My first marathon - the 3-country marathon on Lake Constance

I took the plunge and completed my first marathon! It went from Lindau (DE) to St. Margrethen (CH) and finally to the finish line in Bregenz (AT).

Long awaited and now finally done: my first marathon! I wanted to take part in the 3-country marathon last year, but a bad cold put a spanner in the works. Unfortunately, I was also ill again at the Vienna Marathon in spring 2024. But this time everything just fell into place! Fit and healthy, I stood at the starting line in Lindau full of euphoria and could hardly wait to get going.

Travel and accommodation for the 3-country marathon

This time we decided to travel by car, as we wouldn't have been home until midnight on Sunday if we had travelled by train. We arrived relaxed by car in Dornbirn on Friday evening, where we stayed overnight until Sunday. The connection to Bregenz by train was uncomplicated: We were there in about ten minutes to pick up our race number on Saturday and get to Lindau for the marathon start on Sunday.

Race number distribution and pasta party in Bregenz

You could easily pick up your race number at the Festspielhaus Bregenz on Friday, Saturday and even on Sunday morning. There was also a sports fair on site as well as a cosy pasta party for the runners. Anyone who had ordered a T-shirt when purchasing their ticket could also pick it up directly. The fair offered a large selection of sporting goods and I spontaneously bought a race number belt so that I could run with my running rucksack and a jacket - it was going to be a bit chilly.

My training plan for the 3-country marathon

To be honest, my participation in the 3-country marathon was rather spontaneous. Although I really wanted to take part at the beginning of the year, I put off registering for a long time. I then ran a relaxed ultramarathon in the summer (you can find the report here) and I've been training in streak running since September. As I want to compete in the Backyard Ultra again on 2 November and my goal is at least 70 km, I decided without further ado to simply use the 3-country marathon as a test event for the ultra. I configured my Garmin accordingly for the ultra marathon, added the Lake Constance run as an intermediate stage - and there I was at the marathon start on Lindau Island. In short: I was prepared, but I didn't have any specific marathon training for time.

An unforgettable experience: the 3-country marathon

Guys, I'm telling you: The marathon was simply brilliant! My target time was 3:30, so I set a pace of 4:50 per kilometre right at the start. The tactic was to run between 4:50 and 4:55 for as long as possible. If my energy levels dropped at the end, I could then run to the finish relaxed at a pace of 5:00 to 5:15 - and still achieve the time. And what can I say? It worked! I crossed the finish line with a final time of 3:29:10.

On the way, I noticed that another runner was running almost exactly my pace. After kilometre 19, we spoke briefly and introduced ourselves: Tobias and I decided to push each other and stick to our tactics. Unofficially, we took it in turns to run to the refreshment stations, each of us only targeting every second one. The person who paused briefly then had the incentive to catch up again.

Unfortunately, our team string broke at kilometre 35 and Tobias ran a few metres ahead. In the end, he reached the finish at around 3:27 and was waiting for me there. Hats off to his fantastic performance!

The route itself is also a highlight: the view of Lake Constance and the people along the route made the run entertaining and really fun. And how often can you claim to have run through three countries?

„Eli, well, I couldn't do that.“

Eli, I couldn't live vegan. Eli, I could never study alongside my full-time job. Eli, I could never run like you (I'm only a hobby runner myself 😂). And anyway, where do you get your time from?

This is all bullshit, of course. Of course you can - if you really want to. It just takes a lot of work, discipline and the ability to push through when others would give up. However, there is of course no miracle cure.

And the time? Of course you have time and you know that - you just have to make the most of it. Even if you sleep for 8 hours, you still have 16 hours that you simply have to organise optimally. (PS: if you are interested in audiobooks I can offer you „Can't Hurt Me - David Goggins“ or „Be Useful - Arnold Schwarzenegger“ on Audible in connection with self-discipline and overcoming personal limits). Get your free Audible trial month here.

Three years ago, I weighed 25 kilos more and could barely run 2 kilometres in under 25 minutes. Of course, I still have my first running record: just over 2 km at a pace of 12:30 minutes per kilometre. And now? After a lot of sweat and blood, I crossed the finish line in Bregenz in an absolutely fantastic time for me.

My equipment for the 3-country marathon

✅ Running shoes: ASICS - Magic Speed 2 (you can find the shoe here)
✅ Running shirtLenzing TENCEL running shirt (one of a kind, not available in stores)
✅ Running trousersNike Retro (model unfortunately no longer available)
✅ Running rucksack: Salomon - Sense Pro 2 (A bit older, but you can find a similar model here)
✅ Iso drink: Dextro Energy Iso Fast (I had it in the bottles in my running rucksack)
✅ Headphones: Apple AirPods Pro 2 (you can find the headphones here)
✅ Running watch: Garmin Forerunner 965 (you can find the watch here)

Summary of the 3-country marathon on Lake Constance

The 3-country marathon was an incredible experience! The route, the atmosphere and the challenge of running through three countries made this day unforgettable for me. I am proud to have reached my target time and to have collected many wonderful memories. One thing is for sure: we'll see each other again!

All photos in the article by Michael Wunsch

Further recommendation

If you are interested in other runs, then be sure to check out my report ,Austria Back Yard Ultra in Kirchdorf in Tirol - My first Ultra‘ pure.