For the 20th anniversary edition of the Linz Danube Marathon on Sunday, one would wish that the Mayor of the City, Klaus Luger, really had to hurry. “After I’ve run my part in the relay competition, I have less than ten minutes between showering and then rushing to the finish line of the main race,” he presented his personal marching plan yesterday at the final press conference for the running festival. But this time he could have it a little more stressful. Alexander Kuzin’s steadfast men’s record from 2007 (2:07.33 hours) should finally be broken this year, and the organizers are leaving almost nothing to chance.
- Mass with class: The elite field over the 42.195 kilometers has never been better or broader. 14 runners and four pacemakers from five African nations are at the start. The wish given to them by the main sponsor Oberbank: to finally break Kuzin’s record. Four of this group have beaten this time in a marathon before, the Ethiopian Ayele Abshero, a longtime training partner of running legend Haile Gebrselassie, in 2:04.23 as well as Felix Chemonges from Uganda in 2:05:12, quite clearly.
- Experienced man: The top runners will be conducted behind the scenes in Linz by a very experienced running professional. With his International Sports Service Agency (ISS), the Berlin athletes manager Christoph Kopp is one of the most renowned managers of his profession, who is also responsible for the marathons in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich. “I always try to get a broad field at the start, not just three top people. When groups can form that harmonize well, the probability of hitting the mark is higher,” says Kopp. A small detail: the German always gives the starting number 7 to his personal favourite. In Linz, Othmane El Goumri from Morocco is granted this.
- Own nutrition: An upset stomach as a brake in the race due to unfamiliar European food – that can be ruled out in Linz this time. “The top runners get African dishes from the tamu sana restaurant in Linz’s Kirchengasse, even the spices come from there,” says Günther Weidlinger from the OC team. One can only hope that the record hunters will remain hungry for success until the end in Linz.
championships
The state championships in the half marathon will also be held in Linz on Sunday. The field for this is considerable and one of the largest and strongest in recent years. The Olympic starter from 2012, Andreas Vojta, is the favorite for the men. The women’s field is led by Eva Wutti, who shares Austria’s marathon record with Andrea Mayr in 2:30.43.
Source: Nachrichten
