On Sunday, April 19, thousands of runners will line up near the United Nations headquarters in Vienna for the start of the Vienna City Marathon. The race, now in its 42nd year, has grown into one of Europe’s most attended marathons, drawing 49,000 participants from 150 countries across all race distances this weekend. Of those, 13,000 will toe the line for the full 26.2 miles.
The Vienna City Marathon holds a special place in the running world. In October 2019, Eliud Kipchoge ran along the Prater Hauptallee — a tree-lined boulevard that forms part of the marathon course — and became the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40 during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. Runners this Sunday will pass through that same stretch of road.
The course is flat and fast. Current course records stand at 2:05:08 for men and 2:20:59 for women, and elite athletes have been invited to target both marks. The route winds through the city centre, past the Vienna State Opera and Schönbrunn Palace, before finishing on the Ringstrasse — making it one of the most scenic marathon courses in the world.
Music Is Part of the Race
Vienna has long been known as a city of music, and the marathon leans into that identity. Along the course, 65 cheering zones will keep energy levels high. But the weekend’s cultural highlight comes the day before the race.
On Saturday, April 18, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein — one of the most famous concert halls in the world — alongside 42 marathon runners selected through video applications. Among them is Aaron Gruen, the Austrian marathon record holder with a personal best of 2:09:53, who will perform on cello. The programme includes works by Strauss, Schubert, Brahms, Suppé and Lehár.
“Vienna City Marathon brings together all the elements that define the European Marathon Classics: a high-quality race course, a strong urban experience, and the integration of sport with culture. In Vienna, it is particularly evident how naturally running fits into the rhythm of the city, with music in the DNA of the race.”
— Kathrin Widu, CEO of the Vienna City Marathon
A New Series Connecting Eight European Cities
The Vienna race is the second stop in the European Marathon Classics, a new series that officially launched on February 25, 2026, at Schönbrunn Palace. The series links eight major city marathons across Europe: Rome, Vienna, London, Madrid, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Lisbon, and Frankfurt, running from March through October.
The series is gaining traction quickly. Seven weeks after opening registration, nearly 14,000 runners from 112 countries had signed up. After the first race in Rome, more than 2,300 digital coins — called e-coins — had already been credited to runners’ profiles.
To earn the “European Marathon Classics Finisher” title and a commemorative medal with collectible magnetic coins, runners need to complete five marathons across five different cities in the series. There is no time limit to finish the challenge.
Registration for the series itself is free at europeanmarathonclassics.eu, though individual race entry fees still apply. From the third quarter of 2026, runners will also be able to submit historical marathon results dating back to 1978 from European Marathon Classics courses, meaning past finishes on these routes can count toward the challenge.
