At the 19th Oberbank Linz Danube Marathon, many inline skaters and hand cyclists will be in action again this year.
"I swore to myself that even when I'm 80, I still want to run the Linz Marathon," said none other than Upper Austria's Paralympics gold medalist Walter Ablinger recently. The tireless hand cyclist from the Innviertel region, who will be competing once again at the Tokyo Games in a few days' time, cherishes his home race. As do many others who take part in the Fischer Brot Inlineskating Half Marathon and the Ascendor Handbike Half Marathon.
Ablinger's handbike teammate Elisabeth Egger, also competing in the Paralympics for the first time in Japan, will also take to the track on October 24 to complete her well-deserved lap of honor on home soil. At this spring's European Championships in Schwanenstadt, the Mühlviertel native already won the silver medal in the road race.
Due to this year's autumn date, they can prepare better than ever before. For the first time, the athletes can unpack their rolling sports equipment in the summer and prepare for the fast-paced race through downtown Linz in warm temperatures and snow-free streets.
The rolling applicants are traditionally the first to start the race on marathon day. As early as 8 a.m., it's time to be focused on the starting gun and then off at full throttle over the highway bridge. "We are pleased that together with the marathon OC team we can also make it possible for hand cyclists to take part in the largest mass sporting event in the state of Upper Austria," says Managing Director Maximilian Priglinger of Ascendor Lifttechnik.
Hubert Fischer, Managing Director of Fischer Brot and himself a participant in the half marathon, is also full of anticipation for the event. "The Linz Marathon Weckerl has enjoyed enormous popularity for years, and so once again this year all runners will receive our healthy, tasty pastry at the finish line."
The Weckerl provides athletes with the best possible nutrition, gives long-lasting energy and supports athletes in their regeneration. It scores with a healthy mix of ingredients such as oats, walnuts, cranberries, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and honey and, according to many runners, tastes juicy and fruity. Many have already worked up an appetite for the running event anyway. Of course, also for the rolling competitions. "For us, these are indispensable," says Günther Weidlinger from the OC team.
Source: nachrichten.at
Photo: Fischer Brot
