When is the Airport Race Hamburg 2027?

On Sunday, 12 September 2027. The 10 miles start at 11 am, the 5 km at 10 am; the kids' race schedule will follow (source: airportrace.de, info).

Do you run on the runway?

No, but alongside it: from km 11 to 13.5 the course runs next to runway 05/23, in the direction of departing planes. Before that it goes through the airport car park and the Krohnstieg tunnel (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).

How much does registration cost?

For the 10 miles €27 until 15 October 2026, €32 until 31 December 2026, €37 until 31 August 2027 and €42 from 1 September 2027; for the 5 km €12, €14, €17 or €22 in the same tiers. Add a €3 timing fee unless you own a BMS chip (source: airportrace.de, info).

What is the Hamburger Laufcup?

A combined ranking over three races in September 2027: Alsterlauf (10 km, 5 September), Airport Race (10 miles, 12 September) and the Alstertal community race (21.1 km, 26 September). Times are added up; registration only via the Alsterlauf website (source: airportrace.de, info).

How do I get to the start on Borsteler Chaussee?

By bus to Warckesweg and then on foot, by bike to the free bike parking, or by car to the METRO car park on Papenreye (€2, cash only) (source: airportrace.de, info).

Int. Airport Race Hamburg 2027: 10 miles around the airport

On 12 September 2027 the 44th Airport Race covers 10 miles around Hamburg Airport, through a car park and alongside the runway. Registration is open.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 7 min read

Int. Airport Race Hamburg 2027: 10 miles around the airport

In short

Date: Sunday, 12 September 2027, 10 miles at 11 am, 5 km at 10 am, start at the LSV sports ground on Borsteler Chaussee (source: airportrace.de, info).
The 10 miles cost €27 if you register by 15 October 2026, €32 until 31 December 2026, €37 until 31 August 2027 and €42 from 1 September 2027, plus a €3 timing fee (source: airportrace.de, info).
The course climbs through the airport car park at km 4, passes through the Krohnstieg tunnel and runs alongside the runway from km 11 to 13.5 (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).
The Airport Race is the second scoring race of the 2027 Hamburger Laufcup, between the Alsterlauf (5 September) and the Alstertal race (26 September) (source: airportrace.de, info).
The race has existed since 1984, making it older than the Hamburg Marathon (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).

The Int. Airport Race is older than the Hamburg Marathon. When it was first held in 1984, 200 people lined up (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review). Today it covers 10 miles around Hamburg Airport, through a multi-storey car park, through a tunnel and along part of the runway. The 44th edition takes place on Sunday, 12 September 2027, starting at 11 am at the Lufthansa SV sports ground on Borsteler Chaussee (source: airportrace.de). Registration is already open.

Key facts for 2027

Aspect	Details
Date	Sunday, 12 September 2027
Start and finish	LSV sports ground, Borsteler Chaussee 330, Hamburg
10 miles (16.1 km)	start 11:00, cut-off 13:15
5 km	start 10:00, cut-off 10:45
Mini Airport Race	1 mile and 400 m for kids, schedule to follow
Fee 10 miles	€27 until 15.10.2026 · €32 until 31.12.2026 · €37 until 31.08.2027 · €42 from 01.09.2027
Fee 5 km	€12 · €14 · €17 · €22 (same tiers)
Timing fee	€3 extra, waived with your own BMS chip
Registration deadline	31 August 2027, 23:59; online late entry from 1 September
10 miles eligibility	born 2011 or earlier

Source: airportrace.de, info page. As of 3 October 2026.

Prices rise by date, not by bib number. Until 15 October 2026 the 10 miles cost €27, then €32 until 31 December 2026, €37 until 31 August 2027 and €42 from 1 September 2027 (source: airportrace.de, info). The organiser is BMS Die Laufgesellschaft; the sporting host is Lufthansa Sportverein Hamburg (source: ibid.).

10 miles around the airport: what to expect

Around 10 kilometres are on roads and pavements and around 6 kilometres on firm footpaths; every kilometre is signposted (source: airportrace.de, info). In its review of 2026 the organiser describes the course like this: first you head to the airport. At km 4 the course climbs inside the airport car park, then runs along the east side of the airport to the Krohnstieg tunnel, through the tunnel and south to runway 05/23. From km 11 to 13.5 you run alongside the runway, in the same direction as departing planes. After a short detour east you head back to the sports ground (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).

What that means for pacing:

The car park ramp comes early. At km 4 you are still fresh and tend to go up too fast. Better give away a few seconds here; there are still twelve kilometres to go.
The surface changes. About a third of the course is on firm footpaths. Normal road shoes are fine; carbon experiments on loose ground, less so.
The runway section is the heart of the race. Two and a half kilometres beside the runway, shortly before the end. If you can still push here, you paced it well.
Three refreshment points on the course, plus fruit at the finish (source: airportrace.de, info).
Course subject to change. The organiser reserves the right to change the route at short notice because of construction at the airport (source: ibid.). Check the current course map on the organiser's site.

The 5 km partly follows the long course as far as the Borsteler Jäger woods and then winds through the allotments of Groß Borstel south of the runway back to the sports ground (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).

Why 10 miles

The distance has a story. Co-founder Ralph Behrens of Lufthansa SV brought the idea of a big-city marathon back from New York. Because a real city marathon in Hamburg seemed too big a step at the time, a 15 km loop around the airport came first; from 1986 the race was run over 10 miles (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review). The course record by pilot David Walters dates from that same year and still stands (source: ibid.). The link to aviation is still visible: each year the medal and shirt carry a motif from aviation history; in 2026 it was the Junkers F 13 "Bussard" (source: airportrace.de, news of 27 August 2026).

For many runners 10 miles is a pleasant in-between distance: longer than a 10k, much shorter than a half marathon. Your 10k result plus a few seconds per kilometre is a reasonable guide for pace.

Three races in September: the Hamburger Laufcup

The Airport Race is the second of three scoring races in the 2027 Hamburger Laufcup (Hamburg running cup). It starts on 5 September 2027 with the Alsterlauf Hamburg over 10 km, a week later comes the Airport Race over 10 miles, and on 26 September 2027 the Volkslauf durch das schöne Alstertal (a community race through the Alster valley) over 21.1 km. Only those who finish all three races are ranked; the three finish times are added up (source: airportrace.de, info).

Cup entries are only possible via the Alsterlauf website. The fee for all three races is €65 until 15 October 2026, €70 until 31 December 2026 and €75 until 24 August 2027, each plus a one-off €3 timing fee. There are no late entries for the cup (source: airportrace.de, info).

The cup works well if you want to run a half marathon in September and like a build-up: 10 km, 16.1 km, 21.1 km, each one to two weeks apart. That is also its weak spot. Go all out in the first race and you arrive at the airport with tired legs. Treat the Airport Race as a controlled tempo run and save your reserves for the half marathon two weeks later.

Taking your running group to the Airport Race

You don't need to be a club member (source: airportrace.de, info). Clubs and companies can request group registrations with an invoice from the organiser; an individual invoice costs €10 extra (source: ibid.). On raceresult the organiser also lists a team ranking and a separate company sports ranking for 2026 (source: my.raceresult.com, 2026 results); in 2026 the company sports winners were honoured on stage (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).

To get there, take the bus to the Warckesweg stop; from there it is a short walk to the sports ground. Parking is available at the METRO car park on Papenreye for €2 (cash only), and there is free bike parking on Borsteler Chaussee (source: airportrace.de, info). Collect your bib on Saturday, 11 September 2027 from 1 to 5 pm or on race day from 8 am in the LSV sports hall, for the 10 miles until 10:30 am. Bibs are not posted (source: ibid.). Showers and changing rooms are limited.

If you'd like to prepare for September together with others, you'll find Lauftreffs (group runs) with fixed weekly times under Running in Hamburg. In summer especially, a fixed meeting time keeps long runs from falling victim to the heat.

Looking back: the 43rd edition on 13 September 2026

Around 2,200 runners were registered for the main race in 2026, and 567 started the 5 km, with more women than men in that field (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review). The schedule was new: the 5 km started at 10 am for the first time and the kids' races followed the main race. Morning rain, then sun, and a heavy shower just before the winner crossed the line (source: ibid.).

Over 10 miles, Nicolas Wilde (TH Eilbeck) won his fourth Airport Race title in 53:38, and Lisa Kucziensky (SV Großhansdorf) won the women's race in 1:04:11. The 5 km went to Alexander Ide in 17:54 and to 16-year-old Jessica Diener in 18:57 (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review, gun times).

If you want more in September

Hamburg is busy that week: the Hamburg Triathlon takes place from 8 to 12 September 2027 (source: hamburgtriathlon.com). A week after the Airport Race comes the PSD Bank Halbmarathon Hamburg in Wandsbek. All dates of the year are listed under running events in Hamburg.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Airport Race Hamburg 2027?: On Sunday, 12 September 2027. The 10 miles start at 11 am, the 5 km at 10 am; the kids' race schedule will follow (source: airportrace.de, info).
Do you run on the runway?: No, but alongside it: from km 11 to 13.5 the course runs next to runway 05/23, in the direction of departing planes. Before that it goes through the airport car park and the Krohnstieg tunnel (source: airportrace.de, 2026 review).
How much does registration cost?: For the 10 miles €27 until 15 October 2026, €32 until 31 December 2026, €37 until 31 August 2027 and €42 from 1 September 2027; for the 5 km €12, €14, €17 or €22 in the same tiers. Add a €3 timing fee unless you own a BMS chip (source: airportrace.de, info).
What is the Hamburger Laufcup?: A combined ranking over three races in September 2027: Alsterlauf (10 km, 5 September), Airport Race (10 miles, 12 September) and the Alstertal community race (21.1 km, 26 September). Times are added up; registration only via the Alsterlauf website (source: airportrace.de, info).
How do I get to the start on Borsteler Chaussee?: By bus to Warckesweg and then on foot, by bike to the free bike parking, or by car to the METRO car park on Papenreye (€2, cash only) (source: airportrace.de, info).