mark. 

“Of course I’m pretty disappointed, but I also know that’s part of the marathon. You can plan everything except the marathon itself. My legs just weren’t there, I lost my focus — it simply wasn’t my day. But Vienna will be back next year. I’m very grateful to everyone who was there and cheered me on — that really motivated me. And I’m already looking forward to what comes next” he said afterwards.

The leading group was already well past that mark with a split time of 63:06. While the pace was no longer fast enough with regard to the 2:05:08 course record and the two pacemakers dropped out after 25k four runners were fighting for victory: Fanny Kiprotich, Oqbe Kibrom, who was the fastest in the field with a PB of 2:05:37, Charles Mneria and Ethiopia’s Tafese Delegen.

At around 28k Fanny Kiprotich, who was the underdog in the leading group, moved ahead. Only Oqbe Kibrom was able to close the gap and the two then passed 30k in 1:30:14. When Kiprotich made a second surge with around ten kilometres to go he built a decisive lead. “I was confident, because I was well prepared. My training was very good. I hope to improve significantly again in my next race,“ said the 24 year-old Kiprotich, who is still a newcomer to international road running. The Kenyan had only run one marathon before: He won in Tallin last year with 2:11:21.

In the women’s race Tigist Gezahagn and Haftamnesh Tesfaye moved away from the field soon after the start. When the Ethiopian pair passed the 10k mark in 33:30 they were already 39 seconds ahead of the second group. In contrast to the men they were still outside of the 2:20:59 course record in the first part of the race. But running behind a pacemaker Gezahagn and Tesfaye then increased the pace. After a 70:24 half marathon split there was a scare for Tesfaye, who returned from maternity leave and ran her first marathon since 2020, when she caught the heel of Gezahagn and fell at a U-turn shortly before the 30 k mark. But she got up immediately and closed the gap quickly. “At around 41k I though I should now push the pace,“ said Tigist Gezahagn, who then opened a small gap on Tesfaye. That grew decisively with around 500 metres to go. “This is a huge victory for me, the atmosphere along the course was great. The warm temperatures did not bother me, but there was some wind,“ said Tigist Gezahagn.

Lisa Redlinger breaks Austrian record in Vienna 5k

The Vienna City Marathon weekend started in style on Saturday: Lisa Redlinger took the women’s race of the Vienna 5k and stormed across the finish line with an Austrian record. The 23 year-old clocked 15:34 and improved the mark of Carina Reicht by six seconds.

“This is an unbelievable moment for me. I have broken some under 23 marks in the past, but this is the first major Austrian record,“ said Lisa Redlinger, who was well inside the qualifying time for the Road Running World Championships in September in Copenhagen. “I was targeting the qualifying time, but I never thought about the Austrian record.“ Her winning time of 15:34 is the second fastest ever run in this race behind the 15:32 of the European 10k record holder Klara Lukan of Slovenia, who won here three years ago.

Second-placed Austrian youngster Cordula Lassacher ran a fine personal best of 15:57. Linda Meier of Germany was third with 16:15. There was a home win in the men’s race as well: Austria’s Tobias Rattinger crossed the line in 14:21. Bence Acsadi of Hungary was runner-up with 14:32 and Austrian Peter Luftensteiner took third in 14:36.

Results, Men:
1. Fanny Kiprotich  KEN 2:06:53
2. Oqbe Kibrom  ERI 2:08:10
3. Charles Mneria  KEN 2:08:42
4. Samwel Kiptoo  KEN 2:09:03
5. Simon Mwangi  KEN 2:09:05
6. Tafese Delegen  ETH 2:09:55
7. Mica Cheserek  KEN 2:12:15
8. Adam Lomb HUN 2:12:48
9. Andreas Vojta (AUT) 2:15:07 
10. Levente Szemerei (HUN) 2:24:40 

Women:
1. Tigist Gezahagn ETH 2:20:06
2. Haftamnesh Tesfaye  ETH 2:20:18
3. Hellen Chepkorir  KEN 2:23:48
4. Faith Chepkoech  KEN 2:28:10
5. Tegest Ymer  ETH 2:28:15
6. Mary Granja  ECU 2:28:29
7. Lindsay Flanagan  USA 2:28:34
8. Vaida Zusinaite LTU 2:35:29
9.    Aiwa Sakaguchi (JPN) - 2:37:12
10.    Eva Wutti (AUT, Club RunAustria) - 2:42:37