Retz. What is a comfortable excursion destination for most people will become the venue for an extraordinary ultramarathon for Lukas Baumgartner on June 9, 2026: The Weinviertel native plans to complete a total of 2,070 laps on the observation deck of the Retz town hall tower starting at 4 a.m. – a distance of around 75 kilometers. What makes this ultramarathon in Retz so special: Instead of running outdoors, Baumgartner will be running in circles – high above the main square of his hometown.
The number 2,070 is no coincidence: it corresponds to the ZIP code of Retz, the small wine town in Lower Austria. With this symbolic gesture, the grammar school teacher wants to pay special tribute to his hometown.
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Ultramarathon Retz: From 4 AM until the afternoon
The plan is to start at 4:00 AM, and Baumgartner aims to reach the goal around 2:00 PM. To do this, he must circle the observation deck in a confined space for 10 hours – high above Retz's main square. The distance of each lap is short, but the several thousand repetitions make the endeavor a challenge for body and mind.
Ultrarunning challenges of this kind, where not the wilderness but a single unusual location becomes the venue, are gaining popularity in the running community. They test not only the condition, but above all the mental strength of the athletes.
Baumgartner's last challenge was „Backyard Ultra“ - a running format that is becoming increasingly popular in the ultramarathon scene in Austria and worldwide. The rules of Backyard Ultra are to cover a distance of exactly 6.706 kilometers every hour. The next lap starts after each hour. Anyone who does not finish a lap on time or does not start is eliminated. Baumgartner completed a distance of 181 kilometers in 27 hours in the Austrian version of this ultramarathon format - a more than impressive feat.
City of Retz supports ultramarathon project
The unusual project is made possible by the municipality of Retz, to whom „lukasbaumi“ thanks for the approval and support on Instagram. The platform of the town hall tower, one of the most striking landmarks in the Weinviertel region, will become a running track on June 9th.
Anyone who wants to support Lukas Baumgartner in his endeavor or cheer him on during the marathon can visit him on Tuesday, June 9th, starting in the early morning hours at Hauptplatz Retz.
Who is ultramarathon runner Lukas Baumgartner?
More of Lukas himself is on the podcast „Endurance and adrenaline“to hear. For a more detailed insight into his daily life, it is also worth visiting his Instagram page to drop by.
