Vienna City Marathon to Celebrate Johann Strauss’ 200th Birthday with a Competitive Elite Field

This year’s Vienna City Marathon will uniquely blend sports and culture, paying tribute to Austria’s rich musical heritage. To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss, the iconic Blue Danube Waltz will play before the race begins, offering a moment of elegance before the intensity of competition takes over. Once the runners hit the course, the fight for victory is expected to be fierce, with no clear favorite emerging in the men’s elite field.

Kenyan runners Justus Kangogo, Douglas Chebii, and Stanley Kurgat lead the lineup for the April 6 race. With personal bests ranging from 2:05:57 to 2:07:05, they will be among the top contenders in a field that also includes two other athletes who have clocked sub-2:09 times. The event’s organizers, who announced the elite field, anticipate a highly competitive race.

A record-breaking 13,000 runners have registered for the full marathon in this 42nd edition of the Vienna City Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label Race. Including shorter-distance events, the total number of participants will exceed 45,000.

Kenya Aims to Reclaim the Title

Kenyan athletes will look to regain the title they lost to Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa in 2023. Before that, Kenya dominated the men’s race with four consecutive victories, culminating in Samwel Mailu’s course record of 2:05:08 last year.

The three leading Kenyan contenders have all delivered impressive performances in recent marathons. Justus Kangogo ran 2:06:45 for fourth place in Amsterdam last October, following a personal best of 2:05:57 in Berlin in 2022. Douglas Chebii has been a model of consistency, running his PB of 2:06:31 in Linz in 2022, followed by 2:07:11 in Sevilla (2023) and 2:08:15 for seventh place in the highly competitive 2024 Dubai Marathon—where he was the fastest Kenyan.

Stanley Kurgat, at 25, is the youngest of the trio and has shown rapid improvement. After debuting with 2:11:50 in Valencia (2023), he slashed his time to 2:07:05 in Berlin just six months ago. Though he placed 15th in that deep field, he could be poised for a breakthrough in Vienna. His experience as a pacemaker on this course last year may give him an edge.

Other Contenders and Local Hopes

Charles Ndiema and Benard Kimeli are also sub-2:09 runners to watch. Ndiema finished fourth in Vienna in 2022 with 2:08:12, while Kimeli ran 2:08:34 in Tokyo last year. Bernard Muia could also be a surprise contender—he finished second in Vienna in 2023 with 2:10:42, making a dramatic late-race surge from fourth place in the final two kilometers. His personal best of 2:09:17 came when he won the Munich Marathon in 2023.

Leading the Austrian contingent is national record holder Peter Herzog, who ran 2:10:06 at the 2020 London Marathon. He aims to finish in the 2:12 range. Former Austrian record holder Lemawork Ketema (2:10:44) will also compete, hoping for a strong comeback after an injury layoff.

With a record-breaking field, world-class competition, and a musical tribute to one of Austria’s greatest composers, the 2024 Vienna City Marathon promises to be both a thrilling race and a celebration of culture.