At 12:10 a.m. the alarm clock rang for OC boss Günther Weidlinger on the Linz marathon Sunday. But the day after, the former top runner and his team were still busy working on the 20th anniversary edition. He spoke to OÖN about why he rejects comparisons with Vienna despite Fikre Bekele’s men’s record time (2:06:13) and welcomes the return of the race in April.
OÖN: Did you sleep well today because of the record or did you dream again of the moment of shock at the turning point?
Weidlingers: Thank you, I slept very well because it was a really successful day. We got great feedback from a lot of runners, the weather was great at first, apart from the fog, and many people achieved personal bests. The record was the icing on the cake, but it’s important to me that we’re not just judged by that. Thanks to our main sponsor Oberbank, we had great opportunities, a homogeneous field, everyone wanted to break this mark, and in Christoph Kopp there was an experienced man for the elite field, who pulled the strings in the background.
How much did the almost faux pas at the turning point on Unionstraße hurt you, where the leading group almost turned around at the wrong place, but you removed the tape at the last second?
I looked at the spot again this morning myself, it matched the centimeter where I opened it, because this point is also clearly marked there. Rainer Soos, the official route surveyor, already confirmed on Sunday that everything was correct. I’m not assigning any blame either, we first have to find out how that could have happened.
When it comes to the number of participants in the domestic city marathons, Vienna is number one, so how happy are you when you have the faster winning time this year?
I don’t waste a second on it. First of all, I don’t see Vienna as a competitor, but as a partner, we’re all in the same boat, we have a good exchange and we value each other. Conversely, I don’t begrudge Vienna or any other marathon if it works out with a good time.
Now the marathon is moving from autumn back to spring. Is this the more ideal date?
In any case, because especially in the summer, during the holiday season, a lot of things are more difficult in terms of organization, but training also goes better for many at a different time of the year. We already had a 20 percent increase in the number of participants this year compared to 2021. And I think there could be even more in April 2023, because many people certainly got a taste on Sunday.
Will the attack on the existing women’s record then take place?
We have to let this edition sink in first. Of course I have a few things in mind that I would like to implement. But it would be too early to talk about that.
appointment in spring
Registration possible: After the marathon is before the next marathon, this also applies to Linz. The now 21st edition is back on the traditional spring date, this time on April 16, 2023. Registration is already open.
Fastest time: What remains from last Sunday is, in addition to a positive response from many starters, the fact that the record of 2:06:13 hours run by Fikre Bekele is also the fastest time achieved this year at a marathon in Austria. For comparison: In Vienna, winner Cosmas Muteti ran 2:06:53, in Graz George Onyncha won in 2:09:28, Mario Bauernfeind triumphed in Salzburg in 2:22:26, and in the Wachau the winning time was 2:41 :40.
Source: Nachrichten
