Baden-Marathon Karlsruhe 2027: marathon angels, course, date

The next Baden-Marathon in Karlsruhe starts on 19 September 2027. What is already confirmed, how the Marathonengel work, and why you only need to decide at kilometre 20.5 how far you run.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 7 min read

Baden-Marathon Karlsruhe 2027: marathon angels, course, date

The next Baden-Marathon in Karlsruhe takes place on Sunday, 19 September 2027. The organiser announced the date as a "save the date" right after the 42nd edition (source: badenmarathon.de, home page). Registration, entry fees and start times for 2027 have not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026). What is already clear is what sets this race apart from most city marathons: for the last four kilometres or so, people close to you can run alongside you. And until kilometre 20.5 you don't have to know whether you are running 21 or 42 kilometres today.

What is confirmed for 2027 and what is still missing

Aspect As of 3 October 2026
Date Sunday, 19 September 2027 (save the date)
Organiser Marathon Karlsruhe e. V.
Races (2026) Marathon, half marathon, team marathon (teams of 2 or 4), AOK health run 6.1 km, VITREA inclusion run 4.1 km, walking, Mini-Marathon and kids' races
Start (2026) Hermann-Veit-Straße next to the Europahalle, Karlsruhe-Beiertheim, waves from 9:00
Finish Carl-Kaufmann-Stadion
Time limit (2026) approx. 8:30 min/km, course closes 15:20
Entry fee 2027 not yet published
Last edition 20 September 2026, around 13,000 participants, including 281 Marathonengel

Sources: badenmarathon.de (home page, races, marathon, FAQ), runnersworld.de (2026 report). Everything marked "2026" describes the last edition and is a guide until the organiser publishes the 2027 details.

Marathonengel: the last 4.1 kilometres together

Marathonengel ("marathon angels") exist only in Karlsruhe, according to the organiser (source: badenmarathon.de, Marathonengel). It works like this: when you register, you book a companion for €10 – up to three angels for the marathon, one for the half. You choose who they are: partner, kids, friends or colleagues. The angels wait at Friedrichsplatz in front of the natural history museum, at roughly kilometre 38.1 of the marathon and kilometre 17 of the half, and run with you into the stadium from there. They get their own bib reading "Marathonengel für" plus your first name, a medal and access to the finish-area food in the "Runners Heaven" (source: badenmarathon.de, Marathonengel). A costume is optional.

There are two catches. First, the service is meant for marathon times slower than 3:45 and half marathon times slower than 1:50, because the German athletics federation (DLV) does not allow pacing companions and won't list a time run with an angel (source: badenmarathon.de, Marathonengel). Second, angels cannot be added later. If you realise in late summer that your family wants to run with you, you need to have booked it at registration.

It is popular: in 2026, 281 Marathonengel were among the roughly 13,000 participants (source: runnersworld.de). The organiser's own tip: agree on a rough arrival time at Friedrichsplatz so your angel doesn't wait too long (source: badenmarathon.de, Marathonengel). Work it out from your planned pace to kilometre 38 and add a few minutes of buffer.

The marathon split at kilometre 20.5

The second Karlsruhe feature takes pressure off your build-up. If you are entered for the marathon, you can decide at the split (Marathonweiche) at about kilometre 20.5 to follow the half marathon signs to the finish instead. No change of entry needed: timing scores you in the half automatically, and you still get a medal (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ and marathon page).

So you can enter the full distance even if your summer didn't go perfectly. Just prepare the decision honestly before the start. Set yourself a rule, for example: "If I'm slower than my planned pace at kilometre 18 and my legs feel heavy, I take the half." Out on the course, with adrenaline and crowds, you'll make that call worse than at the kitchen table.

The course: Durlach, the palace, the Oberwald

The organiser describes the course as flat and measured to DLV standards (source: badenmarathon.de, course map). In 2026 it ran from the Europahalle into the city centre, along Kriegsstraße and the Ostring to Durlach, the former residence town of the margraves. Back in the Oststadt it passed through Citypark Ost, then the palace and the market square. Marathon runners turn off near the Europabad, just before the half marathon finish, onto a second loop through Bulach, Weiherfeld, Rüppurr and the Oberwald forest. Shortly before kilometre 33 the course rejoins the first loop; the last eight kilometres or so are identical to the final third of the first half-marathon loop (source: badenmarathon.de, marathon page and course map).

For pacing, that means two things. Kilometres 26 to 32 through the Weiherwald and Oberwald are the quietest part of the race – exactly where many marathons get tough. Expect fewer spectators there. Afterwards you come back into the centre, where the atmosphere picks up again: under the motto "Run the Beat" the organiser places music and activity points along the course, plus dance groups (source: badenmarathon.de, atmosphere). If you train with music: the race has its own 180 bpm soundtrack recorded on handpans (source: badenmarathon.de, atmosphere).

In 2026 there were aid stations from kilometre 4 roughly every 2.5 kilometres, with sports drink at the main stations, apple spritzer from kilometre 22 and bananas from kilometre 24. You could hand in your own drinks, labelled with the kilometre, at the info desk in the Europahalle until 7:45 (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ and half marathon page).

With your running group: the team marathon

Not everyone in your group wants to run 42 kilometres? The team marathon is the right format. A team of two runs 21.1 kilometres each; a team of four splits into two runners covering 14 kilometres to the Citypark and two covering the final 7 kilometres. In 2026 the team marathon started for the first time in the Günther-Klotz-Anlage on the second half of the marathon course, in waves between 11:00 and 12:15. All team members could rejoin the course near the Europabad and run into the stadium together (source: badenmarathon.de, team marathon). There is a business category for company teams and a "Family & Friends" category for private teams.

One more plus for groups: in 2026 the team marathon bib doubled as a ticket on the whole KVV transport network on race day. For the marathon and half marathon this explicitly did not apply in 2026 (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ). Plan your journey according to your race.

Counting back from race day: an autumn marathon is built in summer

From today, 3 October 2026, there are about 50 weeks to go. Training still only starts in early summer, and that is the challenge of a September marathon:

If you don't want to train alone in Karlsruhe, the organiser offers a way in: the "symbadisches Lauftraining" (the race's own training group) runs coached sessions three times a week in pace groups, plus free preparation runs; in 2026 it cost €30 per half year as a supporting member (source: badenmarathon.de, training). For more Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs with weekly meet-ups, see Running in Karlsruhe. A good spring test is the Badische Meile, and if you train with colleagues, the B2Run Karlsruhe makes a shared checkpoint.

Looking back: the 42nd edition on 20 September 2026

In sunny conditions around 13,000 people started in 2026 (source: runnersworld.de). Omar Tareq won the marathon in 2:21:49 and Nele Berg in 2:58:53; Simon Stützel won the half in 1:09:12 and Melina Wolf in 1:14:25 (source: runnersworld.de). The organiser publishes results for all years online (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ). The race goes back to September 1983, when the first Baden-Marathon was held in Karlsruhe (source: badenmarathon.de, Laufszene Karlsruhe).

For all other races in the city across the year, see running events in Karlsruhe. If you are looking for a second autumn marathon in 2027 or want to compare Karlsruhe with other cities, the 2027 marathon calendar lists all dates. Other late-summer and autumn options include the Münster Marathon and, two weeks after Karlsruhe on 3 October 2027, the swb-Marathon Bremen (source: swb-marathon.com).

Where Karlsruhe sits in the German marathon year is shown in our overview of Germany's biggest marathons.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Baden-Marathon 2027?
On Sunday, 19 September 2027. The organiser has published it as a save the date; start times and entry fees for 2027 will follow (source: badenmarathon.de, home page, as of 3 October 2026).
What is a Marathonengel?
A companion you book for €10 when registering. They wait at Friedrichsplatz (approx. km 38.1 of the marathon, km 17 of the half) and run the last 4.1 km or so with you into the Carl-Kaufmann-Stadion. Marathon runners can book up to three (source: badenmarathon.de, Marathonengel).
Can I enter the marathon and only run the half?
Yes. Up to the split at approx. km 20.5 you can choose to follow the half marathon signs to the finish. Timing scores you in the half automatically; no change of entry is needed (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ).
Where are the start and finish?
In 2026 the start was on Hermann-Veit-Straße next to the Europahalle in Karlsruhe-Beiertheim, the finish in the Carl-Kaufmann-Stadion. Bag drop, showers and changing rooms were in the Europahalle (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ).
Is there a time limit?
In 2026 the slowest permitted average was approx. 8:30 min/km for marathon and half, with the course closing at 15:20 (source: badenmarathon.de, FAQ). The 2027 values have not been published yet.
Can my running group start as a team?
Yes. In the team marathon you split the 42.2 km between two people (21.1 km each) or four (2 × 14 km, 2 × 7 km). There are business and Family & Friends categories (source: badenmarathon.de, team marathon).

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