Vienna City Marathon

LIVE: First Winners at the 2026 Vienna City Marathon

Fanny Kiprotich won the 43rd Vienna City Marathon in 2:06:53.(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Fanny Kiprotich won the 43rd Vienna City Marathon in 2:06:53. The 24-year-old Kenyan won Sunday’s 42.195-km race by a comfortable margin, but fell well short of the Vienna record of 2:05:08 despite good weather conditions after running long stretches alone. ÖLV record holder Aaron Gruen had to drop out shortly before the half-marathon mark. In the women’s race, Ethiopian Tigist Gezahagn set a new Vienna record with a time of 2:20:06.

Gezahagn beat the four-year-old VCM record set by Kenyan Vibian Chepkirui (2:20:59) and relegated her compatriot Tesfaye Haftamnesh to second place by twelve seconds. The winner is visually impaired; Gezahagn has already won gold twice in the 1,500 m at the Paralympics (2020, 2024). She thanked God, her pacer, and the crowd for the “great atmosphere.” In the men’s race, Oqbe Kibrom of Eritrea (2:08:10), considered one of the favorites, was defeated by Kiprotich. Charles Mneria of Kenya (2:08:42) finished third.

Kiprotich had traveled to Vienna with a personal best of 2:11:21 for only his second marathon ever. Once again, the race was decided in the Prater. The comparatively muscular athlete first broke away from the leading pack together with Kibrom at a aid station on Hauptallee and shortly thereafter, around the 32-kilometer mark, left even the top favorites behind. “The weather was good, the pacemaker, the organization—everything was excellent. I’d love to come back. My next goal is to improve my personal best again,” said Kiprotich. For comparison: Kelvin Kiptum set the current marathon world record at 2:00:35 during the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Registration numbers by event:

Sunday: 40,433 entries

• Marathon: 12,995
• Vienna City Half Marathon: 13,963
• Powerade Relay Marathon: 10,760
• Tchibo Coffee Run 10K: 2,715

Saturday: 8,946 registrations

• Vienna 5K: 3,659
• The Daily Mile 1600: 2,171
• The Daily Mile 800: 1,902
• Princess & Prince Run: 293
• Coca-Cola Inclusion Run: 921

ÖLV record holder Gruen dropped out at
The top Austrian, Gruen, who had started with high ambitions, did not reach the finish line. The 27-year-old, who lives in the U.S., had planned to improve on his ÖLV record of 2:09:53 set last year. As a result, Andreas Vojta finished ninth in 2:15:07, making him the top Austrian and second-best European. He saw a “pretty clear parallel” to last year, when it had been very cold. This time, according to Vojta, it was warmer than expected. “The time isn’t what I had hoped for. Physically, I had hoped for more in the latter stages; from the Prater just before the 30-kilometer mark, it went well,” Vojta told ORF. “I won’t rest until I run a marathon I’m satisfied with.”

Eva Wutti(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Wutti “totally exhausted” after a tough race
Eva Wutti was the fastest Austrian, finishing tenth. But her time of 2:42:37 wasn’t what she had planned. “I’m totally exhausted; it was such a tough race,” said Wutti. She reported experiencing muscle problems earlier than usual. “I had to stop more often.” One possible explanation: She hadn’t run a half marathon during her preparation. “But I don’t have a real explanation yet,” said Wutti. “I didn’t want to miss the great atmosphere and the crowd at the finish line,” said the full-time lawyer. “I just muddled through kilometer by kilometer.”