The Wachau Marathon (stylized as WACHAUmarathon) is a 26.2-mile foot race on paved roads along the Danube River from Emmersdorf to Krems an der Donau in Wachau, Austria, usually held in September. The race was founded in 1998, and its course is certified by World Athletics.^[1][2] It has hosted the Austrian National Championships thrice before.

Quick Facts Date, Location ...

Wachau Marathon
Half marathoners passing through Dürnstein in 2010. The blue tower of Dürnstein Abbey [de] is visible on the left, and Dürnstein Castle on the hill on the right.
Date	September
Location	Emmersdorf to Krems, Austria
Event type	Road
Distance	Marathon Half marathon Quarter marathon
Established	1998 (26 years ago) (1998)
Course records	Men: 2:12:32 (2003) John Kipngeno Rotich Women: 2:33:33 (2002) Karina Szymańska Half Men: 59:53 (2016) Peter Cheruiyot Kirui Women: 1:09:21 (2018) Perendis Lekapana
Official site	www.wachaumarathon.com
Participants	7,000 (in all races)

Close

The event also includes a half marathon, a race of length 11 km (6.8 mi), and races for children. There were more than 7,000 participants in total for 2019.^[3]

The marathon was first held in 1998.

After Helmut Paul led the event for ten years, another company under the leadership of Michael Buchleitner took over the responsibility for the run in 2008.

The Austrian National Championships have been held three times as part of the Wachau Marathon. In 2002, the Austrian marathon champions were Max Wenisch (2:27:48, 7th overall male) and Veronika Kienbichl (2:53:09, 8th overall female). In 2007, the Austrian half marathon champions were Eva-Maria Gradwohl (1st overall female) and Martin Pröll (1:05:31). In 2010, the Austrian half marathon champions were Andrea Mayr (1:14:21, 3rd overall) and Günther Weidlinger (1:04:59, 7th overall).

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with registrants receiving a refund via a voucher.^{[4][5][lower-alpha 1]}

Quick Facts External image ...

External image
Course map of full marathon in 2019[6]

Close

The course is described as fast and flat with beautiful scenery.^[7][8] The route first leads 3 km (1.9 mi) upstream on the left bank of the Danube, turns and then runs downstream to the center of Krems for the finish. The half marathon starts in Spitz, and the "quarter marathon" in Dürnstein.^[9]

During the race weekend, there is also a half marathon favored by competitive runners that often has a deep international field.^[1] The shortest race is 11 km (6.8 mi) long, marketed as a "quarter marathon".^[1] On the preceding day, children's runs are held over different distances.

From 2004 to 2007, an ultramarathon of length 53 km (33 mi) was offered, which was part of the European Ultramarathon Cup.