Men’s course record
1:00:18
Haile Gebrselassie · 2011
- Average pace
- 2:51 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- +0.49 %
Vienna Half Marathon
Vienna, Austria April, set by the organiser each year Founded 1999
Over the Danube, round the Prater and out to Schönbrunn, then back down Mariahilfer Straße to a finish on the Ring.
Overview
The half starts with the marathon from 9:00am on Wagramer Straße, crosses the Danube on the Reichsbrücke and loops the Prater past the Riesenrad. It comes back into the centre, runs the Ring to the Staatsoper at about 10.8 km, then heads out along the Linke Wienzeile past Schönbrunn.
The way back is down Mariahilfer Straße, the highest part of the course. Just past 20.0 km the half turns right through its own arch into Bellariastraße, by the Volkstheater, while the marathon goes straight on, and the half finishes on the Ring by the Burgtheater, 13 m higher than it started.
13,181 finished it in 2026, and the 2027 race has sold out.
The way back is down Mariahilfer Straße, the highest part of the course. Just past 20.0 km the half turns right through its own arch into Bellariastraße, by the Volkstheater, while the marathon goes straight on, and the half finishes on the Ring by the Burgtheater, 13 m higher than it started.
13,181 finished it in 2026, and the 2027 race has sold out.
- When
- The 2027 Vienna Half Marathon is on Sunday, 18 April 2027, starting at 9:00am local time on Wagramer Straße, by the Reichsbrücke.
- Course
- The Vienna half's course climbs 83 m in all, with its lowest point at 159 m and its highest at 202 m.
- Entry
- Entry to the Vienna half is first come, first served (closed for 2027, waitlist open), and costs €130 for 2027.
- Field
- The 2026 Vienna Half Marathon had a half-marathon field of 13,181.
- Weather
- Across 29 years, the Vienna half's race-day temperature has a median of 12.2 °C.
- Records
- The Vienna Half Marathon course records are 1:00:18 (Haile Gebrselassie, 2011) and 1:12:03 (Paula Radcliffe, 2012).
- Time limit
- The Vienna half's time limit is 4 hours.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Vienna Half Marathon
Over the Danube, round the Prater and out to Schönbrunn, then back down Mariahilfer Straße to a finish on the Ring. Wagramer Straße, by the Reichsbrücke → the Ring by the Burgtheater, Vienna, Austria.
- Distance
- 21.1 km
- Ascent
- 83 m
- Descent
- 70 m
- Net
- +13 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · the dashed line is the marathon, which the half leaves at 20.4 km for a shortcut to the same finish · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the organiser's course map, 2026 · Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0 · smoothed 100 m 159–202 m
—
0.04.28.512.716.921.2
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The lowest ground is the Prater, at 159 m around 5.3 km, and the highest is Mariahilfer Straße at 202 m, about 17.9 km in. The steepest climbing kilometre runs along the Linke Wienzeile past Schönbrunn to the foot of Mariahilfer Straße, 12 m, and the steepest descending one is the run down Mariahilfer Straße, 17 m. The finish is 13 m higher than the start. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and, for a 90-minute runner, the course comes out about 24 seconds slower than a flat 21.1 km (0.49 %).
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0 elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0, measured on the organiser's course map, 2026, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/half-marathons/vienna/ · checked 2026-10-17
How to enter: dates and fees
The 2027 half has sold out: registration closed on 2 September. There's a free waiting list, and places move up from it if they come free before 7 March 2027. The half costs €130, one price, and you need to be 16 on race day.
You can transfer your place to someone you know until 12 March, or defer it to 2028 for €30 until 31 December. Refunds come only through the cancellation insurance, which has to be booked by 12 March. Entry works the same way for every distance, and the marathon page has the rest.
You can transfer your place to someone you know until 12 March, or defer it to 2028 for €30 until 31 December. Refunds come only through the cancellation insurance, which has to be booked by 12 March. Entry works the same way for every distance, and the marathon page has the rest.
History
The half has been part of the Vienna City Marathon since 1999, when 2,833 finished it. Haile Gebrselassie ran 1:00:18 here in 2011, then reported as the fastest half ever run in Austria. A year later he gave Paula Radcliffe a start of almost eight minutes in a handicap race and still beat her by more than three.
Since 2016 the half has turned off the marathon by the Volkstheater and finished on the Ring by the Burgtheater. 13,181 finished it in 2026. The race's full history is on the marathon page.
Since 2016 the half has turned off the marathon by the Volkstheater and finished on the Ring by the Burgtheater. 13,181 finished it in 2026. The race's full history is on the marathon page.
- 1999The first half, with 2,833 finishers
- 2011Haile Gebrselassie runs 1:00:18, still the men's record
- 2012Gebrselassie gives Paula Radcliffe a start of almost eight minutes and still wins. Her 1:12:03 is still the women's record
- 2013Gebrselassie wins for a third time
- 2016The half splits from the marathon by the Volkstheater and finishes on the Ring
- 2020Cancelled
- 202613,181 finish the half, swelled by marathon runners who switch to it partway round in the heat
- 202718 April, from 9:00am on Wagramer Straße
200020102020
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
1:12:03
Paula Radcliffe · 2012
- Average pace
- 3:25 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- +0.49 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 9:00am
- 1:00pm
- Time limit
- 4h
- 4
Take the U1: Kaisermühlen–VIC if you're in blocks A to D without a bag, Alte Donau if you're in blocks E or F or dropping a bag. Your bib works as a public transport ticket around your start time. Bibs are collected on the Friday or Saturday at the Marx Halle, and there's no pick-up on race morning. Bag drop has to be booked by 12 March for €3, and bags go in at the expo or at the start.
The half passes four refreshment stations, at about 5, 9.5, 15 and 19.7 km, and about a dozen water points between them. Just past 20 km, by the Volkstheater, half runners keep right and turn through the red arch into Bellariastraße while marathon runners go straight on through the blue one.
The half passes four refreshment stations, at about 5, 9.5, 15 and 19.7 km, and about a dozen water points between them. Just past 20 km, by the Volkstheater, half runners keep right and turn through the red arch into Bellariastraße while marathon runners go straight on through the blue one.
The morning, hour by hour
- 9:00am
- Marathon and half marathon start, in waves
- 1:00pm
- Finish closes
- 4:30pm
- Last bag collection
The finish closes at 1:00pm, four hours after the first wave. There are no intermediate cut-offs; sweep runners follow the last starters.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 12.2 °C
- Warm years
- 3 of 29
- Wet years
- 3 of 29
Race-day mean temperature, 1995-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Vienna half hilly?
Not really. The course runs between 159 m in the Prater and 202 m on Mariahilfer Straße, and it finishes 13 m higher than it starts.
Sonny 1" terrain model, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Is it a fast course?
Haile Gebrselassie ran 1:00:18 here in 2011, still the record. Over the whole course it comes out about half a per cent slower than a flat 21.1 km.
Race results; terrain-adjusted from the measured profile.
Can I still enter for 2027?
Not directly: it sold out on 2 September. There's a free waiting list, and places move up from it until 7 March 2027.
Organiser half-marathon page, checked 2026-10-17.
Where does the half leave the marathon?
By the Volkstheater, at about km 20.3. Half runners keep right and turn through the red arch into Bellariastraße, marathon runners go straight on, and both finish on the Ring by the Burgtheater.
Organiser course page.
What is the cut-off?
The finish closes at 1:00pm, four hours after the first wave starts. There are no intermediate cut-offs.
Organiser half-marathon page, 2027.
How do I get to the start?
On the U1. Use Kaisermühlen–VIC if you're in blocks A to D without a bag, and Alte Donau if you're in blocks E or F or dropping a bag. Your bib works as a public transport ticket around your start time.
Organiser race information.
Can I transfer or defer my place?
You can transfer it to someone you know until 12 March 2027, or defer to 2028 for €30 until 31 December 2026. Refunds come only through the cancellation insurance.
Organiser half-marathon page, 2027.
What's the weather like in April?
Usually mild. Across 29 race mornings the median temperature during the half was 12.2 °C, and three had a millimetre of rain or more.
ERA5 climatology, 9:00 to 12:00, 1995 to 2025, without 2020 and 2021.
Do I need to book bag drop?
Yes, by 12 March, for €3. Bags go in at the expo or at the start and can be collected until 4:30pm.
Organiser race information, 2027.
Is it a good first half?
A big, well-supported one: four hours to finish, refreshment stations about every five kilometres, and a finish on the Ring. You'll need a place on the waiting list for 2027.
Organiser race information; measured profile.
How many people run it?
13,181 finished the half in 2026, and 12,235 in 2024.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 12.2 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 29 years, which have run from 2.7 °C to 19.1 °C. 3 of the 29 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0, sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 2.28. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 2 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 10
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | The organiser's 2026 Google My Map, layer "Halbmarathon 21,0975 km"; it matches the 2027 map turn for turn and measures 21.20 km, 0.5 % long | 2026-10-17 |
| Elevation | Sonny 1" .hgt tiles (CC BY 4.0), the model the marathon is measured on; the Reichsbrücke and Aspernbrücke interpolated between their banks | 2026-10-17 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive, 9:00 to 12:00 on race morning | 2026-10-17 |
| Course records | Race results and contemporary reports, 2011 and 2012 | 2026-10-17 |
| Field size | Organiser and ORF race reports, 2024 and 2026 | 2026-10-17 |
| Start, finish and limit | Organiser half-marathon page, 2027 | 2026-10-17 |
| Aid stations | Refreshment and water points on the organiser's 2026 map, placed on the course line | 2026-10-17 |
| Entry | Organiser half-marathon page, 2027 | 2026-10-17 |
| History | German Wikipedia's results table, sourced to the organiser, and race reports | 2026-10-17 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Bernd Dittrich (the Riesenrad), Johannes Mändle (Schönbrunn), Mathis Mauprivez (the Burgtheater), Lok Kwan (the Staatsoper), Arno Senoner (the Ring), Romain Malaunay (the Danube) | 2026-10-17 |
Until the Vienna Half Marathon · 18 Apr 2027
— days
— hrs— min— sec
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