42 kilometers between Reichsbrücke and Burgtheater on Sunday, April 6th. Five kilometers on the ring road around the city center on Saturday, April 5, plus the 115,000 m2 target area between Burgtheater and Rathaus: If in 6 days to the first 45,000 registered participants at the Vienna City Marathon, Vienna will be perfectly prepared. As the largest active sports event, the VCM integrates seamlessly into public space and takes into account the existing urban structures. This event is implemented in its 42nd edition this year – including the world record attempt in waltz dancing without complex construction work or soil seals.
Estimated 400,000 spectators line the route and ensure an impressive atmosphere. 50 cheering zones with bands, drummer groups and music hotspots accompany the thousands of runners on their way through the city. In three public viewing areas – at the opera, on parliament and in the target area – the racing events can be followed live. Beverage stations, relay transfers, stages, video screens and more route activities than ever: The Marathon will transform Vienna into a connecting sports and party zone for young and old next weekend.
A coordination marathon behind the scenes
Around 2,500 people contribute to the success of the event with their use in various areas such as the start number edition, catering or cloakroom transport. The structure for Austria’s largest running event begins on Monday, March 31, at 6:00 a.m. “Over 900 people from approx. 100 different suppliers are employed in the marathon week alone with the assembly and dismantling work of 150 tons of material. Over 20 kilometers of shut-off grids are built to secure the participants and spectators,” reports Head of Production Florian Holecek. In the following days, 80 pagoda tents and tent halls are built up and hundreds of detailed logistics measures are coordinated.
Also on Monday, not only the construction work for the largest sports and leisure fair – Vienna Sports World – but also the delivery of materials for catering stations and technical equipment of the event starts. By Thursday, 3,500 traffic signs, hundreds of heuriger sets and 192,000 safety needles for the start numbers will also be delivered.
The structure of the large LED walls and the Powerade Tower, which begins on Wednesday in front of the marathon, is particularly spectacular. With its viewing platform, the tower offers an impressive view of the finish. Another organizational highlight is the provision of 40 mobile showerplaces directly in the finish area so that the runners can refresh themselves after the race. From Thursday, the fine grinding for the big event begins: the last technical tests are carried out, the barriers are finalized and the entire target area brought to a high gloss. The last large dress rehearsal for the time measurement and route protection also ensures that everything works smoothly on the race day.
On Friday evening, the impressive target goal will be positioned exactly on the finish line. The work on it lasts for night hours to be finished on time for race day.
Go for the marathon weekend
The Vienna Sports World, Austria’s largest sports and leisure fair in the Marx Halle, will then be the start of the marathon weekend on Friday, April 4th. It offers a large selection of exhibitors from the areas of sports, tourism, clothing, nutrition and leisure: versatile program with a medical center for health checks, a meeting point for running docs and ambassadors as well as the Boombox Runners as a special highlight on around 8,000 m². The start number edition is supported at 45 terminals from 120 students and 5 teachers of the Vienna Business School Mödling. Thanks to extended opening times from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both days, visitors enjoy maximum flexibility. Admission is free.
You can find more information here
OTS original text press release with the exclusive in terms of content of the sender – www.ots.at | VCM