The Salzburg Marathon

What an incredible weekend to be in Salzburg. Of course, any weekend in this beautiful city is incredible, but this weekend was especially so because it was the weekend of the Salzburg marathon, half-marathon, and 10k.

Thousands of people from all over the world, including Olympic-level athletes, descended on the city to take part in a sport that they’re all passionate about — running. For me, the weekend was amazing, not so much because I checked off a bucket list item of running a half-marathon, but because of the wonderful show of support from locals and foreigners alike that I witnessed in the city streets today.

The half-marathon route was a loop around the city, beginning and ending at Residenzplatz, a square in the center of the old town that is bordered by the cathedral and the one-time prince-archbishop’s residence palace.

The full marathon runners did this loop twice, and the 10k-ers started the loop halfway through. The run was not only spectacular for its natural beauty, as we passed fields and lakes with breathtaking Alpine views ahead of us, but also for its history and art, since we dashed by medieval buildings, two palaces used in The Sound of Music — in fact, we ran through the courtyard of one — and, of course, the Hohensalzburg fortress, which towered above us on the small mountain above Salzburg the entire run, serving as a way for us to get our bearings and mark our progress.

I may do some more half-marathons back home — Anacortes is coming up on the first of August — but I doubt any will have quite the magnificent scenery of today’s run. With so much to look at, it felt more like a tour than a race; the event planners made sure the runners would never get bored along the way!

I was unbelievably nervous for the half-marathon, since it was the first race I had ever done at all, but I had wonderful running mates going through the self-torture with me — my British friend Laura, whose first half-marathon it was, as well, and my dad visiting from the States, who had three half-marathons and a bunch of 10k’s under his belt already.

Laura and I had been training for a couple of months, but not nearly as diligently or as vigorously as one should train for a race like this. Before today, I had never run more than 10k at once, and I always had to stop and walk in there. Waking up for the race today, I wondered what I had been thinking of when I signed up and regretted not taking this in smaller steps by doing a manageable 10k for my first-ever race instead of a whopping 21k.

With my nerves making me doubt my ability to complete the race, I can honestly say that one of the biggest factors helping me get through it was the incredible support of the community.

Even though it was early on a Sunday, even though much of the route went through areas outside town, the entire way there were three generations of locals gathered along the sidelines cheering us on. Grandparents sat in chairs in their driveways drinking a bottle of Austrian beer, enjoying the excitement of an international event going right through their neighborhoods. Kids held out their hands hoping for high-fives. Their parents held up handmade signs encouraging us along. Everyone clapped and cheered and yelled “Bravo!”

One man even doffed his cap. It made us feel like Hollywood celebrities running along a red carpet! I was also happy to see so many families observing us — in an age of phones, computers, and video games, what a great example to show kids of getting outdoors and doing sports.

At certain points, such as near the water, Powerade and fruit stations, there were even bands of many varieties playing, including Highland bagpipers, African drummers, a rock band, and DJs from local pop radio stations. To show our appreciation, we in turn applauded the musical performers and made sure to thank the police officers and firefighters who controlled traffic.

I got to be on the other side of the cheering. After I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with my dad, and took photos with Laura showing off our medals, I went back to my flat, which just happened to be along the marathon route, under a mile from the finish.

The full marathon runners were, of course, still going by, so I stood on my balcony and did the same thing for them that I had just appreciated for 13 miles. Clapping, cheering, and yelling “Fast g’schafft! Fast Fertig!” — “Almost done!” in German. I loved being able to support them in turn on their amazing journey of twice the amount I had just run. I knew what they were feeling this close to the finish — bone tired, wanting so badly to walk, but determined to fight on and finish strong.

Some of them acknowledged me with waves and smiles, and even though many couldn’t speak German or English, I knew we were able to communicate.

I will never again call Austrians rude. Their show of encouragement and enthusiasm was such a moving experience, and I felt like it brought all of us runners, no matter from how far we hailed, together in our quest.