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From 2026, our blog posts will be exclusively vegan! This means: we emphasise vegan-friendly places and refreshment stops to actively support vegan activities and vegan leisure tips. That was the Sparkasse 3-Länder-Marathon 2023 for us. 🏃♀️ Unfortunately, our original plan to run a quarter marathon, a half marathon and a marathon as a trio came to nothing, but you can find out what it was like in Vorarlberg in this blog post. 🤩
It was finalised in the summer - Michael, Simon and I would run a marathon trio. 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️ Michael would run the quarter marathon, Simon the half marathon and I would run a marathon for the first time in my life. 🏅 We immediately took care of the starting places, accommodation and travelling. 🏁
And then we got started with the training plan. 🏃♂️💪 Okay, admittedly - Michael and Simon were very busy over the summer, which is why they had to manage without a training plan. 📅 As it was going to be my first marathon, I decided to try out the 12-week Strava training plan (based on McMillan) to prepare myself for the marathon. 🗓️🏃♂️📈
Of course we have another Instagram reel for you from the 3-country marathon:
Check out this post on Instagram
That was the 3-country marathon 2023
Applications
Anyone who wanted to call themselves a finisher at the Sparkasse 3-Länder-Marathon had the opportunity to do so 5 times this year. 🏅 You could take part in the 10.9 km Nordic walking, 10.9 km quarter marathon, 4-person team relay marathon, 21.097 km half marathon or the 42.195 km marathon and then cross the finish line as a finisher. 🚶♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️
Great panorama and probably one of the most beautiful runs! 😍
The view during the run was a dream. While the quarter marathon athletes ran exclusively along Lake Constance, the half marathon runners had to do an extra lap in Bregenz. 🏞️ The marathon runners travelled briefly to Switzerland and then back to Bregenz, where they crossed the finish line at the ImmoAgentur Stadion Bregenz. 🇨🇭🏃♂️🏃♀️ You don't see such a beautiful run every day - that alone was worth the long journey to Bregenz - and then the run, a dream! 🌟
Active sports fair with pasta party 🎪
Race numbers were issued at the Festspielhaus in Bregenz. This year's Sport Aktiv fair also took place in the Festspielhaus, where you could buy new sportswear and accessories from various exhibitors, test shoes, take photos, look for yourself on the wall of participants or top up your carbohydrate reserves at the pasta party. 🍝👕
Catering on the route and at the finish 🥤
There were refreshment stations along the entire route, where you could refuel with water and take snacks for an energy boost. There were also plenty of stands at the finish with water, iso and fruit. Well done for the great organisation and smooth catering! 👏🍊
Finisher shirt and medal 🏅
Every finisher was presented with a great, high-quality medal at the finish line. Anyone who also wanted a Skinfit finisher shirt had the opportunity to purchase one at the registration desk. 👕
Showers 🚿
Also a huge praise for the sufficient and very good shower facilities after the finish. Lorry trailers with shower cubicles were set up over a very large area and all athletes were able to freshen up after the run. 🚚💦
My training plan for the Sparkasse 3-Länder-Marathon
I started training exactly 12 weeks before the start of the marathon. 🗓️ I trained four times a week, usually including one or two endurance runs, a tempo session and a long run. 🏃♂️ I increased the intensity from week to week. 💪 Twice there was a regeneration week with 3 looser units. 🔄
I broke the 30km mark three times in my training plan, 🏃🏃🏃🏃 with my longest „long run“ even covering 36.36km with an average pace of 5:18 and a heart rate in the basic endurance 2 range. I had never covered this distance before. 🏃♂️👏
The training plan has helped me enormously in my development and I have made great progress. 💪 At some points, however, I realised that a ready-made mass training plan simply can't cater to individual needs. 🙅♂️ Unfortunately, you can't adjust, pause or change the plan in Strava either - you only get a daily notification about what you should run tomorrow. 📅 My next training plan will definitely be customised again, although I've learnt a lot from the Strava training plan. 📈🏃♂️
Journey to Bregenz and then to the start in Lindau
The journey was super easy - we got on the Railjet in Attnang Puchheim and travelled to Bregenz in just over 5 hours without changing trains. The journey home was similarly relaxed, although we had to change trains twice, which I personally didn't find too bad. 🏡🚉🚉
The journey from Bregenz to the start in Lindau was perfectly organised with the boat transfer between the ports 🚢 or with the regional express train from Bregenz station via Lindau Island to Lindau. 🌊🚂 There were also special trains to get all athletes to the start on time. 🕒🏃♀️🏃♂️
You could drop off your luggage at the start, which was then transported to the finish by lorry so that you could pick it up again. 🧳🚚
Unfortunately, everything turned out differently for me
That was probably it for the marathon - my thoughts 2 weeks before the start and that's how it turned out. 😔 I was in the middle of training and suddenly it was there. A cold. 🤧 As I'd actually really caught it and had symptoms up until 3 days before the marathon, I decided not to take the big risk and not run the 3-country marathon. 🏃♂️ As we had already planned our stay and everything had been finalised, I naturally went along to support Michael and Simon mentally and to concentrate fully on filming. 🎥 It was a great atmosphere and all the more unbelievably sad not to have been a finisher. 😞
But I'm looking forward to the next opportunity when it's time to start the Sparkasse 3-Länder-Marathon again! 🙌🏃♂️🏁
Our summary of the weekend trip to Bregenz and Lindau
The journey by train was a little long, but also pretty relaxed - so nobody had to take over the driving and we were able to drive to Bregenz in comfort. 🚆 When we arrived in Bregenz, we went straight to the festival theatre to pick up our race numbers, which was very easy to get to from the train station. 🏢
The next day, we travelled directly to the starting point on the regional express train and were immediately greeted by live music and a great atmosphere. 🎶 There were also running enthusiasts along the entire route who cheered on all the athletes tirelessly. 👏👟
Around 8500 participants were at the start, and the run was perfect for record hunters or connoisseurs. Hardly any metres in altitude and a wonderful view - what more could you want? 🌄
We found the organisation to be very successful in all respects and everything ran smoothly for us. 👍
I thought it was a real shame that I couldn't take part - but who knows - maybe we'll see each other at the start in 2024? 🏃♀️🏃♂️🏁
The quarter marathon lap on Komoot:
Further recommendation:
If you liked the report, then you might also like my contribution about the animal welfare run 2023 in the Prater Hauptallee in Vienna
Smartwatch: 
Smartphone: 
Headphones: 
Work tool: 
Backpack: 
Drinking bottle: 
Running shoes: 
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