Vienna City Marathon Race #2

Vienna, Austria
Sunday April 12, 2015
Time:     4:23:12
Overall Place 4312/5966

 It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since we did our first race in Bratislava and here we are again driving down the same hi-way heading to race number two in Vienna, Austria. 

 

 

We spent a very relaxing two weeks at our friends the Demants, doing some sightseeing in the surrounding area of Bavaria, the southern part of Germany.  Some might say driving on the autobahn at 160kms per hour being passed by cars doing 240 Kms is not relaxing, but I quite enjoyed it.  There was a lot to see and do where we were staying, but the greatest enjoyment was just spending quiet time playing games or watching TV in German of which I understood very little.  Thankfully there was no shortage of translators.  I managed to get in a few runs just to keep loose.
So off we were on Friday, April 10 to Vienna, Austria relying on our GPS named Sophie to get us to our destination.  Sophie has guided us for the last nine years or so, on our European trips so she has almost become like family.  Sometimes she gets a little confused. After all she is quite old in GPS years. 

One more mention about the German autobahn that can be a little frustrating is the way the trucks control the road.  German laws prohibit trucks from going over 90 Kms per hour and traveling in the left lanes.  Well you guessed it, if one truck passes another, it is usually about two Kms faster than the truck they are passing and it takes about five minutes for them to do it.  They usually also pull out just before you get there so you have no choice but to wait.  We asked our friends the first time we came to Germany how long it takes to get from one place to another.  The answer given was, I don’t know.  It depends on the traffic and other variables so there is no answer.  We learned never to ask that question again and just allow enough time to get to our destination.  It took us a lot longer to get to Vienna then it should have.

We arrived in Vienna with the hustle and bustle of a big city and followed Sophie to our hotel which we eventually found.  We also located a parking garage close by and just parked the car for the weekend.  In Vienna it is easier to take the subway then to drive everywhere.   

 

 

The race expo was some distance away so we needed the subway to get there.  We went to the expo on both Friday and Saturday.  It was a nice size expo with lots of interesting exhibitors.  This expo was much better then Bratislava which was almost nonexistent.

Saturday we also took in what they called the Friendship Party which was the prerace meal of typical Austrian Kaiserschmarn (pancakes) or classical Pasta Napolitana. 

 

 

 

It was held at the Town Hall (Rathaus) which was an amazing building.  They had the introductions of the nations and a little dancing to the classical music which filled the banquet hall. 

 

This is David Holmen a fellow Marathon Maniac who was running his 269th marathon.

 

I had the opportunity to spend a little time getting to know a fellow runner from the US and learned a lot about running multiple marathons.  After spending a few hours at the party we headed back to the hotel but not before witnessing an event which preceded the next day’s races. 

 

 

They run two races for ages 6-10, a 2.0 KM distance and 10-18 a 4.2 KM distance.  There must have been about 10,000 children taking part in these two events. 

The evening before a race is traditionally prep time when we lay out everything for the race.  I have done races in the past where I have forgotten up to three things so it’s better to err on the side of caution and prepare everything the night before.

Just outside our hotel room before we left for the race.

The Vienna City Marathon had a 9:00 a.m. start so we set two of our devices to wake us up.  I like to get up about three hours before the race so that I can eat, stretch, get dressed and allow the bodily functions to take their course.  We got up at 6:00 and by 7:15 we headed out the door to grab the subway to the start line.  It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go as we just followed the masses.  We got to the marshalling area and waited for a while before going to the starting block.  On the subway we met some people from Germany.  We met another runner and it turned out he had been the skip for the German curling team.  He had been to Winnipeg and Regina twice for the world championships.  It’s amazing the people you meet along the way.

This race was neat because Heidi and I got to line up at the starting line since they ran the half and the full marathon together.  The start began to a beautiful Vienna Waltz and we were off running across the beautiful Blue Danube, literally.  I ran with Heidi for the first mile and a half.  Heidi was a little above her pace and I was a little bit below so after a nice warmup we parted ways.  The next time we met was at the finish line.  The course wound its way through the streets of Vienna alongside the stately white clean buildings.  There were a lot of people along the sidelines cheering us on but unfortunately we didn’t know anyone.  If you to ask me to retrace the course a second time, I could never do it.  Everything becomes just a blur.  Running amongst so many people makes it very hard to really take in the details of the course. 

The program states that refreshment will be passed out every five kilometers and by North American standards, this is a long distance.  In North America the stations are usually about two miles apart so in Europe you have to be careful to take on enough fluids so as not to dehydrate.  Our stations in Vienna were well maintained and supported, so no problem there.  I learned something important in this race though.  When you come to a station, don’t go for the first table.  It seems that’s what everyone does and that is where the least amount of drinks are.  Better to go for the middle to the end.  I usually take my walk breaks at the same time so I’m ready to go by the time the water station is past.  The other thing about taking on fluids is that you need to learn how much fluid your body requires.  It is very easy to over hydrate so it takes a bit of discovery to find that balance between dehydrating and over hydrating.  Nothing like running down the road with an over full stomach, it’s not comfortable.

I felt good through most of the race and maintained a fairly consistent pace until about mile 24 when I started to suffer and had to walk just a bit more.  Around 700 meters from the end of the race I had a great experience.  At this point of the race they have a race announcer just before you round the corner to go down the finishing straight to the finish line.  The announcer could see me coming and announced “here comes a runner from Canada” and he proceeded to run beside me with a mic.  He asked my name and what province I came from.  I told him my name and said Manitoba, all the while we were both running.  It was quite exhilarating.  They were again playing Strauss music over the loud speakers.  It sent chills down my spine. 

 

 

Just at the bend before the finishing straight I spotted Heidi ready with camera in hand, and I posed for my finishing smile (if you want to call it that). 

 



Proud to wear my Canada shirt

 

I really have to work on that smile.  It just doesn’t look that good after 26 miles.

Coming across the finishing line is always emotional and I don’t think that will ever change no matter how many marathons I run.  I know that someday I won’t be able to do this, this is not the day.  I know that some of you may wonder, wow that doesn’t seem so hard the way I have described the race.  Running a marathon is always hard and you suffer.  The question is not will you suffer, but when.

 

 

I don't usually eat after a race but I was unusually hungry.

After the race we headed back to the hotel, showered, packed up, and drove back to Germany.  It was a beautiful relaxing drive as we didn’t have to contend with any trucks. Trucks are not allowed to drive in on Sundays until 10:00 pm.  This allowed me to cruise home at about 160Kms and I even managed to get it up to 182Kms.  This is usually when Heidi prays the most.

It was a great vacation and two very enjoyable marathons.  I can’t wait till the next one in four weeks.