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I was lucky to participate in the annual marathon in Vienna on behalf of Frankfurt School, amongst 40.000 other participants from all over the world. This astonishing number of participants makes Vienna City Marathon truly the biggest sport event in Austria! This year, on April 22nd, it celebrated its’ 35th anniversary! The title of this post is the slogan of the marathon.
During the application stage, runners can choose from three race distances to challenge themselves: 10 kilometers, half-marathon (21 km) and full marathon (42.195 km). Although participants can choose different distances, all participants start at the same time and run on the same route. I ran the half-marathon!
Jogging has been my hobby for nearly 5 years now and this half marathon was the 7th I have run since I started. Despite the hot weather (26 degrees!!!) and hilly terrain, this run was one the most enjoyable and rewarding I have ever done! Most of the route was through the city centre and it was an incredible experience to run by the most fabulous sites in Vienna among hundreds of other participants. Just imagine: the central streets of Vienna, transformed into a racing lane full of runners of different nationality, sex and age who are pushing themselves to the limits of their performance under the shadows of the gorgeous St. Stephan’s cathedral, while the cheerful crowd of spectators is shouting out participants names and encouraging them to keep going! This unique experience definitely has a positive profound influence on you that only a marathon run can offer!
… And the closer you get to the finish line, the more intense these emotions get. After some time, each kilometer gets tougher to run and other participants start to walk or even lie down on the ground. The reason is the sun. Its’ hot rays are shining on you and other runners; however, it’s hard to enjoy it. In fact, it’s impossible to enjoy sunny weather like that when you are close to getting a sunstroke or falling to the ground unconscious because of the over-exhaustion. That’s what makes finishing these runs such a rewarding experience. When the challenge is over, it’s one of the best feelings you can ever imagine. Moreover, thousands of spectators are waiting for you at the finish line and you can hear their cheerful calls from kilometers away, so finishing the race is even more enjoyable.
Summing up, if you want to pick up a new sport – try jogging. It won’t just keep you fit and enhance your health, but it may also become a source of powerful positive emotions you can experience. For a start, pick up a 10-kilometer run in a nice city you would like to visit and trust me, it will be worth all the efforts!
… The best part is bragging about the run! That’s actually what I am doing right now 😉
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
