Challenge Completed: Marathon Races in All 16 Federal States of Germany

I’ve always liked to play. There’s this saying “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” — if that’s true I’m definitely a young person albeit having been here for 41 years.

Making running more fun by introducing games into it has been a guaranteed bringer of joy to me in these past 17 years I’ve been a runner. There have been several different games, such as collecting all streets in my city, going on a run streak, and I consider the tough long races outside of my comfort zone a type of game as well. To me, these are basically quests to solve.

• How can I make sure not to fail?
• What factors are under my control?
• How do I best adapt?

It’s fun to try and find solutions to the inevitable problems that arise during multi-hour mountain races. My engineer brain gets activated.

Another way in which I’ve added fun to my running has been to collect sets of races. One of my earliest and also longest quests has been to run all capital city marathon races of the then 28 European Union member countries. It took me seven years (2011–2018) and was one of the big projects I’ll never forget. I learned so much about the world around me by doing it.

From it emerged an unplanned completed set, the six World Marathon Majors, which I completed by running Tokyo Marathon in 2026. Well, it wasn’t fully unplanned, of course. I just noticed how after having done the Berlin and London Marathons as part of the EU set, I had already checked off a third of the six. Years later, I accidentally qualified for Boston Marathon and decided not to let the chance pass by. And when an opportunity arose to also run the most sought after marathon race ever, the New York City marathon, I was suddenly only missing two more to get the World Marathon Majors medal. At that point I made the decision to go after it by running Chicago and Tokyo Marathon as well.

The conception of the set that’s central to this blog post — my marathon races in all sixteen federal states of Germany, was of similar origin as the Majors. At one point I basically realized I already did quite a few of the sixteen so I looked into the remaining ones and made actual plans to complete marathons in them too.

I can’t really say when exactly that happened, but my guess is that I was probably already about halfway there. Germany really has a lot of great races to offer! Which is the reason for me to put the list together: as inspiration if you’re looking for an interesting race in some corner of this diverse country. Of course my list is by no means complete: there are many more amazing races in this country I’d love to one day run, too.

What I’ll do is list the states here, in chronological order of the first marathon I did in them each. I’ll describe the marathon race for you, including my personal experience I had at it, and if possible, add a little review of other races I did in that state later on, just for the pure fun.

Let’s go!

State 1 of 16: Hamburg

Hamburg Marathon, April 25 of 2010

This is the race that started it all for me. Ill-prepared, completely naïve, I somehow made it to the finish line and kicked off what would become one of my most beloved ways to spend time: running long distances.

The race has recently celebrated its 40th edition and I’ve been a finisher of it for eleven times at the time of writing. Especially in the past couple of years the event has made a leap in quality and overall vibe, I witnessed. It somehow feels like a proper big metropolis marathon now, and a really good one at that. Sure, I’m biased here, it’s my hometown, but on the other hand I’ve seen and done quite a few city marathons over the years to compare it to. Hamburg Marathon hits the sweet spot right now. It’s not too big yet, neither too small. Crowd size and support is great along many stretches of the route, but there are some parts where you’re getting a quiet breather as well. It’s balanced so well that you find yourself neither longing for either of it. The ticket price isn’t insanely high but you still get a lot of bang for your buck here. A diverse route is leading you through lots of really beautiful parts of the city, many of them lined with trees — lots of green nature. One of the highlights that is better than 95% of races I’ve been to is the food and beverage selection you’re presented with after the finish line. Great volunteers as well, lots of space to move before the start and after the finish, all very accessible via public transport.

It’s difficult to find anything wrong with Hamburg Marathon for me. I tried but can’t think of anything. I’ve heard some people didn’t like the taste of electrolyte mix at the aid stations, but I’m not going to let that count. Some prefer cherry taste, some orange, some neutral — just take what’s there or bring your own. The nutrients in it were on point and there’s always enough of it available. Late April in Hamburg can present you with extreme weather, though. There’s has been hail and temperatures just above freezing and we also had heat festivals. Overall, it’s mostly mild though, laying the foundation for fast times.

Extra Credit in Hamburg

Apart from the eleven finishes I did at the main marathon here, I’ve also taken part in five other marathon runs in this city. Four of them were very small ones with fewer than one hundred participants and put together by the “100 Marathon Club” or former members of it. The fifth one was the marathon bit at the end of the IRONMAN Hamburg long distance triathlon I did back in 2017 and 2019 and will likely do again at some point. That course was a four-loop one leading up and down the eastern side of the central Alster river. Good choice, great for crowds to cheer, and lots of aid stations available. Can’t complain there.

Here are the other four, all from the folks at 100 Marathon Club.

1. Öjendorfer See Marathon 2018
2. Elbtunnel Marathon 2019
3. Sülldorfer Feldmark Marathon 2019
4. Billwerder Bucht Marathon 2019

These were designed so people could easily collect marathons, because that’s what they do at the club. Entry fees are usually super low but you’d still get water and some carbohydrate-rich drinks for it. The courses consist of multiple laps to make it easier to staff. At one of them, they even just had a paper list and box of medals at the finish, requiring you to write down your own finishing time when you were done, take the medal on your own, and head home. Oddly fun!

The “Elbtunnel Marathon” I was lucky enough to catch in 2019 was different and unique, because it happened fully underneath the surface, in the old tunnel below our river Elbe. We had to do 48 laps of both tunnel tubes and it was only possible because in that year there was a short time window where both were open at the same time. The renovations of them have taken the better part of the past decade. This special event pulled in a bunch more runners, requiring electronic lap counting with a display. It was really well done and I’d love to do it again some day.

State 2 of 16: Berlin

Berlin Marathon, September 29 of 2013

Early on when I got into marathons, I think even before Hamburg, Berlin Marathon was the most attractive race in Germany to me. I vaguely remember making plans with the drummer in my Saarbrücken-based punk band back in 2007 or 2008 to one day run it together.

It’s the capital city with twice as many inhabitants as my own hometown, it has this incredibly rich history and it’s the point where the eastern and western cultural hemispheres meet. And not to forget, the race has all these world records and each year draws the biggest international athletes to compete. I feel compelled to add that Eliud Kipchoge, one of the greatest marathoners of all time who ran multiple world records in Berlin, chose Hamburg for his debut marathon, though!

Berlin Marathon is a beast. It’s the largest race in the country and even once was the one with the most finishers globally. These days the numbers hover around the 50,000 people mark. It is huge, it’s full, it’s messy. Getting a ticket has become incredibly hard and the situation is not improving. Berlin is sought-after not just from Germans, but from people from all over the world. The ticket price has made jumps in recent years and it’s more than twice as expensive as Hamburg, for example.

It’s Berlin, though. I think it’s worth it to go through the hassle once. I took the opportunity to run it twice — once in 2013 and then in 2025 but it’s not a race I’d be dying to repeat as often as possible, as Hamburg is. It’s special and everything basically works with few tiny exceptions like the chaotic and claustrophobic starting blocks, and it’s especially great if you’re fast and plan on breaking your personal best. For every thinkable pace you’ll have many others who run at the same one, so you’re never on your own. Just need to get lucky with the weather: Berlin is often rather hot at the end of September.

I have not done any other races on Berlin soil as of yet, but a big one is still on my bucket list: The Berliner Mauerweg Lauf, a 100 miler along the former border of West Berlin when the city used to be divided by the Berlin Wall. That’s a race to experience German history as well as test your endurance.

State 3 of 16: Schleswig-Holstein

Elbe-Lübeck-Kanal Ultramarathon, March 3 of 2017

My neighboring state to the north, the one that shares a border with Denmark. The state is very flat and the stereotype of the people is that of a relaxed, easy-going outdoorsy person. Both the Baltic and the North Sea coasts are here and there are a bunch of islands just off the coast.

My first race here was also my first ever ultramarathon. A race with a distance of 61 kilometers (38 miles) along the flat canal that connects the Elbe river to the city of Lübeck. It was a small event for just around 30–40 participants, but lovingly put together and a great first ultra for me. Unfortunately you can’t sign up anymore because it ceased to exist.

There are a bunch of other good races though.

Extra Credit in Schleswig-Holstein

The island of Föhr in the North Sea, reachable via a thirty minute ferry ride, offers a good one. The size of the island is just big enough that you don’t need to do many parts twice, and it’s absolutely flat except for a tiny three meter elevation gain section where the people living near it put up signs saying “beware of the upcoming KILLER RAMP!” — humor is on point and you really feel welcome. The only issue can be the wind as there is no way of hiding from it. Teaming up with other runners and taking turns can help.

Then, we have Plöner See Marathon, around a lake which is quite centrally located within the state, but unfortunately it has been discontinued, too.

I do have two more ones for you which are bigger and exist. Firstly, Flensburg Marathon. Flensburg calls the race “Flensburg liebt dich Marathon” which means Flensburg loves you. How nice is that! The city is right at the border with Denmark in the far north and vibes are great. You run along the coast and it’s completely flat, too. I’ve done it multiple times and in recent years have been doing pacemaking duties at it, too. I can’t recommend this one enough.

And secondly, there’s Lübeck Marathon, another beautiful city. It’s located a bit removed from the coast, but they made up for that fact by having the route go right down to the beach and back up again into the city center. Not the most wonderful choice, because you will run on a highway-type broad and long straight road for a fairly large amount, but Lübeck itself is a good place to be. And the race is a proper one, definitely worth the experience. Combine it with a day in Travemünde, were the beach turning point is located.

State 4 of 16: Bayern / Bavaria

Challenge Roth Marathon, July 9 of 2017

From the northernmost parts we’re now moving down towards the south. Technically, my first full marathon race in the state happened at the end of the Challenge Roth long distance triathlon I did in 2017 for the first time. Roth is located not far from Nuremberg in the northern regions of Bavaria, where people identify as Franconians instead of Bavarians. The triathlon is often counted as the biggest in world in terms of spectator crowds. The whole region comes together, the numbers exceed 300,000 people regularly. I loved the experience, it was an incredibly welcoming atmosphere. 7,000 volunteers helped 3,500 athletes like me along the way. There’s a wait list for volunteers, people are so keen on being part of it. The marathon course is simple and big parts are boring on paper, but the crowds make you forget about that. Easily a Top 10 marathon experience for me.

Extra Credit in Bavaria

The obvious one is the official Munich Marathon. In my opinion the city is wonderful and always worth a visit. The marathon race in it does not live up to the greatness of Munich, though. There have been internal problems and during the past couple of years mistakes happened and at one point it wasn’t even certain they would hold another edition recently. The obstacles seem to have been overcome since, but it’s still far away from other big city marathons in terms of overall vibes. Some aspects are well done though, and that is the start and finish in the 1972 Olympics stadium, as well as a diverse routing along famous sights but also the quiet and green English Garden. Worth the trip if you live in Germany? I’d still say so. Just don’t expect too much of it.

Then, we have the massive Zugspitz Ultratrail, a race around Wettersteingebirge, home to Germany’s highest mountain, Zugspitze. It doesn’t involve a climb to the top of it, thankfully. But still, the full loop is difficult with its 100 kilometers of length and around 6,000 meters of elevation gain. I finished the race in 2024 in just over 19 hours. Last year it has been bought by the huge UTMB company and subsequently prices have been hiked up, but the nature remains the same. It’s beautiful, volunteers and crowds are great, the hosting city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is right out of a fairytale, and you can easily spend a few weeks of a great holiday surrounding the race. Definitely a recommendation.

Secret Bonus: Munich Breweries Ultra

Although this one won’t add a proper race result to your list, the amount of fun is hard to top. Born out of the pandemic, my friend Nico and I built this fun 80 kilometer community run through the city of Munich up to a fifty people event in 2025. The twist? We’ll run to all seven (soon to be eight) Munich Beer breweries and have a Hoibe each. A Hoibe is half a liter. The run has found lots of fans over the past six years and we were heartbroken to not be able to put together a 2026 issue, due to scheduling conflicts. Next year though, at some point in May of 2027, the sixth edition will definitely take place.

Sounds like fun? Sign up for the newsletter at munichbreweriesultra.beer to get notified when the next edition is happening!

State 5 of 16: Thüringen / Thuringia

Rennsteig Supermarathon, May 26 of 2018

If you’d like to get into ultra running in Germany, this is the one to try and see if it works for you. Not that much longer than a standard marathon with its 74 kilometers, and not too technical trail terrain, it’s a great beginner’s race. The run has a long tradition and is quite sought after, meaning, you need to hurry up to get tickets for next year’s edition as soon as possible. It’s also a big party both in the town of Eisenach which features the starting line, as well as on the big meadow in Schmiedefeld, place of the finish. Specialty foods at the aid stations such as cold blueberry porridge, mixed-gender eastern German shower halls, saunas, shuttle services, everything is taken care of. There’s also a shorter marathon race distance option available. In my opinion, this is a very repeatable event and everyone who’s into running long distance in Germany should think about coming here. Find more information in my blog post about it.

Extra Credit: Erfurt Marathon

The city of Erfurt is the capital of Thüringen and quite a pretty one. There’s an eastern German architecture mix: lovely old cobblestone streets but also some concrete brutalism. The center has streetcars which I think is great. The marathon race has a DIY vibe to it and when I joined it has just been their 10th edition, so it’s relatively new. The course was unusual and offered some trail sections and even hills in the middle of it, but also classic city streets. Very diverse! I remember that the signage wasn’t super clear and I accidentally took a two-kilometer detour but still managed to finish in 8th place. There were fewer than a hundred participants I think. I had a great time and can only recommend this one, too. If you’d like to know more, I’ve written a blog post about this peculiar race.

State 6 of 16: Nordrhein-Westfalen / North Rhine-Westphalia

Baldeneysee Marathon, October 14 of 2018

Germany’s most populous state also has a lot of great marathon races to offer. My first one in this state was a classic with a long tradition. Baldeneysee Marathon, located at Lake Baldeney not far from the city of Essen. Wonderful nature, friendly volunteers, put together by people from the athletics club of the region. The odd thing is that it changes its full name every few years when a title sponsor switch happens. Right now it’s called the Westenergie Marathon, which can be confusing because “Baldeneysee” usually doesn’t even make it into the race name. Anyways, the run is lots of fun. Big enough to matter nation-wide, but small enough to not feel overwhelming or too crowded.

Extra Credit #1: Steinhart 666

Fun race with an amazing name. The number isn’t there to invoke Satan but to show the number of meters of elevation gain needed to overcome during the four-loop, 56 kilometer race. Located somewhat remotely near the town of Steinfurt – which is where the run gets its name – the whole region seemed to be very much into it. Many options to run shorter distances made it fun for the whole family. It’s not a street marathon but neither a trail run. It’s somewhere in between. And the finisher medal isn’t a medal but a stein, a heavy and red construction brick. So don’t forget your core workouts so you don’t look bad trying to lift it up!

Extra Credit #2: Wesel Marathon

I was searching for a race in cold January and this is the only one that came up. So I went there. The course was flat and as easy as it can be in freezing conditions, organization was done well, too, but other than that the race wasn’t one to write home about. Solid marathon, nothing more.

Extra Credit #3: Köln Marathon (Cologne)

The city of Cologne might be the most famous one in this state. With around one million citizens, it’s a big one. The Rhine river parts it into an eastern and a western half, and the big Kölner Dom cathedral is a well-known attraction which also plays a role in the marathon race. The finish line is set up in a way that allows for finisher photos to feature the massive building in the background. The course itself is flat and fast but features a bunch of turns. It’s not so susceptible to wind due to narrow streets lined with multi-story buildings. It’s a major-city marathon and lives up to what you would expect that to be. Perfect for a weekend trip involving some exploration of the city.

Extra Credit #4: Röntgenlauf Remscheid

Located in the hilly region of Bergisch-Gladbach, this ultra marathon of 63 kilometers has a rich tradition honoring the inventor of the X-ray, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who’s from around here. Just a tiny percentage of the course is on asphalt, most of it takes place on easy trails and non-asphalt roads through forests. The scenery is quite beautiful but the elevation profile can mess with you: the first half is a net downhill while the second one is mostly up. Sometimes you cross tiny villages, but the inhabitants of those seem to never miss the chance to cheer and help out. It’s tricky finding a fitting accommodation, though. Many of the cities around it aren’t as lovely and feature heavy industry.

State 7 of 16: Baden-Württemberg

Trail Marathon Heidelberg, October 6 of 2019

This was my first ever real trail ultra in my home country. The longest available distance here is around 50 kilometers, but 2,000 meters of gain aren’t nothing. It’s been a rainy day and therefore a mud-fest, but I could still tell how pretty everything was. The misty forests, the views, the friendly people. Also, the city of Heidelberg is a must-visit in Germany, as confirmed by legions of tourists every year. You can’t go wrong signing up here.

Extra Credit: Freiburg Marathon

Freiburg is the southwestern-most state capital in Germany and enjoys a very positive public image. Lots of students, pretty nature surrounding it, the Black Forest as well as France and Switzerland are located under an hour away, and the weather forecasts always seem to picture it with a sun symbol and the warmest temperatures in the whole country. It’s probably a good place to live. The official marathon race here was slightly underwhelming, though. Nothing went wrong and the people putting it together did a good job in general, but the course didn’t really show off what the city and its surroundings had to offer. Also, it’s a two-loop course. In general I like that because you’ll know exactly what you’ll get during the second half when you’re tired, but here it’s just more of the boring parts of the city. It’s flat and fast, though – so if you’re gunning for a PR, Freiburg might be a good choice. Its date early in March also fits well for those of us, who, like me, like to build for marathon fitness over the cold winter months.

State 8 of 16: Hessen / Hesse

Frankfurt Marathon, October 27 of 2019

After Berlin and Hamburg, Frankfurt is probably ranking third in terms of most well-known and beloved marathon races in the country. The amount of participants must also be up there in the tens of thousands. Frankfurt with its huge airport, skyscrapers, and financial center is one of the more international cities here, which makes for a fun experience. The marathon course is a bit odd and features a bunch of squiggly cobblestone roads in the historic city center as well as a long straight on a big road called Mainzer Landstraße. A few Main river crossings add some bridge-related elevation gain, but other than that it’s definitely a flat and fast route and very suitable for serious attempts at a new personal best. Frankfurt’s Festhalle concert hall serves as the iconic finish line, which makes for a special atmosphere. The city also has a lot to offer and is very convenient to reach via train or plane. Perfect for an extended weekend trip.

Extra Credit: Kassel Marathon

Although this is another two-lap marathon race, its course makes it far more interesting than Freiburg did. The area around Kassel, a very centrally located city of Germany, is hilly and diverse, and that is utilized well here. Start and finish line inside the relatively big football stadium are nice, too. I didn’t expect much going into it but was pleasantly surprised by this fun race. Not a fast course, though.

State 9 of 16: Sachsen / Saxony

Dresden Marathon, October 30 of 2022

One of the easternmost cities in the country, the capital of its state. Dresden itself is a gem with many historic buildings and worth a visit even without a marathon race. The Elbe river which also flows through my own city of Hamburg is a bit smaller here but the green meadows along its banks make for great walking and running. The course makes good use of them. It is a flat and fast race, too. Definitely worth a visit – the only issue for me is the high percentage of right-wing extremism voters which seems to be on the rise even still. If you plan to go but the blind hatred and misdirected anger isn’t for you either, choose a place in the Neustadt neighborhood to stay. It has the smallest percentage of people who currently would prefer a Nazi dictatorship to the democratic government in power. Tricky.

State 10 of 16: Niedersachsen / Lower Saxony

Hannover Marathon, March 26 of 2023

Another flat and fast state capital marathon. Hanover is often used by professional athletes to get new personal bests and also outright win the race, because in Berlin with its large international elite field that’s much more difficult to pull off. The race is another great example of a very solid event that doesn’t leave anything to be desired. Good organization, not too small and not too large, diverse and interesting course while still being easy and flat.

Now that I think about it, this was the first state I chose to run a marathon in just because it would add another checkmark to the list. The nine states before it were planned out of pure curiosity for the cities, regions, or races themselves. Although Hanover is basically around the corner from Hamburg with just over an hour on the train, I’m not sure I would have chosen the race if it would not have increased my Bundesland count by 1. But as it often goes, after having done it I’m very happy I did and would have come here without my list as well.

State 11 of 16: Bremen

Bremen Marathon, October 1 of 2023

One of the three city-states in Germany next to Hamburg and Berlin. Bremen’s marathon race is an unexpected winner, too. The city is small but lovely and the course features lots of highlights as well as a good chunk of the surrounding flat and green nature. The coolest thing is the lap inside the Weserstadion, a large football stadium home to SV Werder Bremen. You get to run into it, do a lap around the pitch and see yourself live on the large LED screen, and leave through a separate large exit. That’s unique! I have come back to run Bremen Marathon several times more after that first visit. Although that happened because I was asked to do pacemaking duties, I’m sure I would have repeated this race otherwise, too. A well-spent Sunday every year.

💚🤍🤎 Secret Bonus: BremenSanktPauli

Started in 2023, this 100-mile ultra marathon takes place every two years and leads from the Weserstadion in Bremen to the Millerntorstadion in Hamburg, home of FC Sankt Pauli. I’m one of the creators of it and play a large role in putting it together. While 2023 could have been considered a test event, we had close to 100 finishers in 2025 and are currently excited about planning the 2027 edition. If you’re interested in a DIY 50k, 100k, or 100-mile race in northern Germany, put together with lots of love, my very biased recommendation is to immediately head to www.bremensanktpauli.de and sign up for the notification service for when we’ll open the application form!

State 12 of 16: Rheinland-Pfalz / Rhineland-Palatinate

Bienwald Marathon, March 10 of 2024

I chose to run this marathon specifically in order to achieve a new personal best. And what can I say, it worked out perfectly. My blog post about finally cracking the magical three-hour barrier is the most-clicked one on my website to this day. The fact that it’s in another new state didn’t play a role in deciding for this race at all, but it’s been a welcome benefit. Bienwald is a forest area located at the town of Kandel, not far from the city of Karlsruhe. The course isn’t just super flat and on perfectly smooth asphalt, most of the roads are also lines with high trees, making winds not matter much. Runner friends of mine suggested it for exactly this reason, because it makes running a personal best quite easy. Although it’s a small event with far fewer than a thousand full marathon runners, it’s one of the oldest and longest running ones in the whole country, going on for 51 years at the time of writing. It should be mentioned that if you’re not trying to PB, the course will be quite boring to you. The area isn’t densely populated which means that crowd support is also not Bienwald’s strongest point. But since it’s so well suited for a fast run, I actually came back to run it another time for the same reason.

State 13 of 16: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Schweriner Seentrail, March 16 of 2024

This race has been recommended to me by a few friends on several separate occasions. The reason being it’s a fun trail route around the big lake next to the city of Schwerin, but also the laid-back and friendly organization of it. It’s a small race with just a few hundred participants, but the folks put real effort into it, making you feel welcome and appreciated. There’s no elevation to overcome worth mentioning, but it can be slippery and requires proper shoes offering strong grip. For me, it’s a very repeatable race but its March timing clashes with my usual early spring marathon preparation. I’m sure I’ll run it again someday.

Extra Credit: Rostock Marathon

Rostock is the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and high up in the north, close to the Baltic Sea. It’s a proper city but not among the largest ones of Germany. The race here is a special one because it takes place in the evening! Officially it’s called “Rostocker Marathon Nacht” because when you reach the finish line it’s completely dark. Getting through the day without spending too much energy isn’t easy, but it makes for a fun experiment. It’s probably not the best idea to try and go for a personal best here, though. There’s a long tunnel involved in the route with a significant elevation drop and gain, to be run twice. I remember that one to feel interesting but tedious at the same time. The inner city of Rostock is very pretty and the parts along the little port are quite pretty, too, but much of the route is honestly rather boring. Still worth it, mainly for the fun night run experience.

State 14 of 16: Saarland

Hartfüssler Trail, August 25 of 2024

Although I used to go to university and live in Saarland for a while, no race in it came across my radar on its own. In fact, it hadn’t been easy to find one at all. The main city, Saarbrücken, doesn’t offer a standard city marathon. The state is special in that it is super small and will sometimes be the butt of jokes. Historically, it also used to switch place between Germany and France so it sometimes seems like it doesn’t really belong with my home country. The hilly forest terrain makes it quite beautiful, though. So I was happy to finally find the Hartfüssler Trail ultra marathon, mainly because it would allow me to tick off the Saarland box on my list. But again this was a case of no regrets, because the race turned out to be absolutely worthwhile and enjoyable. Adventurous, even. Some small creek crossings got us wet knee-high, some hill descents turned out to be rather treacherous, and the dense forests sometimes had a jungle-style aspect to them. I really liked it here.

State 15 of 16: Sachsen-Anhalt / Saxony-Anhalt

Magdeburg Marathon, October 20 of 2024

After Hanover and Saarland, this has been the third marathon on the list I only did in order to check off the state it’s in. There isn’t much of a fuss surrounding Magdeburg Marathon, but as low expectations tend to cause, I was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful fall day with colorful leaves falling from the trees while still being comfortably warm. Parts of the course lead along the Elbe river and so I didn’t mind it being a two-lap marathon. The race center is located inside a huge exhibition hall and makes you think that thousands must be participating, but the marathon race just featured around 400 finishers. I think the half marathon they held at the same time was big. Free massages at the hall after the finish! Another upside was that Magdeburg did seem a lot less expensive to me compared to my home of Hamburg. Food at the restaurants was cheap but still great, I got a wonderful hotel room for little money, and the public transport on a tram cost next to nothing, too. All in all, a surprisingly good place to race a marathon.

State 16 of 16: Brandenburg

Spreewald Marathon, April 19 of 2026

Spreewald was on my mind for a while. The area is known for offering pretty and easy-going active vacation opportunities, but also for its delicious pickles. The Spreewaldgurken do really hit the sweet spot and the region is proud of it to the extent that they not only offer them to eat at the finish line, but even designed the finishers’ medals to be shaped like them. I wanted to run this race for many years but the date used to always clash with my prioritized Hamburg Marathon – until this year of 2026. So finally I was able to buy the ticket and drive over. The race was a lot bigger than I expected and draws the whole region to celebrate sports. In addition to the standard race distances such as marathon, half marathon, 10k, and 5k, they offered something new: a team bike-run marathon. Two people share one bike over the marathon distance, one runs and the other cycles. They can switch whenever they like, as often as they want. How fun! Lots of couples made use of the opportunity.

It was my first time in the Spreewald region and I can see why people love to come here for a vacation. The little creeks and canals, the dense green forests, the little wooden house villages – the vibe is quite relaxing here. The well-designed course was not suited for fast times and offered some uneven grounds but not enough to qualify as a trail race, but it was still a very nice experience. The towns are small, though, and we had trouble finding accommodation in the vicinity, so that’s something to consider ahead of time. Fun race, worth another visit. Maybe combined with a multi-day bike tour of the area or staying at a wellness hotel somewhere here.

📝 The Big Conclusion: Wonderful Expedition or Senseless Endeavor?

As you learned, being a marathon fan myself it almost happened on its own that I visited all states to run marathons in them. Only three of the states I probably would not have visited if it weren’t for completing the 16-state set, but I regretted nothing. Hanover, Magdeburg, and Saarland left nothing to be desired and were all wonderful races.

I like how nearly all of the races were so nice I wouldn’t say no to running them again, but on the other hand, Germany has so many more good marathons to offer I’d still like to do. It’s a luxurious situation to live here and have all these opportunities. Some more marathons I’d like to run include:

• Düsseldorf Marathon – often counted among the most livable cities of the nation, also known internationally, I’ve oddly never been there and would like to explore.
• Rhein-Ruhr Marathon Duisburg – although it’s supposedly not the prettiest city and has lots of dirty mining industry in it, I’m just curious what it’s like here.
• Kristallmarathon Merkers – taking place inside an abandoned mine, completely underneath the surface. Wearing a helmet is mandatory!
• Saarathon – a relatively new one located in Saarland along the river. I do like the area, so why not.
• Helgoland Marathon – a tiny island in the North Sea, logistically not the easiest one to reach because a multi-hour ferry ride from Hamburg is required, it’s a very special location.
• Monschau Marathon – a rather hilly marathon in the Eifel area which is supposed to be a real challenge.
• Münster Marathon – has been on my list for a long time. We’ve got close friends there and I’ve always liked its vibe.
• Harz-Gebirgslauf – also called Brocken Marathon named after the closest mountain from a Hamburg-centric perspective. The marathon here has been going for nearly 50 years.
• 3-Länder-Marathon – near Bodensee / Lake Constance, the route leads through the countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Border-crossings during a race are always fun to me.

There are many more and I’m sure most of them are also worth the trip. I just hope I have lots of years of marathon running left in my bones so I can see them all.

Moving on to a related set of marathons I’ve been thinking about lately.

🏰 The Hamburg Bezirke Set

My city of Hamburg has five Bezirke, or boroughs. Each of them have roughly similar area sizes. While the official Hamburg Marathon leads through most of them, I would count it towards the Bezirk of Eimsbüttel, because that’s where its start and finish is located.

Earlier, I mentioned all the marathon races I did in Hamburg, and it turns out one of them is fully within the limits of Bezirk Altona, and the four others are all in the central Mitte Bezirk. Meaning, I’m already at 3/7 in Hamburg.

I did some poking around and found small marathons put together by the 100 Marathon Club in Bergedorf, Harburg, as well as Wandsbek. Only the northern Nord Bezirk would be missing, but there might be a chance at some point in the future. It would be fun and completing the full set wouldn’t require much of an effort because it’s all so close-by.

🌍 What About Other Sets?

After having started with all 28 European Union capital city marathons and then moving down towards the 16 German Bundesländer and finally eyeing the 7 Hamburger Bezirke, I can only move back up on the scale after that – and the next thing one level up from the EU would be the United Nations. There are 193 member states. This is highly unrealistic, though. A few years ago I read a book written by a guy who did it. It’s called Running the World by Nick Butter. His goal was to do this as fast as possible in order to get a Guinness World Record and it took him nearly two years and about 300,000 pounds to pull off. That was back before the pandemic and its resulting inflation crisis, and because the most expensive part is all the flying, it would now probably cost closer to a million to get done. No way. And while visiting and exploring every country on Earth seems like a fun thing to do for me if you take the tremendous cost out of the equation, a huge number of them have no official marathon races. This defies my point. I think an organized marathon race is a very good way to get to know a new place. You’ll learn so much about the people, the area, and the feel of the place by taking part in an event like that. This is missing if you’re just doing laps on your own near the main airport like Nick Butter did.

The World Marathon Majors are of course still on my list. I’ve got the Six-Star medal in my basement, and would love to add the three newcomers Sydney, Cape Town, and Shanghai to the collection. Still quite expensive to do, but orders of magnitude less so than all countries on the planet, for sure! No rush, though. I’ll get there when I’ll get there.

I hope you enjoyed this little overview of the marathon races you can do in Germany and maybe, hopefully, took some inspiration from it to sign up for one of them that sounded appealing to you.

Running more marathons while exploring new places isn’t the worst thing you can do with your weekends!