Vienna is a fantastic city, which made the marathon weekend even more special.
Positives:
-flat, fast course which winds its way through the prettiest parts of the city
-although it can be a bit of a drag to repeat some sections of the course, it is easy for friends/family to cheer you on from many different points along the course
-there is a lot to see and do in Vienna before and after the marathon, and the Underground is very easy to use and convenient
-the 'Mozart Marathon' at the Philharmonic was spectacular, and a very unique opportunity
-contrary to another comment made below, my post-race goodie bag consisted of many different snacks and fruit, and there was ample water available at the finish
-I felt that the water stations were well-marked (with signs indicating they were approaching in 200m, then 100m) and had more than adequate water and electrolyte drink. In addition to the 'official' refreshment points, Romerquelle, one of the major sponsors, had water tables set up at other locations
-starting blocks were not enforced (with regard to time), however they were well organized, with marathon runners on one side of a divided highway, and the half and relay runners on the other
-despite the large field, the course thinned out pretty quickly
-the medals are VERY cool!
Negatives:
-expo was small and crowded; the line to rent a chip was VERY long; no real options for VCM merchandise, other than the one official shirt
-not enough Porta Potties at the start or finish (although they seemed to be plentiful along the course)
-crowd support along the course was sporadic. It seemed that people only cheered for 'their' runners, not the field in general, other than around the Opera House and at the finish, where the crowds were very enthusiastic.
-the marathon/half marathon split was not well-marked. They had plenty of signs/arrows marking the directions for the two races, but most of them were turned so that you could not see which way the arrow pointed. I thought the first relay exchange was crowded and chaotic (mostly from runners just stopping in the middle of the course), but the others were better managed.
-no finisher shirts for sale!

Overall I really enjoyed the marathon and the city, and I got a huge PR in the process. I would return, and I would run Vienna again given the opportunity.

Vienna is a beautiful city full of grandeur and delightful open spaces. Its transport system is excellent and it must be one of the cleanest cities in the world. I would recommend its marathon on those grounds alone, but the race was good in its own right although it had a few annoying weaknesses that could easily have been avoided. The drink stations were fairly chaotic because they were not identified in advance sufficiently clearly, they were too short,inadequately manned and plastic cups are virtually impossible to drink from on the move. Also, you had to carry your own sponges for the cooling stations. The change-over points for the relay runners created a real hazard and annoyance for the full marathoners. The out-and-back part of the course towards the end was horrendous. Part of it went through a pleasant park admittedly, but surely it ought to be possible to devise a course which avoids the deflationary experience of passing other runners who are some distance in front of you.Finally, having been spoilt by London, I thought the support in Vienna was pitiful. There were only a couple of bands, we were promised Mozart 'throughout the course' but we only got it in two places, and the only spectators to speak of were at the very end and they watched in silence! My son and I made more noise trying to get them to cheer! Other than that it was well organised and most of the course went through interesting parts of the city.

Wonderful City....!!! Well organised race pack pick up - despite being a little out of the city. Easy to get to start and great views of the city over the bridge. H20 Stations well organised - Course through city very impressive - crowds thin at times but those there made up for the event !!! Great Finish and nice medal - Showers at finish and Starbucks around corner after finish.....Nice way to relax and watch the world go by in Vienna....Will be back...!!!

Beautiful course, amazing pre-race and during race organisation BUT they ran out of medals!! They also ran out of food bags too! Really poor when they knew how many people would be running.

I found the water stops crowded and due to the number of cups and banana skins around they were quite tricky to navigate safely.

The out and back loop in the park was FAR TOO LONG! There were no crowds, save for the runners you pass going the other way and the last 5 K or so was deserted going through basically back streets so a little short on encouragement and distractions.

A great experience all around though, they always say you never forget your first....

This wasn't a bad marathon but it is hardly exceptional. The course is very flat and wide. The field of runners was bigger than I expected but nothing like New York or London. Mileage markers were clearly marked. I didn't have a problem with the water stops. They were crowded but no big deal. You get to run through some very pretty areas around Vienna and much of the course is tree lined.

As for negatives, there are a few things worth mentioning. While the race web site does have an English language option, all emails you recieve from the race are in German. The expo is nothing special. You're in and out pretty quickly. (I did get a technical shirt.) The biggest negative I have with the race was the chip exchange. At the expo, you pay around 30 euros for your chip as a deposit. After the race, you wait in line with every other runner to give your chip back and get your refund. The problem is the they only had one person handing out the money so it took a half hour. This process is needless. Otherwise, a decent race in a nice city.

Agree with most of the comments by the Swiss runner in 2005. The web site was helpful and much of it (but not all) is in English. Electronic registration worked well. The expo was average for a medium sized race but you have to pay for your your t-shirt separately (expensive). No pace bands available at the expo so make your own. There is an attempt to 'seed' the start order based on self reported previous best times but it wasn't enforced and didn't really work (if that is important for you). Amenities on the course were good including toilets along the course. Race started at 0900h this year. The course was a bit repetitive; one section you run three times. Mozart music was playing from many speakers along the course but live music was rare (it was advertised as being linked to Mozart's anniversary). Post race food was only a banana and crackers (they haven't discovered bagels as the perfect post-race food). Interestingly, they allow any runner to provide his/her own drinks and they are set up right after the elite drink table, so you can feel like an elite runner!

I ran the Vienna Marathon and enjoyed the assorted neighborhoods and historic sites. I didn't like the difficult logistics of getting my packet and getting to the starting line and getting out of the finish area... there's a good amount of inconvenience, in my opinion. They were kind enough, however, to mail a shirt to me. And there's TV coverage too.

I have read other peoples comments on the marathon and was quite shocked to see how my experience was totally different, especially regarding the refreshment stations. I had done the Paris Marathon before and refreshment stations were very, very long, with plenty of volunteers handing out the drinks. However, during this one, at each water stop I had a problem with congestion, and also found the number of volunteers insufficient, so I really lost some time trying to stay hydrated. Other than that the organization was good - the free massage at the end of the race was especially great. The masseurs really took their time with each runner.

It all came together for me in the Vienna Marathon! In spite of unexpected high temperatures (27C) and big starting crowds for the first 10K, I had the best marathon of my life. Did not hit the wall, fast recovery, no injuries, personal record time (a Boston qualifing 3:18:33).

Race Overview

This is the twenty-second year of the Vienna Marathon, and it generally showed in the race preparations, course layout, and finish line activities. There were over 21,000 registered for all of the day races (full, half, 10K, kids' run). Judging by the starting numbers, I would estimate about 7,000 marathoners.

The course meanders through the major tourist points surrounding the main downtown area. It was almost flat except for a 50M rise between the 5K and 12K points - almost imperceptible. This was followed by an equal descent over the next 5K which was a great place to pick up speed. The final one-third of the race works through a large park with tree-lined streets, an amusement park with the famed Vienna ferris wheel, and then ends up with a grand finish at the center of town in the Haldenplatz (Vienna palace).

The race started at 9:30AM which was a bit late given that the temperature had already risen to 21C (70F) with clear skies. Thankfully a haze rolled in over the next hour that blocked the direct sun until about 11AM. Coupled with the largely shaded streets and a cool wind, the temperature was not as unbearable as it could have been. Unfortunately, the heat proved to be too much for several of the lead Kenyan runners who dropped out prior to the 30K mark.

While there were estimated to be 200,000 spectators, they were largely grouped around five or six key points in the race. There was only two bands that I recall being at those points with the remainder manned by radio stations blaring over the speakers. The mass of crowds were primarily at the finish line on bleachers ten rows deep covering the last 200M to the finish. The entire race was televised on Austrian stations as it is considered to be one of the largest Austrian sporting events of the year.

The course amenities were adequate with water and PowerAde stands every 5K - those after the 20K mark also had bananas. The challenges were few, primarily being around the late start time, the separation of the registration fair, pre-party, start and finish lines (which were at least 5K apart), and the ?carb-loading? party. This last event was sponsored by Tchibo coffee which must have decided that coffee did not go well with pasta - so they substituted funnel cakes instead. For anyone who was on a serious training program, the combination of empty sugars and caffeine was anathema.

While I would not rate this as the best marathon, it would make a seven out of 10 on my ?recommended? list.

Vienna was my second marathon and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The race goes right through the heart and soul of this beautiful city. The coures is flat and not too difficult. Temperatures were higher than average in 2005 (20 C or so at race start and 25 C or so at race end). Water stops were stationed every 5K, with PowerAde and bananas at most stops beyond 15K. Organization was good, although I forgot to pick up my t-shirt that I purchased online during the expo, and I am now unable to collect it. There is a little bit of out-and-back during last third of the course or so that some may find annoying. I was fine with it. If you are looking for a great international marathoning experience, consider this one!