My first 5 km under 25 minutes.
I had wanted to run in this event for a very long time. I registered for my first attempt in 2020, but then COVID hit, and instead of a long-sleeved T-shirt, they gave us bandanas; and instead of running around the Vienna Ring, they just asked us to run 5 km ‘somewhere’; although they did give us medals.
It’s a wonderful idea: after sunset at the end of September, a large group wearing identical long-sleeved T-shirts runs around the Vienna Ring Road, enjoying the sights and cool weather, listening to music support, and setting their own records over a 5-kilometre distance.
In reality, things turned out somewhat differently.
The route is going around the Vienna Ring Road, 5km long, passing some great sights. Starting with the Natural Science Museum, continuing to the Rathaus and Parliament, then downhill to the old and nice building of the university, Votivkirche, then, after the right turn at Ringturm, the road continues on a bit darker Franz-Josefs-Kai Promenade, where you can see the Danube channel and nicely lighted buildings on the other side, then, after next right turn at Urania Observatory you will continue slightly uphill to the Museum of Applied Art, along the Stadpark, to the Opera, and then finally finish near the Burggarten…
The closer I got to the venue, the more people I saw wearing the event sponsor’s distinctive backpacks, running trainers and sportswear.
After waiting in line to have my photo taken in front of the ‘photo wall’ and visiting the restroom, I handed my clothes and jacket to the cloakroom and waited for my start, wearing only a running shirt, albeit a long-sleeved one. I still had 30 minutes to go, it was drizzling outside, and the temperature was +12 degrees Celsius.
Probably for the first time, I enjoyed running around to warm up, which I really needed. And I also did what I promised myself I wouldn’t do — I adjusted my shoelace. After that, I went to warm myself up like a penguin in the crowd of people from block B waiting for block A to start.
The number of people was simply staggering! According to my estimates, about 4,000 people were supposed to start in each block. I ended up somewhere in the first quarter, i.e. somewhere around the thousandth… Block B was designed for people with a target time of 25-28 minutes, and my goal was to beat that time.
Yes, my goal was to run under 25 minutes, and I focused all my energy on achieving that goal. The first two kilometres were spent trying to overtake as many people as possible without bumping into anyone. Well, I made my classic mistake again — I felt great at the start and began with a pace I couldn’t sustain… Fortunately for me, the road was slightly downhill, so it was quite justified.
Sights? My favourite Votivkirche? I didn’t see any of that, dodging elbows. It turned out that a long-sleeved shirt, even at +12 degrees, was too hot, so it was time to roll up the sleeves.
The bands along the route lifted my spirits. And then I turned onto the dark and empty embankment — finally able to get into my stride — and that’s when my shoelace came undone, which I had just adjusted before the race.
Realising that only a few seconds separated me from my goal, I decided to run like this and pray that I wouldn’t trip.
Well, there was a turn, and the road went uphill. At this point, my brain had already shut down, and I just had to manoeuvre between exhausted runners and food delivery people who were trying to break through the river of participants.
Painful minutes pass, and somewhere off to the side stands the magnificent Opera House, which I can no longer see through my tunnel vision. Wet shoelaces slap against my legs. There are more and more people, and the finish line arch is visible in the distance. Gathering all my strength, I run under it.
I glance at my wristwatch – damn, it says 4.9 km… I weave between people, trying to cover the last few metres.
Beep! 24:59. Okay, I’ll take that. Just some more meters for the Strava tax…
So, my times:
- Chip time: 24:16.4, wow, but I can’t believe it..
- Garmin time, I’ve seen on my watch: 24:59. Great!
- Garmin PB 5k after the run: 24:49. Interesting.
- Strava: 25:05. Some room for improvement…
No medals this time, but you can proudly wear the T-shirt!
To my delight, Herr www.newetschny.com did photograph the race after all, and I even got caught on camera.
This is literally the first few hundred metres, I’m trying to figure out where to best get around the crowd without slipping on the wet rails, while maintaining my pace and posture. I was so focused on the result that I didn’t even notice the photographer.
I enjoyed being able to run it in less than 25 minutes. But I didn’t enjoy the race itself.
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of this race. I hope there will be medals. If so, then I want to participate again. But this time, I want to enjoy the Vienna Ring at night. #werunthenight