I (Accidentally) Dropped an Austrian Run Club — Running in Vienna

Finding a run club in Vienna, Austria was supposed to be straightforward. I was on a train headed there from Munich, feeling confident after finding running partners in Switzerland and Germany. But Austria was about to throw me a curveball that nearly broke the whole challenge.

Two Problems in Vienna

I arrived in Vienna with two major issues. First, a local had warned me that the city could be rough — I had been told that people get beaten up just by showing up to certain areas. Second, and more critically for the challenge, I only had one run scheduled during my time in Vienna, and I had absolutely zero clue who I was going to run with. I had been sending DMs all day, even reaching out to some professional runners in the area, and posting on my Instagram story asking if anyone in Vienna wanted to run. No bites.

Running Through the Kipchoge Sub-2 Course

While searching for a running partner, I started my 12-mile run from a park across the street from my hotel. What was supposed to be a simple loop turned into a city-wide exploration when the park loops were only about a kilometer each. I started running off through Vienna and eventually stumbled upon something incredible — the course where Eliud Kipchoge ran his legendary sub-two-hour marathon. A runner named Thomas, who was training for the Vienna City Half Marathon, pointed me in the right direction. Running along that historic stretch was an experience I will never forget. You could feel the significance of what happened there.

The Desperate DM at 11 PM

After my run, I still had not found anyone to officially run with. I was running out of time. That night, I made a decision to flip my scheduled off day — moving it to my time in Vienna so I could have an extra day to find someone. But the real breakthrough came at 11 PM when a guy named Maxmillion finally responded to my Instagram DM. He owned a run club called Salty Sports, and he sent me the information, alerted his team I was coming, and just like that, I had a plan for the next morning.

The Salty Sports Run Club

The next morning I headed to the Salty Sports Run Club. When I arrived, I was not expecting what I found — the club was diverse, energetic, and incredibly welcoming. I met a runner named Sava who was from Austria and had been coming to the club regularly. They told me that on Sundays, they usually do a long run, and the group ranged from casual joggers to serious competitors. We ran together through the streets of Vienna, and the atmosphere was electric. People were genuinely happy to have a visitor from America join them.

Accidentally Dropping the Run Club

Here is where things got interesting — and where the title of this video comes from. During the run with the Salty Sports club, I accidentally started pushing the pace. As a D1 distance runner, my easy pace is faster than most recreational runners’ tempo efforts. I was not trying to show off or drop anyone. I was just running at what felt comfortable to me, and before I knew it, the group had thinned out behind me. It was one of those moments where you realize the gap between collegiate competitive running and recreational running is bigger than you think. I felt terrible about it, but the group was incredibly gracious. They laughed it off and we regrouped at the finish.

What Vienna Taught Me About Flexibility

Vienna was the country that almost broke the challenge. I had to flip my entire schedule, reach out to dozens of strangers, and make a last-minute connection at 11 PM just to find someone to run with. But that is the beauty of a challenge like this — it forces you to be flexible, creative, and persistent. The running community, even across international borders, is filled with people who are willing to open their doors to a stranger who just wants to share some miles. I left Vienna grateful for the Salty Sports crew and with a reminder that the best experiences often come from the moments when your original plan falls apart.

Running with strangers abroad became one of my favorite parts of this trip. See how the whole European running challenge started when I first trained in Europe.