FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vienna City Marathon 2021:
Vienna City Marathon moves from April into September
The Vienna City Marathon is the second major international marathon which
has been moved from a spring date of 2021 into the second half of the year.
The race is now scheduled for 12 September. This spring organizers had to
cancel Austria's biggest one day sporting event due to the corona virus
pandemic. Because of the ongoing uncertainties during the pandemic there
was too much risk continuing to plan with a race on 18 April 2021,
organizers explained. The first major race that was moved from spring into
the autumn in 2021 was the London Marathon. The Vienna City Marathon is a
World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
The world is still in a state of upheaval and constant change due to the
corona virus pandemic. This especially applies to organizers of major
events. That led to the decision to postpone the upcoming Vienna City
Marathon from April to 12 September 2021. "In accordance with health
experts and those in charge for the City of Vienna, we are convinced that
on this date in September we will find an improved overall Covid-19
situation and be able to organize a major marathon in Vienna. We want to
hold an event that offers a thrilling experience and inspires the
participants and spectators - a race like the one we staged in 2019 or in
the years before. Moving it to the second half of 2021 is the more honest
answer to the difficult situation and brings more reliability and planning
security, also for the participants", reads a statement of the organizers.
"Our goal is to organize the Vienna City Marathon safely but also with a
great atmosphere. However, we cannot carry out the extensive conceptual and
preparatory work for the marathon under unknown and constantly changing
regulations. We want to organize running events and will do so according to
the current rules. For our major event, the Vienna City Marathon, however,
moving it to September is the more realistic way," says Vienna City
Marathon Race Director Wolfgang Konrad.
"I am delighted that the Vienna City Marathon 2021 is planned to take place
in an attractive and customary manner. The event mobilizes Vienna and the
Viennese population. As a tourist magnet with strong economic effects, the
event is of great importance beyond sports and health promotion. It is
clear that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, events like the Vienna City
Marathon have to cope with great challenges. However, in the light of the
Covid-19 pandemic, holding the event in September 2021 offers a clear
perspective. We hope that the marathon can be held on this new date on the
well-known route, which passes numerous tourist attractions of Vienna,"
says Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig.
The date of the Vienna City Marathon is usually fixed for several years in
advance. "It would not have been feasible to wait and hope for the next few
months. We could then have found ourselves in a position urgently trying
to find a new date in the autumn of the same year. The move required
coordination with the City of Vienna, the police, public authorities and
other event organizers in order to keep the course through the entire city
and the finish area in the Ringstrasse / Rathausplatz area available for
the races and for the set-up work," says Gerhard Wehr, Managing Director of
the Vienna City Marathon. He thanked the City of Vienna as well as the
sponsors and partners for their support and cooperation.
"We hope that the current circumstances and regulations will continue to
allow running events to take place. We look forward to every event that can
go ahead. This is what our heart beats for, and this is what we will
continue to do with all our commitment," Vienna organizers announced.
Online entry for the Vienna City Marathon 2021 will start in autumn at:
www.vienna-marathon.com
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