AOK company runs 2027: who is behind them and where

There is no central AOK series: company runs carry the AOK name, but different regional branches and very different organisers stand behind them. Here is what that means and which runs exist in your region.

Chris Mühlnickel · 4 October 2026 · 7 min read

AOK company runs 2027: who is behind them and where

"AOK-Firmenlauf" (AOK company run) sounds like a series in the mould of B2Run, with one organiser, uniform rules and a fixture list. It is not. Behind the runs are different regional branches of the AOK, a large German public health insurer, acting as naming and main partners, while very different people organise them on the ground: event agencies, a running club, the athletics federations in Baden-Württemberg, or the AOK itself. That is why the runs differ so much – in course, price, timing and even in what a company ranking actually measures. Here is what it looks like in your region and which 2027 dates are already fixed (as of 3 October 2026).

Who is really behind them

Most of the AOK company runs we looked at are in the area of AOK NordWest (Westphalia-Lippe and Schleswig-Holstein) and in Baden-Württemberg. The models differ:

Organisers can change, too. The AOK-Firmenlauf Lippe in Bad Salzuflen was run for 15 years by the Detmold running shop "Endspurt"; since 2026 the agency anlauf from Siegen has taken over, with AOK NordWest staying on as sponsor (source: lwz24.de, February 2026).

The six runs with their own page

Run Venue Local organiser Last edition 2027
AOK Firmenlauf Bielefeld Kesselbrink, old town anlauf GmbH 26 Aug 2026 Wed, 25 Aug 2027
AOK-Firmenlauf Dortmund Phoenix-West, Phoenix Lake upletics 11 Jun 2026 not yet published
AOK-Firmenlauf Bochum Lake Kemnade upletics 2 Jul 2026 not yet published
AOK Firmenlauf Stuttgart GAZi Stadium, Waldau BW-Running 1 Jul 2026 not yet published
AOK-Business.Run Kiel State parliament, Kiellinie ZIPPEL'S Läuferwelt May 2026 not yet published
AOK-Firmenlauf im Märkischen Kreis Rathausplatz, Lüdenscheid Turbo-Schnecken Lüdenscheid 3 Jul 2026 Fri, 9 Jul 2027

Sources: firmenlauf-bielefeld.com; nw.de; aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de; aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de; stuttgart.bw-running.de; businessrun-zippels.de; lauf-im-kreis.de; lokaldirekt.de. As of 3 October 2026.

Bielefeld has no timing at all under the motto "fit2gether"; the company ranking counts the share of the workforce taking part, and there are prizes for the most creative outfits (source: firmenlauf-bielefeld.com, Infos zum Lauf). More on our Bielefeld race calendar.

Dortmund covers 6.7 km from Phoenix-West once round Phoenix Lake and sold out its 3,000 places in 2026 (source: aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de). Other races in the city are on our Dortmund race calendar.

Bochum is a 5.5 km out-and-back on the north shore of Lake Kemnade; around 4,000 people from 230 companies ran in 2026 (sources: aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de; bochum-journal.de). Other races are on our Bochum race calendar.

Stuttgart held its 19th edition in 2026 with around 6,000 participants, starting at the GAZi Stadium on the Waldau in Degerloch (source: stuttgart.bw-running.de). Registration for 2027 is not open yet (source: stuttgart.bw-running.de, Anmeldung). More on our Stuttgart race calendar.

Kiel now runs on two days, each starting at 6 pm in front of the state parliament; 2027 registration has been announced (source: businessrun-zippels.de). All Kiel races are on our Kiel race calendar.

Lüdenscheid has been running since 2003 (source: lauf-im-kreis.de, Über uns): 6,805 people from 375 companies took part in 2025, and the 23rd edition is announced for 9 July 2027 (sources: lauf-im-kreis.de, Über uns and Aktuelles). Entry cost €11 in 2026 (source: lokaldirekt.de). More regional events on our Sauerland race calendar.

How the runs differ

With no shared rulebook, it pays to read each run's small print:

Bielefeld Dortmund Bochum Lüdenscheid
Distance around 6 km 6.7 km 5.5 km around 6 km
Timing none chip chip –
Company ranking share of workforce three fastest men/women three fastest men/women –
Entry fee per person €15–20 plus company fee (2027) €24–31 (2026) €24–31 (2026) €11 (2026)

Sources: firmenlauf-bielefeld.com (Infos zum Lauf, Anmeldung); aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de (Dein Lauf, Anmeldung); aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de (Dein Lauf, Anmeldung); lokaldirekt.de. A dash means: not checked by us.

What the runs we looked at share is mainly the format: a weekday evening run, entered through your employer, with an after-run party. Dortmund, Bochum and Bielefeld all start at 7 pm (sources: aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de; aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de; firmenlauf-bielefeld.com); Lüdenscheid started at 7:30 pm in 2026 (source: lokaldirekt.de).

More AOK company runs without their own page

The six runs above are only a selection. Without their own page here, but with confirmed dates or details:

And B2Run? A different series

Searching for "Firmenlauf" (company run) often leads to B2Run as well. That is a separate national series with a uniform concept and no connection to the AOK. Some cities have both: in Dortmund, B2Run Dortmund runs in May in Westfalenpark and the AOK run a month later at Phoenix Lake; in Stuttgart, alongside the AOK run on the Waldau, there is B2Run Stuttgart in Bad Cannstatt. How B2Run works and where it takes place is in our B2Run 2027 overview.

Building a company team: what every run asks of you

Rules differ, but company teams usually fall down on the same two things: they register too late, and they do not train at all. Both can be planned.

Register early. Dortmund sold out its 3,000 places in 2026 and Bochum was sold out by early May (sources: aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de; bochum-journal.de). In Bielefeld the price rises with the number of places taken, and the first 500 pay least (source: firmenlauf-bielefeld.com, Anmeldung). The first 2027 registration windows open soon: Hemer from 14 November 2026, Bielefeld from 15 January 2027, Lüdenscheid in spring 2027 (sources: sauerlaender-firmenlauf.de; firmenlauf-bielefeld.com; lauf-im-kreis.de). At the upletics runs in Dortmund and Bochum you can reserve places and add names later (sources: aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de; aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de).

Prepare together. The distances we checked range from 5.5 to 6.8 km. For colleagues who do not run yet, that is doable in eight to ten weeks: twice a week for 30 minutes, alternating walking and running, with slightly longer running spells each week. Walkers are explicitly welcome in Dortmund and Bochum. It gets easier with a fixed after-work loop or an open group. You will find Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs under, for example, running in Bielefeld, running in Dortmund, running in Bochum, running in Stuttgart, running in Kiel and running in the Sauerland.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is the AOK-Firmenlauf a national series like B2Run?
No. The AOK is naming or main partner at many company runs, but they are organised by different people and have their own rules. Only in Baden-Württemberg does the federation series BW-Running bundle the AOK company runs (source: bw-running.de).
Who organises the AOK company runs?
It depends on the location: anlauf GmbH in Bielefeld, the agency upletics in Dortmund and Bochum, the club Turbo-Schnecken with AOK NordWest in Lüdenscheid, AOK NordWest itself in Hagen, ZIPPEL'S Läuferwelt in Kiel (sources: organiser websites).
Which 2027 dates are already fixed?
As of 3 October 2026: Münster on 12 May, Hemer on 3 June, Lüdenscheid on 9 July, Bielefeld on 25 August and Hagen on 9 September 2027. Dortmund, Bochum, Stuttgart and Kiel have not published dates yet (sources: organiser websites).
How do I enter?
Usually through your employer: one person registers colleagues with the organiser, in Bielefeld for example the team lead (source: firmenlauf-bielefeld.com, Anmeldung). Deadlines and prices differ from run to run.
What is the difference between an AOK company run and B2Run?
B2Run is a separate national series with a uniform concept and no AOK connection. Dortmund and Stuttgart host both formats as separate events.
Can I walk?
Walkers are explicitly allowed in Dortmund and Bochum, though poles are not (sources: aok-firmenlauf-dortmund.de; aok-firmenlauf-bochum.de). For other runs, check the entry rules.

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