There will be no professional African athletes invited to this edition of the Luxembourg marathon. (Photo: Nader Ghavami/Maison Moderne/Archive)

There will be no professional African athletes invited to this edition of the Luxembourg marathon. (Photo: Nader Ghavami/Maison Moderne/Archive)

With roughly four weeks to go until the ING Night Marathon in Luxembourg City, around 4,000 places to take part in the event are still open.

Normally sold out well in advance, the first edition of the ING marathon since the outbreak of the pandemic on 28 May has so far attracted 12,000 runners, well below the 16,000 slots available.

“We know that the marathon is the biggest party in Luxembourg City. This year, we will do everything to make it the best ever,” said Erich François, director and founder of Step by Step, the company organising the marathon. 

Still, he had to concede that registrations are below past years. “Usually, we sell out as early as February,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday. Registration is set to remain open until 10 May.

Other European events have suffered the same pandemic setback. But international runners aren’t staying away. “In this respect, we are in the same league as in the last few editions. There will be runners from 42 countries,” said François, adding that groups weren’t able to organise as they did in past years.

“Running may be an individual sport, but we train as a group. And in recent months this has not been the case. As a result, those who usually train together, motivate each other, push each other, are, for many, not there. Moreover, if we compare with the last editions, most of the half-marathoners are missing,” he said.

Erich François presented the 15th edition of his marathon on Tuesday 3 May.  (Photo: Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne)

Erich François presented the 15th edition of his marathon on Tuesday 3 May.  (Photo: Romain Gamba/Maison Moderne)

The company has a budget of €1.6m and employs five full-time staff year-round. “We never thought of cancelling this edition or even stopping,” said François. “This marathon is my baby!”

The course has changed

A baby that will change a lot in 2022, with a new course. “Simply because we had to integrate the tram,” said François. “Is the course now harder than before? I don't know... The total difference in altitude remains the same, but there might be some faster sections than before.”

No African pro athletes invited

Another big change for the 2022 edition is the absence of professional runners from the African continent. No Ethiopian or Kenyan athletes will be invited to race in Luxembourg. “They can come on their own and register to participate like everyone else, but we don’t pay for the plane ticket or the hotel. This is not a decision taken for economic reasons. Rather, it was for health reasons. Everything was not clear in terms of vaccination, administrative documents to be provided, etc.”

In addition to the marathon (42.195km), six other races will be on the programme: the half-marathon (21.0975km), the Team Run (four relay runners for the marathon), the 5k for Success (5km), two "mini marathons" for children (4km and 1km), and the Roll & Run (7.3km), for people with reduced mobility. All without pandemic constraints. “But we have taken the initiative to offer a mask at the end of the races to all those who wish to do so,” said François.