Around the Traunsee

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
athletics Around the Traunsee
venue Gmunden Austria
AustriaAustria 
First run 1989
distance 68 kilometers
Website [ www.bergmarathon.at Official Website]

The mountain marathon around the Traunsee is a mountain marathon with around 68 km ( ultramarathon ) and 4500 meters altitude in Gmunden , which has been held in summer since 1989.

The mountain marathon was invented, brought into being and organized by Johann Willi Buchinger. The running route with a total of 4500 vertical meters leads from Gmunden around the Traunsee over seven peaks. The program also includes two half marathons from Gmunden to Ebensee and from Ebensee to Gmunden. For safety reasons, the number of participants is limited to 250 for the full route and 100 for the half marathon routes.

history

The now deceased Willi Buchinger, a Pinsdorf endurance athlete and expedition mountaineer, came up with the idea of ​​climbing all the mountain peaks around the Traunsee as part of a 24-hour ultra run. On June 3, 1989, the start was canceled due to bad weather. With 42 participants at the time, the marathon was postponed and the first official start took place on June 10th.

At that time, the Traunstein was still preferably over the Hernlersteig, some participants even dared to take the unmarked routes over the Hochkamp or the Zierlersteig. The Feuerkogel wasn't on the program in the first year either, instead it went over the Großer Sonnstein. Exactly half of the starters did not finish. The peak time of Wolfgang Kölblinger from Traunkirchen and Alois Leithner from Weyregg of 8 hours and 55 minutes was only about half the time expected by the organizers.

In the following years both the number of participants and applicants increased: in 1999 a half marathon from Gmunden to Ebensee was on the program for the first time, and in 2001 also on the Ebensee - Gmunden section. The competition had to be canceled (due to heavy rain) so far in the 4th edition in 1992. Nevertheless, 32 participants tackled the route unofficially. At the 16th mountain marathon in 2004 there was a further change in the route. The start-finish area was moved to the center of Gmunden on Rathausplatz, which led to an increase in audience participation. In the same year 330 participants started, of which 284 also reached the finish.

  • At the 20th mountain marathon on July 5, 2008, the current participant record of 424 runners was set. Since it was not an official competition, there were no official winning times and winners. Benedikt Rabberger from Pinsdorf undercut his own personal best with 7 hours and 26 minutes, which is still there today (2010). In 2008 there was also the premiere of the “Children's Mountain Marathon”, a run for youngsters from 2 to 15 years old with age-appropriate distances between 500 and 2200 meters.
  • At the 21st mountain marathon on July 4, 2009, a charity hike was used to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Aid. Benedikt Rabberger was the only one to run the mountain marathon twice (140 km, 9000 meters in altitude) in about 22 hours.
  • The 22nd mountain marathon on July 3, 2010 was extremely hot (32 ° C). Nina Heidinger from Gmunden improved the women's record to 9 hours and 50 minutes. The children's competition set a record with 51 participants. The charity hike took place in favor of the traumatic brain injury lobby.
  • In 2016, a marathon participant went missing and after a large-scale search operation could only be found dead below the Gmunderberg in impassable terrain the next day.

route

The Traunsee is circulating in the mountain marathon clockwise. From the start at Rathausplatz in Gmunden (428 m) you first walk over the Traun Bridge to the east bank, and then via the Ortnersteig to get to the first mountain, the Grünberg (984 m). It continues down along hiking trails and forest roads until you almost reach the shore of the Traunsee at 423 m. The path leads up to the Naturfreundehaus on the Traunstein ( 1576  m ) and then down the Mair-Alm-Steig back down to the Kaisertisch (770 m).

The next 7 km on forest roads to Karbach are relatively flat. In the first half, you only have to climb a little more than 100 meters in altitude, then you go back down to sea level. From there along the east bank of the Traunsee you continue to the Daxnersteig, which leads to the Spitzlsteinalm ( 1070  m ). A hiking trail leads to the village of Rindbach and further down to the Ebensee control point on Rathausplatz, where you reach the lake level for the third time. After three peaks, 32 kilometers and 2650 meters of altitude, the Gmunden - Ebensee half marathon ends here.

For the participants in the entire marathon and the half marathon Ebensee → Gmunden, the route now leads over the Kalvarienberg on a hiking trail to the Naturfreundehaus Feuerkogel ( 1530  m ). From the plateau of the Feuerkogel you descend northwards to the control point Kreh (647 m) and immediately up again to the next mountain, to the Hochsteinalm (920 m). Again it goes into the valley to a control point, this time in Mühlbach (580 m). This is followed by a 3 km flatter section on paved roads before the marathon leads to the penultimate and lowest summit on Grasberg (746 m). Then you walk downhill to 630 m and after about 60 kilometers you tackle the seventh and last ascent to the Naturfreundehaus on the Gmundnerberg (830 m). The last seven and a half kilometers then run downhill on gravel and asphalt roads. At the Orther junction, turn into the esplanade and walk flat for the last kilometer to the finish.

Course records

marathon

  • Men: 7:26, Benedikt Rabberger, 2008
  • Women: 9:20, Nina Bauer (Heidinger), 2013

Marathon New from 2019

  • Men: 7:49, Doppler Christian, 2019
  • Women: 9:24, Fellhofer Esther, 2019

Half marathon Gmunden - Ebensee

  • Men: 3:52, Rene Steinpatzer, 2001
  • Women: 5:14, Maria Ortner, 2003

Half marathon Ebensee - Gmunden

  • Men: 2:48, Hubert Preiner, 2004
  • Women: 3:26, Nina Heidinger, 2009

Web links

Coordinates: 47 ° 55 ′ 12 "  N , 13 ° 47 ′ 57"  E