Pure running fun at the Junior Marathon 2023 in Linz

Finally on Saturday the time had come: The junior marathon of the Linz Marathon could take place in the Lissfeld sports park. As usual, the junior runners focused on fun, sportsmanship and the joy of movement.

Normally the junior marathon, which is presented by the OÖN, takes place on the Saturday before the Linz marathon. However, due to the bad weather, the event was postponed to this Saturday. Tanja Eckerstorfer found the right decision: “The weather is perfect today, thank God it was postponed,” says the mother, who came to the run with her children.

• To the result lists

The coveted medals

To the thunderous applause of parents, siblings, grandparents and friends, the young athletes were able to burn off steam on the race track. The youngest runners were born in 2020, the oldest in 2006. There was no rating for the little ones, the older ones ran in competition. “The junior marathon is a very special day. When you see how enthusiastic the children are here, your heart just melts,” said Linz Mayor Klaus Luger (SP).

The highlight for many of the young participants is of course the medal, which is available to everyone. “I’ll hang them up in my room,” revealed Elias Halkic shortly before his run. “I’ll take her to play,” said his friend Fabio Geroltinger. They also did the training together: “We prepared by playing together yesterday,” explained Fabio.

As befits a major sporting event, there was also an accompanying entertainment program on the stage with music and animation. The junior marathon with its relaxed atmosphere is a good opportunity to get the children excited about the sport, said Thomas Thaler: “We want to move together with the children. We do test runs a week beforehand, and they are already very enthusiastic.” Thaler’s daughter Lea was a bit exhausted shortly after her run. “Good” she liked it. The answer to the question of whether she has trained a lot: a shy nod.

Andrea Kastenhofer came from Enns to cheer on her grandchildren Jonas and Fabian. “I’m a sports enthusiast myself and I want the boys to run too. When they’re with me we always play football. Today they’re really excited,” she says.