Kärnten läuft expects record 10,000 runners at 25th event

The Kärnten läuft mass sporting event will attract a record 10,000 participants this weekend as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, ORF reported. The event began in 2002 with about 2,700 runners and now features 10 different races around Lake Wörthersee.

Organiser Michael Kummerer said the event had passed the 10,000 participant mark for the first time because it fits well into the calendars of major marathons in Austria and Europe and has become a flagship event for Carinthia.

Organisers also hope to match Austria’s half-marathon record of 59 minutes and 45 seconds, set 12 years ago.

The event has generated around five million euros or more in regional economic value, Kummerer said. About half of the participants come from outside Carinthia, and around 50,000 beds are expected to be occupied.

The programme includes races for women, families, children and people running with dogs, as well as international elite runners preparing for marathons abroad. A new format called the Area Süd Marathon will combine the Lake Wörthersee half-marathon on August 30 with the Graz half-marathon on October 11 in a two-stage competition with a separate ranking.

The event begins with the Night Run on Friday evening. Its main event, the Lake Wörthersee half-marathon, starts in Velden at 9 a.m. on Sunday.