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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. We were there as spectators at this year's Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024. It was an incredible achievement by all the participants. It was a really great experience and a superbly organised event.
We were able to support a participant a little, accompany her on the Feuerkogel and ask her a few questions after the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024. What her preparation was like, how she fared both physically and mentally and what the experience was like for her.
Directions and parking
It is worth mentioning here that whether you are a visitor or a participant, the best option is to come by public transport. The connections for this are marvellous. Take the train to the railway station in Gmunden first. If you are a half-distance participant, you can change trains and continue to Ebensee. If you are a visitor or are starting one of the races in Gmunden, a tram will take you from the railway station directly to Rathausplatz, where the race starts.
Programme and procedure
You could register for four different races, each of which earned my utmost respect. Whether it was one of the two half-mountain marathons, the Raiffeisen overall marathon or the charity hike.
- Raiffeisen overall marathon: 63 kilometres and an incredible 4500 metres in altitude
- Fural half distance Gmunden - Ebensee: 33 kilometres and 2500 metres in altitude
- Innotech half distance Ebensee - Gmunden: 30 kilometres and around 2000 metres in altitude
- Charity hike for a good cause: a boat trip from the town hall square to Altmünster followed by a hike towards Gmundnerberg.
Programme of the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024
- 02:40 h Runner briefing for the full marathon - stage area Rathausplatz
- 03:00 h Start for the Raiffeisen overall marathon
- 04:40 h Runner briefing for the Fural half distance - stage area Rathausplatz
- 05:00 a.m. Start Fural Half Marathon
- 08:15 am Runner briefing Innotech Half Marathon - Start/ Finish Ebensee Trauneck
- 10:00 a.m. Start of the charity hike at Rathausplatz Gmunden
- 08:30 a.m. Start Innotech Half Marathon
- from 10:30 am Finish line - the first runners are expected to cross the finish line
- 6:00 pm Award ceremony
Directions and key data
I will only give you a brief insight here. I will list the mountains I know and give you a rough overview of the route. For a more detailed route overview and description of the route, just have a look at the Traunsee Bergmarathon page - here you will find a great overview of the competitions and other information you need for this event. HERE is the route description!
Raiffeisen overall marathon Gmunden - Gmunden
The start was at 03:00 in the morning in Gmunden on the town square, and the finish was set for 19:30. By then, 63 kilometres and 4500 metres of altitude had to be covered.
We started in Gmunden at the town hall square. The first stop led via the Ortnersteig to the Grünberg and on to the Naturfreundesteig on the Traunstein. Via the Mair-Alm-Steig downhill to the Kaisertisch, the Spitzelsteinalm and the refreshment stop in Ebensee - half time.
Now it gets really tough again, the ascent to the Feuerkogel is the next stop. From the plateau of the Feuerkogel, head north into the Langbathtal valley, descend to the „Kreh“ refreshment stop and on to the Hochsteinalm. The route now leads into the Mühlbachtal valley, up the Grasberg and, as the last mountain station, up the Gmundnerberg to the former Naturfreundehaus. Now all that remains is the descent to Altmünster and along the Esplanade in Gmunden to the finish.
Fural half distance Gmunden - Ebensee
The start was at 05:00 in the morning in Gmunden on the town square, and the finish was set for 15:00 in Ebensee. By then, 33 kilometres and 2500 metres of altitude had to be covered.
We started in Gmunden at the town hall square. The first stop led via the Ortnersteig to the Grünberg and on to the Naturfreundesteig on the Traunstein. Via the Mair-Alm-Steig downhill to the Kaisertisch, to the Spitzelsteinalm. The hiking trail led back downhill to the village of Rindbach. The route continued to the finish in Ebensee at the town hall square.
Innotech half distance Ebensee - Gmunden
The start was at 08:30 in the morning in Ebensee and the finish was set for 19:30 in Gmunden at the town hall square. By then, 30 kilometres and 2000 metres of altitude had to be covered.
The half-mountain marathon leads from the start in Ebensee Trauneck via the Kalvarienberg on the hiking trail to the Feuerkogel. From the plateau of the Feuerkogel, the route heads north into the Langbathtal valley, descending to the „Kreh“ refreshment point and on to the Hochsteinalm. The route now leads into the Mühlbachtal valley, up the Grasberg and, as the last mountain station, up the Gmundnerberg to the former Naturfreundehaus. Now all that remains is the descent to Altmünster and along the Esplanade in Gmunden to the finish.
Charity hike as part of the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024
The 15th charity walk took place this year. For an entry fee of at least €30 (all of which is donated to a good cause), the walk starts at 10.00 am on the day of the mountain marathon from Gmunden's town hall square.
Boat trip from the town hall square to Altmünster. Then a leisurely hike with two refreshment stops in the direction of Gmundnerberg, along the original mountain marathon route to Gmunden, past the Eggerhaus and over the Pensionatsberg, down to the lake. Continue along the esplanade to the finish at the town hall square.
What else awaits you at the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024
Info on refreshment points
- Traunstein memorial stone
- Traunstein
- Imperial table
- Karbach
- Spitzlstein
- Ebensee
- Feuerkogel
- Kreh
- Mühlbach valley
- Grasberg
- Gmundnerberg
Luggage transport
The Katherl company provided luggage transport between Gmunden - Ebensee - Gmunden for all routes. The lorry was parked in Ebensee Trauneck and at Gmunden Rathausplatz at the start - here you could drop off a rucksack/bag and pick it up again after the races.
Conclusion from a participant of the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024
As promised, you will now get a little insight into what it feels like to train for such an event and how proud you can be of yourself when you've made it. I would also like to briefly mention the incredible and, for ME, superhuman achievement of everyone who ran the Fural, the Innotech or the overall marathon - I take my hat off to each and every one of them.
Preparation
A difficult topic, as the participant is generally an active and sporty person. She has been walking and climbing all kinds of mountains for years, runs her laps several times a week and, as if that wasn't enough, she is also very active on her racing bike. The closer she got to the mountain marathon, the more intense and longer these activities became - the workload and speed increased and expanded.
What else you should know about the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024
Equipment
Let's start from the beginning: The start time of the Raiffeisen Overall Marathon is at 03:00 in the morning. Going to bed early to get enough sleep should be obvious to everyone. But what do you actually need, or what should you definitely think about? A must is a headlamp, which the organiser requires you to carry. Other mandatory items are: sturdy shoes, mobile phone, first aid kit, rescue whistle, 1-litre drinking bottle, headgear and a rain jacket.
But what else should you take with you? What else did our runner have in her luggage? Her running poles were a must, and she had a headband as well as her cap for the morning hours. A small snack in case she felt faint would also be an advantage, and there was also room for salt tablets in her rucksack. You can also wear a sports watch for the joy afterwards and to visualise what you have just achieved.
Experience
Now we come to a point that was very important to our participant. Of course, you need to have a certain basic level of fitness to be able to do something like this. But in addition to the physical aspect, mental willpower is also extremely important. She provided the best example: well prepared and yet there are days that are simply not so good. From Gmunden to the refreshment station in Ebensee, our runner was not at her best. Everything was fine in terms of air quality and her legs were also doing great, but she realised that something wasn't quite right. She really struggled until the halfway point and even considered giving up.
Now it was time to take a deep breath and reflect in Ebensee - after all, only 50 % had been completed. More than most people would manage, so you can stop and still be proud of this achievement. But she wanted to complete the entire Traunsee mountain marathon. So she clenched her arse cheeks, took a deep breath and fought. Her willpower was so great, her mental strength was simply amazing and it was worth it. She was better than ever in the second half. She even made up the lost time, even though it had already reached almost 28 degrees. I would probably have given up at this point at the latest and thought - one half marathon is enough. It takes a bit more than just being physically fit.
The time afterwards
Still full of adrenaline and overjoyed, she joined her friends and family after crossing the finish line. After 63 kilometres and 4500 metres in altitude, she was allowed to sit down for a moment and then went straight into the Traunsee to refresh herself. Then the first muscle aches and pains set in and every step was more strenuous than normal. When she got home, it was time for a relaxing bath and then onto the couch. She found it a little harder than usual to fall asleep as her legs were throbbing, as she told us.
The next day was just for relaxing. She had aching muscles in her legs and shoulders the next day from walking with the poles. But what can you say? Just 2 days later, she could no longer stand the rest and started her first run after the Traunsee Mountain Marathon 2024.
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Running events are right up your street? Then be sure to check out our article „Traunsee Half Marathon 2024: Running into the sunset - a mega experience“ to.
Smartwatch: 
Smartphone: 
Headphones: 
Work tool: 
Backpack: 
Drinking bottle: 
Running shoes: 
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