NRW race calendar 2026/27: marathons, half marathons and city races in North Rhine-Westphalia

The key running events in NRW on one page: marathons from Bonn to Cologne, half marathons along the Rhine, company runs, evening events and trails in the Sauerland – with links to the race calendars of all 13 cities and regions.

Chris Mühlnickel · 18 October 2026 · 9 min read

Between Aachen and Bielefeld, between the Rhine and the Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia has a running event almost every weekend. We keep our own race calendars for 13 cities and regions in NRW. This article pulls out what most people are looking for: the marathons and half marathons, the big city and company runs, the evening events and the trails. The dates come from the organizers' websites, as of 18 October 2026. Every other event is listed in the race calendars of the individual cities.

Which event suits you?

Marathons in NRW: from Cologne to the Baldeneysee

The big city marathons in NRW are spread nicely across the year. In spring, three of them fall within three weeks. The Deutsche Post Marathon Bonn opens on 11 April 2027, starting at the Koblenzer Tor and finishing at the Old Town Hall; in 2026, 22,222 people took part across all races (source: deutschepostmarathonbonn.de). A week later comes the Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon on 18 April, and on 2 May Duisburg runs the Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon, one of the oldest city marathons in Germany, finishing in the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena (sources: uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de, rhein-ruhr-marathon.de).

In autumn it continues in Münster. The Volksbank-Münster-Marathon on 12 September 2027 runs from the palace square through the old town and finishes on the Prinzipalmarkt (source: volksbank-muenster-marathon.de). The highlight is the Generali Köln Marathon on 3 October 2027, starting in Deutz and finishing at the cathedral. In 2026, 40,990 people were registered across all races (source: generali-koeln-marathon.de).

Essen has something special: the Westenergie Marathon around the Baldeneysee is considered Germany's oldest marathon still held, running since 1963 on a flat loop around the lake. The 2027 date is still to come; in 2026 it was 11 October (source: organizer's website, see the Essen race calendar). All marathons across Germany are in our marathon calendar 2027.

Half marathons in NRW: along the Rhine and through the cities

NRW has its widest choice in half marathons. Almost every city marathon includes one, and in Bonn it's even the biggest race of the day. On top of that there are half marathons built purely around this distance.

Early in the year, KöZon 21 on 21 March runs from Cologne-Fühlingen along the Rhine to Zons, point to point (source: koezon-21.de). In June two half marathons share a weekend: the Himmelgeister Brückenlauf on 12 June in Düsseldorf crosses two Rhine bridges, and the Schwebebahn-Lauf on 13 June runs on Wuppertal's closed B7 road beneath the suspension railway (sources: himmelgeister-brueckenlauf.de, schwebebahn-lauf.de).

In late summer Cologne has two half marathons in quick succession. At the Kölner Halbmarathon on 29 August everyone starts together in the city forest and decides along the way whether to run 7, 14, 21.1 or 28 kilometres. Two weeks later, on 12 September, the Brückenlauf of ASV Köln crosses six Rhine bridges (sources: koelner-halbmarathon.de, asv-koeln.de).

In the Ruhr area, two half marathons don't have a 2027 date yet: the Sparkassen-Phoenix-Halbmarathon at Dortmund's Phoenix lake (last held on 3 October 2026) and the Stadtwerke Halbmarathon Bochum, starting at the Bermuda3Eck (last held on 6 September 2026). Also still open is the Rhein City Run, which on 25 October 2026 runs along the Rhine from Düsseldorf to Duisburg. All dates across Germany are in our half marathon calendar 2027.

10 km and city races: Rhine, zoo and colliery

If you're not after a long distance but want 5 or 10 kilometres with a race bib, NRW has the most choice. A few events stand out because the course shows you something you wouldn't otherwise see.

In Cologne, the Kölner Frühlingslauf opens the season on 14 March in the city forest, with a 10 km race and a fun run over one to three laps (source: koelner-fruehlingslauf.de). In Düsseldorf the Sparda-Bank Brückenlauf on 16 May crosses the Oberkassel bridge and the Rheinknie bridge, with start and finish at the Burgplatz (source: brueckenlauf-duesseldorf.de).

In the Ruhr area, Bochum runs the Kemnader Seelauf on 2 May, two certified laps along the reservoir (source: lgobochum.de). Essen's Welterbelauf Zollverein on 18 September is an evening race across the UNESCO World Heritage colliery, with 10 km as the main race and a relay (source: welterbelauf-zollverein.de). In Münster, the Lauf rund um den Allwetterzoo on 11 April starts at the Aasee lake, with distances from 5 km up to the half marathon (source: wasser-freizeit.de).

Company runs: B2Run, AOK and E.ON

NRW is also the home of big company runs. The biggest is B2Run Köln around the RheinEnergieSTADION with 20,000 participants, followed by B2Run Düsseldorf with 16,000 people from 630 companies in 2026 (sources: b2run.de, press releases for Cologne and Düsseldorf 2026). Dortmund and Aachen are part of the B2Run series too. In early October B2Run hadn't yet published its 2027 dates; details are in our articles on B2Run Köln and B2Run Dortmund.

Already confirmed is the E.ON Firmenlauf Essen on 9 June 2027: 5 kilometres through Rüttenscheid to the Grugapark, and with 16,000 participants by far the city's biggest race (source: essener-firmenlauf.de). The AOK health insurer organizes several company runs in NRW. The biggest is the AOK-Firmenlauf im Märkischen Kreis on 9 July in Lüdenscheid, with 6,805 participants (source: lauf-im-kreis.de). There are also runs in Dortmund, Bochum, Bielefeld and at the Sauerlandpark in Hemer.

Evenings and at night

Some of the best events in NRW only start after work. The Nachtlauf of ASV Köln on 5 May 2027 starts at 9:15 p.m. by the Rhine with views of the cathedral and old town, and here too you decide along the way whether to run one lap or two (source: asv-koeln.de). Three weeks later, on 26 May, Bonn runs the Sparda-Bank Nachtlauf through the Rheinaue park, as a 10 km speed run or a fun run (source: bonner-nachtlauf.de).

July brings two Friday evenings in Cologne: the Sparda-Bank Altstadtlauf on 9 July between the Rheinauhafen and the old town, and the Kölner Zoolauf on 16 July on a 1.6-kilometre loop through the zoo (sources: altstadtlauf-koeln.de, koelner-zoolauf.de). And this year still, on 7 November, Wuppertal holds the Fackel-Lauf with head torches on the Nordbahntrasse, without timing (source: schwebebahn-lauf.de).

Trail and hills: Sauerland, Bergisches Land, Teutoburg Forest

Away from the cities, NRW has landscape races that are among the best known in Germany. The Hermannslauf on 25 April 2027 covers 31.1 kilometres from the Hermann Monument near Detmold along the ridge of the Teutoburg Forest to the Sparrenburg castle in Bielefeld, with around 8,500 participants (sources: hermannslauf.de, Radio Bielefeld).

In the Bergisches Land the trail year begins on 14 March with the Königsforst-Marathon, held since 1973, with a half marathon, marathon and ultra on hilly forest trails (source: koenigsforst-marathon.de). Its autumn counterpart is the Röntgenlauf in Remscheid, always on the last Sunday in October, over up to 63.3 kilometres on the Röntgenweg trail (source: roentgenlauf.de). Run both ultras and you collect a combined ranking.

In the Sauerland, climbing counts more than time. The La Sportiva Sauerland TrailRun on 6 June has more than 600 metres of climbing through the forests along the Rothaarsteig (source: sauerland-trailrun.de), and the P-Weg-Marathon on the weekend of 10 to 12 September around Plettenberg includes a 73-kilometre ultra (source: p-weg.de). More trails are in the race calendars for the Sauerland and the Bergisches Land.

End of the year: St Nicholas, New Year's Eve, New Year

Winter is no break in NRW. Cologne holds the Kölner Nikolauslauf on 6 December 2026, most recently with 4,750 participants, and on the same day Bonn runs the Bonner Nikolauslauf (sources: koelner-nikolauslauf.de, bonner-nikolauslauf.de). The full choice in the Rhineland is in our overview of St Nicholas and Christmas runs.

On New Year's Eve almost every NRW city has an event. In Cologne the GAG-Silvesterlauf runs through the traffic-free Merheimer Heide, in Aachen the Aachener Silvesterlauf through the city centre, and in Essen the Essener Silvesterlauf across the Zollverein colliery site (sources: koelner-silvesterlauf.de, dlc-aachen.de, team-essen99.de). More in the overview of New Year's Eve runs in the Rhineland. And if you want to start the new year running, the dates are in our New Year's runs 2027, including the PhoenixInWest Neujahrslauf in Dortmund on 3 January (source: phoenixinwest-neujahrslauf.de).

Triathlon and swim & run

NRW also has an IRONMAN race: the IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg takes place on 29 August 2027, with 2,119 participants in 2026 (sources: ironman.com, tri-mag.de). Older still is the RYZON Bonn Triathlon on 6 June, where you swim in the Rhine after jumping off a ferry (source: bonn-triathlon.de). If you're looking for a way in, Swim & Run Köln at the Fühlinger See on 13 June offers short combinations of swimming and running (source: swim-run-koeln.de). All triathlons are listed in our overview Triathlon NRW 2027.

All NRW city race calendars

Each of these pages shows every event in a city or region, with dates, distances and tips:

• Race calendar Cologne
• Race calendar Düsseldorf
• Race calendar Bonn
• Race calendar Aachen
• Race calendar Bergisches Land
• Race calendar Wuppertal
• Race calendar Duisburg
• Race calendar Essen
• Race calendar Bochum
• Race calendar Dortmund
• Race calendar Münster
• Race calendar Bielefeld
• Race calendar Sauerland

Planning tips for your running year in NRW

April is packed. Bonn, Düsseldorf, the Hermannslauf and Duisburg all fall within three weeks. If you want to run two of them, plan the half marathon in Bonn as a test and the marathon in Düsseldorf or Duisburg as your goal.

Signing up early pays off. In Bonn, all 12,500 half marathon places were gone by January in 2026, and the AOK-Firmenlauf Bochum was fully booked with around 4,000 participants (sources: deutschepostmarathonbonn.de, Bochum Journal).

Rhine, Ruhr or hills? The Rhine cities have the big city races with bridges and old towns, the Ruhr area has events at lakes and collieries, and the Sauerland and Bergisches Land have the trails with real climbing.

Don't train alone

The long runs for a spring goal are much easier in a group over the winter. You'll find running groups and run clubs in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen and Münster.

Sources

• deutschepostmarathonbonn.de
• uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de
• rhein-ruhr-marathon.de
• volksbank-muenster-marathon.de
• generali-koeln-marathon.de/presse
• westenergie-marathon.de
• koezon-21.de
• himmelgeister-brueckenlauf.de
• schwebebahn-lauf.de
• koelner-halbmarathon.de
• asv-koeln.de/events/bruckenlauf-2027
• sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de
• stadtwerke-halbmarathon.de
• rhein-city-run.de
• koelner-fruehlingslauf.de
• brueckenlauf-duesseldorf.de
• lgobochum.de
• welterbelauf-zollverein.de
• wasser-freizeit.de/veranstaltungen/zoolauf-muenster
• b2run.de/run/de/de/koeln/news/2026/news-pm-nachevent-k-2026…
• b2run.de/run/de/de/duesseldorf/news/2026/pressemitteilung-d…
• essener-firmenlauf.de
• lauf-im-kreis.de/uber-uns
• bochum-journal.de/2026/07/03/rekordkulisse-am-kemnader-see-…
• asv-koeln.de
• bonner-nachtlauf.de
• altstadtlauf-koeln.de
• koelner-zoolauf.de
• schwebebahn-lauf.de/fackel-lauf
• hermannslauf.de
• radiobielefeld.de/nachrichten/am-puls-der-stadt/schnell-und…
• koenigsforst-marathon.de
• roentgenlauf.de
• sauerland-trailrun.de
• p-weg.de
• koelner-nikolauslauf.de
• bonner-nikolauslauf.de
• koelner-silvesterlauf.de
• dlc-aachen.de/silvesterlauf
• team-essen99.de
• phoenixinwest-neujahrslauf.de
• ironman.com/races/im703-duisburg
• tri-mag.de/szene/ironman-70-3-duisburg-2026-13-deutsche-alt…
• bonn-triathlon.de
• swim-run-koeln.de