Senior Women's winner Andrea Mayr (Austria) - WMRA Trophy 2008 (© Pete Hartley)
Austria’s most successful long distance runner of recent years will step up the distance: Günther Weidlinger will run his marathon debut at the 26th Vienna City Marathon on 19 April 2009. In the women’s race, reigning World Mountain Running champion Andrea Mayr will also be a notable debutant.
The Vienna City Marathon is an IAAF Silver Label road race.
Weidlinger, a former world class steeplechaser will prepare very seriously for his marathon debut, having started his build-up at the end of September. While the 30-year-old will choose a careful approach in his first race at the classic distance of 42.195 k Weidlinger might still end up breaking a record. The national marathon record stands at 2:12:22, which is the time he hopes to improve.
It was back in 1986, when Gerhard Hartmann established the record in Vienna. At that time Günther Weidlinger was just eight years old.
Weidlinger so far is the holder of a number of Austrian records at 1500m (3:34.69 minutes), 3000m (Indoors: 7:44.19), 3000m steeplechase (8:10.83), 5000m (13:13.44), 10,000m (27:36.46), 10k road (28:10) and half marathon (61:42). So the one major record missing in Weidlinger’s impressive portfolio is the marathon.
“The conditions in Vienna are best for me and my debut race. Additionally the organisers of the Vienna City Marathon support me during my preparations for the race and of course it is very tempting to go for the national record in the race where it was once established,” said Weidlinger, who had placed eighth in the Olympic steeplechase final in 2000.
“We are very happy that Günther has decided in favour of the Vienna City Marathon. It is the right step for him, for our race and for the sport of running in Austria,” said Race Director Wolfgang Konrad, who has already signed Weidlinger for 2010 as well. “I will first plan to run a second marathon in autumn. With the experience of the two races I then intend to run much faster in Vienna in 2010,” said Günther Weidlinger.
The women’s field will also boost a national debutant, who has been successful at other events in the past: Andrea Mayr has been among the world’s leading mountain runners in recent years. She was the winner of the World Trophy in 2006 and 2008.
Mayr, 29, is the national record holder in the steeplechase (9:47.61).
“I have often watched the Vienna City Marathon as a spectator and the atmosphere was always fascinating. I am really looking forward to run my debut here”, said Andrea Mayr, who has a half marathon best of 1:12:47.
Besides the signings of the two Austrian runners organisers of the Vienna City Marathon also announced the start of their ‘Clean Running Campaign’. Any runner – even if not a participant in the Vienna race – can support this by signing in on the web page and committing themselves to fair play in the sport as well as anti doping.
So far already more than 1,500 athletes have supported Vienna’s ‘Clean Running Campaign’, which also stresses the health bonus and the social benefits of running. Athletes who have signed in and will run the Vienna City Marathon will get a yellow sun on their bib number to make their commitment visible.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
