LINZ. Ready, steady, go: the country’s largest mass sports event is celebrating its anniversary this weekend. At the 20th Oberbank Linz Donau Marathon, which this year bears the subtitle “Festival of Joy of Movement”, more than 10,000 active participants will be on their feet in all competitions. In terms of sport, the focus tomorrow will be on chasing the 15-year-old course record of the Ukrainian Alexander Kuzin, who ran the classic distance over 42.195 kilometers in 2:07:33 hours in 2007. Everything you need to know about the 20th marathon weekend, listed in 20 footnotes:

1 The child’s play: The “prologue” to the marathon takes place today in the Lissfeld sports park. The ÖGK Junior Marathon is not about a best time, the Olympic motto “Being there is everything” counts. The little ones (from the age of three) run 60 metres, while the teenagers (distance length: 2100 metres) set a sporty, ambitious pace. In contrast to the other running competitions, there is no longer an option for late entries in the junior marathon, the running competitions have long been fully booked.

2 The record hunt: The men’s elite field at tomorrow’s marathon is stronger than ever with 14 top people from Africa and four pacemakers. The Ethiopian Ayele Abshero has the fastest time on his business card with 2:04:23 hours. Filex Chemonges (Uganda/2:05:12), second in 2019, knows the Linz route very well. A handsome prize of 10,000 euros is offered for a record.

• Linz Marathon: New course record as a big goal

3 title hunt: Tomorrow’s half marathon is about the Austrian state championship title. For the men, Andreas Vojta from Vienna is the favourite, for the women a duel between ex-triathlete Eva Wutti (SU Styria) and Sandrina Illes (Union St. Pölten) is expected. But there could be a third one. Julia Mayer, current Olympic hope for Paris 2024, wants to decide today whether to start in Linz.

4 home advantage: As one of the favorites in the half marathon competition, Kenyan Isaac Kosgei (TGW Zehnkampf Union), who has been married in Linz for years and celebrated victory over the 21.2 kilometers in the state capital in 2016, enjoys it. Leyla Reshed (LCAV Jodl Packaging) from Pinsdorf also has a chance of winning a medal.

5 Olympic Heroes: Olympic-level athletes are represented at the handbike half-marathon. Paralympic champion Walter Ablinger (2 x gold, 2 x silver, 1 x bronze) is at the start in Linz for the 15th time, para-triathlete Florian Brungraber, who won silver in Tokyo, is the hunted as last year’s winner.

6 flots of sponsors: The top sponsors of the marathon are well represented in the starting field with large company teams. Oberbank General Manager Franz Gasselsberger is running the half marathon again, Linz Mayor Klaus Luger and Deputy Mayor Karin Hörzing want to enjoy the marathon flair of the state capital in a relay.

7 Green Perspective: In the medium term, the Linz Marathon is aiming for certification as a “Green Event”. The first steps are finisher shirts made from recycled material or the increased use of regional companies. Mobility partner Hyundai uses a fleet of cars with electric drives.

8th Thank you for the flowers: Marathon sponsor Oberbank creates one square meter of flowering area for each entry. A 10,000 square meter flower meadow is created as a “buffet” for bees.

9 Last call: Last-minute decision-makers still have the opportunity to enter a competition at the marathon fair in the Tips Arena (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

10 The marathon explainer: He is known as an eloquent analyst on the political stage, on Sunday Peter Filzmaier will demonstrate his expertise as a running expert as a TV expert. ORF Sport+ will be there live from 9.15 a.m., in addition to Filzmaier, the former top runner Christian Pflügl (two-time national marathon champion) is a second “career changer” as a sports reporter behind the ORF microphone.

11 The absent one: After his victory in 2007, Linz record holder Alexander Kuzin returned to Linz again and again as a relay runner or as a supervisor of a running group he had coached. As a sports soldier, he experiences a nightmare in the Ukraine war. His wife fled to Germany with their two children, Kuzin had to celebrate his 48th birthday yesterday in the Ukraine without a family.

12 The helping hands: Without them nothing would work in Linz. Over 400 volunteers work behind the scenes to make the event a success. Whether for filling the starter bags, handing out the starting numbers or looking after the refreshment stations and relay changeover areas as well as the smooth running of the finish – the supporters are in action everywhere in important functions.

13 Golden Runner: They are already part of the inventory at the Linz Marathon. Heinrich Pilch, Heinz Jagemann, Ewald Eder, Klaus Nöckler, Alois Grillneder and Wolfgang Tronegger have so far completed all 19 editions over the full distance. And this time they are at the start again. “In contrast to many of my colleagues, I didn’t become dogged, I’m primarily concerned with getting through,” reveals Pilch from Linz, one of the secrets of success.

14 Young and old: Running knows no age limit, and Linz is proof of that once again. Hermann Schade, who contests the quarter marathon on Sunday, was born around 1940. Four participants in the marathon competition are 69 years old. Lukas Kaindlbinder contests the half marathon at the age of nine.

15 jock: Hardly anyone in Sunday’s starting field can imagine Markus Lemp’s sporting workload in recent weeks. The runner from LC Sicking proves that as an athlete you can dance at many weddings. Not only that this year he was able to win the Traunsee mountain marathon over 63 kilometers and 4500 meters in altitude, last week he finished third in the classic Wolfgangsee run over 27 kilometers. To top it off, he and his brother Alexander also won the two-man competition with his brother Alexander in the extreme cycling race “Race around Austria” in the summer, and a few weeks ago gold in rowing with the lightweight four-man race at the state championships.

16 endurance runner: A special runner is also Herbert Orlinger. This year he ran his 218th marathon in Paris. Tomorrow he will also be part of the game again in his hometown. Orlinger has been around the world: from Boston to Madeira, from Loch Ness to Oman. The northernmost marathon was in Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle, the southernmost in Adelaide in South Africa, the westernmost of Big Sur on Highway No. 1 in California, the easternmost in Tokyo. Orlinger is no lightweight. He is 186 cm tall and weighs 98 kg. Since suffering from whooping cough in childhood, his lung function is only 71 percent, and he is also allergic.

17 Running makes school: The daily gymnastics lesson is still in limbo, how moving the sport can be, as shown on Saturday and Sunday by 793 students from Upper Austria and many teachers.

18 Green Wave: Unmistakably, as they are wearing a green running shirt, by far the largest private team will be at the marathon again this year. The Mühlviertler Hotel Guglwald has again mobilized more than a thousand runners.

19 God’s blessing: You can get this on the evening before the race at a specially designed service in Linz’s Ursulinenkirche. Michael Münzner, who has been an enthusiastic marathon runner himself for years, will lead the celebration.

20 After the marathon is before the marathon: Next year, the running festival will move back to the spring date: the 21st edition will take place on April 16, 2023. The organization team won’t get any respite after tomorrow’s finish. It’s good that the worker bees in the marathon office also have a lot of staying power.

marathons | program

today
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Marathon fair in the Tips Arena with the option of late entries and a pacemaker presentation (1 p.m.)
12 p.m.: OGK junior marathon in the LIVA-Sportpark Lissfeld
6 p.m.: Marathon Mass in the Ursulinenkirche in Linz
8 p.m.: Sport meets culture: Macy Gray concert in the Posthof Linz (tickets still available)

Sunday
7 a.m.: Drop off your clothes bag in the Brucknerhaus
8am: Ascendor Handbike Marathon
8.02 a.m.: Fischer Brot inline skating half marathon
8.30 a.m.: Linz AG quarter marathon
9.30 a.m.: Oberbank Marathon, Borealis Half Marathon, Hyundai Relay Marathon (all starts on the Voest Bridge)
10 a.m.: Awards ceremony on the main square
3.30 p.m.: finish time (end of all running competitions) until 5 p.m.: collection of clothing bags in the Brucknerhaus