Gunther Weidlinger: “It takes motivation to enjoy torturing yourself”

LINZ. Born in Braunau, Günther Weidlinger – he grew up in Neukirchen an der Enknach – is one of the most successful Austrian track and field athletes. The multiple champion and record holder in several disciplines. He is the only track and field athlete to have started four times at the Olympic Games – in four events (3,000 meters steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, marathon). In 2014 he ended his active sports career. He is still active in sports today: as a personal coach and sports director of the Linz Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, April 16th. The OÖN talked to him about the pressure to perform, the start of his career and how many pairs of running shoes he has worn out.

OÖN: How’s it going, Mr. Weidlinger?

Very good, I have a lot to do, professionally and with running.

They have been running for 35 years, and for some people an hour is too boring. Why not you?

For me, running means becoming one with nature, switching off from work and relaxation.

How many kilometers did you cover in your peak times per year?

About 8500 kilometers.

That’s the equivalent of how many pairs of running shoes?

Pretty much 150 pairs. When I was active, I ran about 150,000 kilometers, and you usually use one pair for every 1,000 kilometers.

You’ve been running since you were a child. Why didn’t you choose football or tennis?

I played both, including chess. I grew up with the Neukirchen Ski Club, learned to ski at the age of three, competed in races and was a student champion. I’ve done a lot. I got into running through the ski club, which had a slow-paced meeting at the time. Both for children and for adults. I soon ran along with the adults. I was probably a different kid. I always wanted to run. I was good at it and I enjoyed it.

Who noticed that you are particularly fast?

My parents, they saw me running every day. And the then ski club chairman, Karl Löcker, who then asked if I would like to represent the club at the Braunau city run. I won right away in my age group – I was ten at the time.

Your father trained you all these years. How did he know how to do that? It’s a complex matter…

Learning by doing. He started from scratch, listened to lectures, read books and that’s how he worked his way into the whole thing. He always had to be one step ahead of me and my performance.

So also a top performance of the father.

Absolutely yes. Together we made it to the top.

They are still record holders in some areas. Do you wish for your records to be broken?

Yes. The marathon record was broken twice and I was the first to congratulate each time. I already wrote a WhatsApp to Peter Herzog before he crossed the finish line in London. That was foreseeable. I don’t cling to my records, even on the sub-distances, from 1500 meters to a half marathon, I would be happy if they were broken.

Why is it that hardly anyone sets out to pursue a professional running career?

Running is a world sport. It’s a cheap sport, so many people run as a hobby. Running, if you want to do it professionally, is very strenuous. There is no team in the background, you are often alone. It takes motivation to go out every day and enjoy torturing yourself. I’ve always liked doing that. I still like to torture myself in sports. And I think a lot of people miss that. That huge amount of money cannot be earned in running. There are many factors that come together. But there are always talents that need to be properly encouraged.

You’ve also had to take a lot of criticism. How did you stand it?

My family encouraged me, especially my mom. It was she who kept saying, get up and carry on. And that was my motto: you can fall down, you just have to get up one more time. I clung to that, even though the burden was too great the year I quit. That was one of the reasons why I ended my career. You only get paid for what you do in the business. If you don’t perform once, you’re worth less in the next race. And that’s on everyone’s mind, at the latest when there are injuries. You worry about whether you can still earn money to be able to afford the sport. It’s a huge mental burden.

The balancing act between too much and too little weight also seems difficult. The German runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen is always associated with anorexia debate. A balancing act?

Yes. Every extra kilo I have feels like three kilos with every step. If you do the math: 30,000 steps times three, that’s 90,000 kilos that I have to absorb more.

You weighed 54 kilos when you were a pro.

My problem was having to eat a lot to maintain my weight. I ran 200 to 230 kilometers a week – that wastes a lot of energy. I’ve never had a weight problem, one way or the other. My weight as an obstacle runner was 53.5 kilos, in the marathon I was a bit heavier because I needed more energy, more substance.

You coach your son’s football team.

I’m not the official coach, just dad who trains the kids in the uncool things: running, sprinting, everything without a ball. My school league coach said to me: “Günther, if you have the ball, play it, because you can’t do anything with the ball.” He was right. (laughs)

The Linzmarathon is on April 16th. Do you still take part in competitions yourself?

No. From time to time I accompany other runners as a coach. Sometimes I then hear others say: “I overtook the Weidlinger!” That’s always very funny.

• the 21st Oberbank Linz Danube Marathon, which OÖN is co-organizing, will take place on Sunday, April 16th. Online registration is possible until Friday, March 24th, after that late registration. All further information on the Internet linzmarathon.at.