Before the Vienna Marathon

At 37, Peter found a new “kick” once again

Peter Herzog holds Austria's marathon record.(Bild: VCM/Jenia Symonds)

Peter Herzog had almost finished his running career. But the Salzburg native caught fire again at the Berlin Marathon last fall. Despite little training, he finished in 2:12:08 hours. "That's when I saw what was possible again," says Herzog, who is now eagerly awaiting the Vienna City Marathon.

The 37-year-old has held the Austrian record of 2:10:06 since 2020. He wants to improve on that. "I want to exploit my full performance potential," explains Herzog. "It's not this 2:10:06. Many top runners still show what's possible after 40. I still have a few good years ahead of me, which also motivates me."

In 2019, Peter Herzog was the best Austrian at the VCM.(Bild: GEPA)

At the Vienna City Marathon on April 6, however, he is not yet confident of achieving the first time of an Austrian under 2:10, as he was unable to train sufficiently in the winter. But there is no shortage of other goals. "This is the biggest running stage in Austria, I always want to be there and be the best Austrian," says Herzog, who won this title in 2019. "There's always a lot of appreciation for us athletes there, and that's something you also notice."

New approaches through his studies
Through his studies in sports science, the record holder also gained additional approaches to running: "I think more about biomechanical aspects, such as having as little braking force as possible. The great art of running is to make it look easy."

Andi Vojta is still unsure about a VCM start.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Who could challenge Herzog for the title of best Austrian on April 6? Andi Vojta is still unsure about a start. However, he will start this Sunday, March 2nd in the half marathon of the VCM winter running series, aiming for a time of around 66 minutes. It could be a sign of things to come.