Christoph Stadlbauer is the first winner of the 21st Linz Marathon

The first decision at the 21st Oberbank Linz Donau Marathon has been made. Traditionally, the handbikers had the right of way, who not only had to deal with the selective route, but also with adverse conditions.

It was unusually fresh for mid-April, and rain (at least only intermittently and by no means as intense as on Friday) became a disruptive factor. Christoph Stadlbauer was unimpressed by this.

The athlete from Aigen-Schlägl was in a class of his own and triumphed in a time of 35:56 minutes. He was 46 seconds faster than Helmut Jost. Third was Gerhard Hochmayr.

“My goal is the 2024 Paralympics in Paris,” says Stadlbauer, who is in a wheelchair after a traffic accident in 2004. The Mühlviertler is a tireless fighter.

His motto is: “Everything crappy in life has its good side again. You can either give up – then you’ll become a complete idiot – or you can accept your fate and fight.”

Behind the trio, Paralympics champion Walter Ablinger and OÖN sports director Christoph Zöpfl, who had meticulously prepared for this challenge, formed a brilliantly coordinated car pool that pushed each other from start to finish. Zöpfl finished fourth in 49:49 minutes, Ablinger fifth a second behind.

Defending champion Florian Brungraber was absent this time.

In the women’s ranking, Cornelia Wibmer was in a class of her own with a time of 41:26 minutes.

Anna Petutschnigg and Alexander Farthofer are the fastest skaters

The Fischer Brot inline skating half marathon has also been decided. Anna Petutschnigg beat the competition by almost five minutes in 41:11. Ivona Matkovic was second, Lina Oberschneider third.

In the men’s race, Alexander Farthofer had the upper hand in 40:43 minutes, exactly 23 seconds ahead of Manuel Vogl. Bronze went to Mathieu Grandgirard.