30 years - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2013 - 62 Euro Cent

The 30th Vienna City Marathon will take place on April 14 this year - the Österreichische Post AG will be taking the anniversary as an opportunity and accompanying the major sporting event in a philatelically pleasing manner with this special stamp. The Vienna City Marathon, which called itself the "Spring Marathon Vienna" until 1993, is the largest marathon in Austria and has been taking place every spring since 1984 in Vienna. In addition to the classic track of 42.195 kilometers, numerous side events are offered, including the increasingly popular half marathon, the exciting relay marathon and several runs for children in different age groups. The attractive route, lined with a cheering audience, starts at the Vienna International Center (the so-called "UNO City"), crosses the Danube on the Reichsbrücke (see brand image) and leads across the Praterstern to the main avenue of the Vienna Prater. Continue along the Donaukanalufer to the Schwedenbrücke before turning into the Ringstrasse at the Urania. At the Staatsoper the route leaves the ring, leads on the left Wienzeile out to the Schönbrunn Palace and back onto the Ring via the Mariahilfer Straße. The participants of the half-marathon now turn into the finish on the Vienna Heroes' Square, while the marathon runners go for a second round. This leads first past the town hall in the Alsergrund (9th district), from there you cross the Danube Canal on the Peace Bridge and reached - most increasingly exhausted - on the left bank of the Danube Canal for the second time the Prater. Past the Ernst Happel Stadium and the Lusthaus, cross the Franzensbrücke again onto the Ringstraße until you finally reach your destination on Heldenplatz. In the course of the history of the Vienna City Marathon several Austrian running records were achieved - among others by Gerhard Hartmann, who won the competition three times in the eighties, and by the successful athletes Dagmar Rabensteiner, Susanne Pumper and Andrea Mayr. The winner of last year's race was the Kenyan Henry Kemo Sugut in an incredible 2 hours, 6 minutes and 58 seconds, the women's competition was won by Fate Tola from Ethiopia in 2:26:39. The true fascination of the marathon is certainly the fact that everyone - professional athletes in addition to amateur runners - join in and thereby explore his physical limits. In recent years, the discipline has developed tremendous popularity, and every major city began to run its own marathon. The Vienna City Marathon, according to the tenor of the colorful runners, is one of the most beautiful.