VCM heroes set their sights on new challenges
Less than a month has passed since more than 32,000 runners competed in the Vienna City Marathon (VCM), but Austrias amateur athletes are already fired up for future challenges.Thousands will take part in this years Graz Marathon (www.grazmarathon.at) on 9 October which has developed into one of the countrys main long-distance running challenges.On the same day, Munich will host its tradition-rich Marathon (www.muenchenmarathon.de). A large number of Austrians are expected to spend a long weekend in the picturesque German city to participate in the 26th edition of the event which famously ends in the Olympic Stadium. Munich is located just 140 kilometres from the Austrian city of Salzburg (We recommend the King’s Hotel First Class, an excellent resort located in the heart of the city, for your stay in Munich. Visit www.kingshotels.de for more information).Already on 15 May, the 8th Salzburg Marathon (www.salzburg-marathon.at) will take place before hundreds will battle it out on the 21.1-kilometre (km) distance in Stinatz (www.lc-tiger.com) where one of the most popular running events of the province of Burgenland will take place on 13 August.The next Vienna Night Run (www.viennanightrun.at, www.lichtfuerdiewelt.at) a major fundraising event is scheduled for 8 October.Organisers of Viennas Frauenlauf (www.oesterreichischerdmfrauenlauf.at), the countrys biggest womens running initiative, recently said that a record number of 25,100 women and teenage girls will try themselves in the five-km and 10-km competitions on 22 May.The 29th VCM (www.vienna-marathon.com) will be staged on 15 April 2012. Ethiopian long-distance running legend made headlines at this years edition of the event by smashing the Half-Marathon track record. The 38-year-old finished the run in one hour and 18 seconds and revealed he could imagine competing over the full distance in Vienna in 2012.