"It was the greatest time"

Olympic starter and ex-record holder ends his career

Peter Herzog during his victory at the Salzburg Marathon 2024.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Peter Herzog started running marathons around ten years ago. The former Austrian record holder announced the end of his career on Friday and explained in his Instagram post what prompted him to take this step. 

"It hurts a little - my time in which I subordinated everything to running has come to an end!" So begins a post by Peter Herzog on Instagram. The Saalfelden native announced the end of his career on Friday morning. It has been an incredible journey. "The point has come where a healthy balance between training and family life with two small children is no longer possible for me," the 38-year-old continued. He was finding it increasingly difficult to meet his demands. 

A detour to the marathon
In the end, the lightness was missing, although the love for running remained, according to Herzog, who only became a marathon runner in a roundabout way. After attending the main ski school in Saalfelden, his path first led him to artistic cycling and triathlon. His dream of a triathlon was dashed due to his lack of swimming strength. So he started with the marathon distance. 

Peter Herzog with his coach Hannes Langer.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

After making a lot of progress under Peter Bründl, he was trained by Johannes Langer from 2019. Under his wing, Herzog achieved a great moment in 2020. He set a new Austrian record at the London Marathon with a time of 2:10:06 hours. Aaron Gruen broke this record at the McKirdy Marathon in the USA on March 30, 2025 in a time of 2:09:53 hours. 

Peter Herzog after his record-breaking run in the London Marathon.(Bild: EPA/Richard Heathcote / POOL)

The Saalfelden native took part in the 2021 Olympic Games.(Bild: EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA)

The man from Pinzgau took part in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. However, the months and years since then have often not gone according to plan. Time and again, the Saalfelden native was slowed down by illness or injury. 

"Incredible encounters"
"I started running at the age of 28 without any competitive ambitions and was able to achieve performances that I could never have imagined," writes the father of two in his post. The past ten years have been much more than just training or chasing times - "stories, incredible encounters and friendships have developed," explains Herzog. He concludes by emphasizing: "It was the greatest time of my life!"