When is the Leipzig Marathon 2027?

The 49th Leipzig Marathon is on Sunday, 18 April 2027. Start and finish are on „Am Sportforum“; the marathon starts at 10:00 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Since when is registration open and how much does it cost?

Registration has been open since 3 October 2026. The marathon costs €70 until 22 November 2026, then €80, €90 and €99 from 30 March 2027; the half marathon €60 to €85 (source: leipzigmarathon.de).

What is the course like?

It is a loop course from the Sportforum, measured to DLV and AIMS rules. The marathon runs it twice, the half marathon and 10 km once. Aid stations are at km 5, 10, 15 and 20 on each lap (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

What are the marathon cut-offs?

The first lap (about 21.2 km) must be completed by 12:40 and the Schleußiger Weg/Wundtstraße checkpoint reached by 15:00. The finish closes at 16:00, six hours gun time (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Yes. Marathon pacers run 2:59 to 4:29 hours in 15-minute steps, half-marathon pacers 1:29, 1:44, 1:59 and 2:14 hours, and there is a 59-minute pacer for the 10 km (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Can my running group enter a team ranking?

In the marathon, the three fastest runners of a club or team are scored automatically. No separate team entry is needed, but everyone must enter the team name in identical spelling (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Leipzig Marathon 2027: two laps, one plan

On 18 April 2027, the 49th Leipzig Marathon runs on a loop course from the Sportforum. Here is how race day is structured, what two laps mean for pacing and which price tiers apply.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 9 min read

Leipzig Marathon 2027: two laps, one plan

In short

The 49th Leipzig Marathon takes place on Sunday, 18 April 2027, starting and finishing at „Am Sportforum“ (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
The marathon runs two laps; anyone not through the first lap by 12:40 is taken out, and the half marathon starts on the same course at 12:45 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
The marathon fee rises in four steps from €70 (until 22 Nov 2026) to €99 from 30 Mar 2027 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
In the marathon, the three fastest runners of a club or team are scored automatically as a team if everyone uses the same team name (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
In 2026, 14,351 people started across all distances, a participation record (source: leipzigmarathon.de, history).

The 49th Leipzig Marathon takes place on Sunday, 18 April 2027, with start and finish on the street „Am Sportforum“ (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). Registration has been open since 3 October 2026 (source: leipzigmarathon.de; baer-service.de, registration for the 49th Leipzig Marathon). What sets Leipzig apart from most big city marathons is how race day is built: the marathon runs two laps of the same course, and the half marathon only starts once the marathon field has finished its first lap.

Key facts

Aspect	Details
Date	Sunday, 18 April 2027 (49th edition)
Start and finish	„Am Sportforum“, 04109 Leipzig
Marathon Campus	Sports science faculty of Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59: bib pick-up, expo, changing rooms, showers, bag drop
Start times	4 km run/walk and school marathon 9:10 · 10 km run/walk 9:30 · marathon 10:00 · kids' run 11:30 · half marathon 12:45
Finish closes	16:00 (marathon 6:00 h, half marathon 3:15 h gun time)
Course	Loop course: marathon two laps, half marathon and 10 km one lap; measured to DLV and AIMS rules
Marathon fee	€70 (until 22 Nov 2026) · €80 (until 24 Jan 2027) · €90 (until 29 Mar 2027) · €99 (from 30 Mar 2027)
Half marathon fee	€60 · €65 · €75 · €85 (same tiers)
10 km / 4 km fee	€33 · €38 · €43 · €50 / €17 · €20 · €24 · €29
Included	Medal, pacers, public transport ticket for zone 110 (MDV) on race day
Last edition	19 April 2026, 14,351 participants across all distances (record)

Sources: leipzigmarathon.de (home page, 2027 race regulations, history, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon); baer-service.de (registration). As of 4 October 2026.

A race day in stages

In Leipzig, the start times are more than logistics – they shape how your race feels. The 4 km and the school marathon go off at 9:10, the 10 km at 9:30, the marathon at 10:00. The half marathon only follows at 12:45 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

The reason lies in the cut-offs. Marathon runners who have not completed the first lap, about 21.2 km, by 12:40 are taken out of the race or finish the half-marathon distance instead with their own time, which does not count in the half-marathon ranking (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). Five minutes later the half-marathon field sets off on the same loop. For marathon runners that means your second lap is not a lonely one: the biggest field of the day is now on the course behind you. In 2026, more than 6,500 people started the half marathon (source: leipzigmarathon.de, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon).

Turn the limits into pace. You have 2:40 hours for the first lap, a little over 7:30 min/km. A further checkpoint sits at Schleußiger Weg/Wundtstraße: anyone who has not reached it by 15:00 is also taken out, and the finish closes at 16:00 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). If you are aiming for around six hours, don't take the first lap too easy.

Two laps: what it means for pacing

According to the 2025 course map, the lap runs from the Sportforum via Friedrich-Ebert-Straße and Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz to Johannesplatz, south via Ostplatz and Prager Straße, west via Zwickauer Straße, Deutscher Platz, Straße des 18. Oktober and Kurt-Eisner-Straße, and back to the Sportforum via Schleußiger Weg, Erich-Zeigner-Allee and Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2025 course map). The organizer has not yet published a separate map for 2027. Aid stations are at km 5, 10, 15 and 20 on each lap, with extra water at 2.5, 7.5, 12.5 and 17.5, plus a temporary water point for marathon runners at the lap change around km 21.5 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

A loop course has one clear advantage in a marathon: after lap one you know every corner, every aid station and every stretch where it gets tough. It also has a catch. At km 21 you pass the start/finish area and have to start all over again. That midpoint is where your plan either holds or falls apart. The 2026 winner, Jakob Lange, said at the finish: „The second lap was tough, but the spectators along the course were great“ (source: leipzigmarathon.de, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon). Three practical rules follow:

Lap one is preparation, not the race. Run it slightly slower than your target average and you will have something left for lap two.
Use what you learned on lap one. Note where the aid stations are and where you felt good. You can hand in your own drinks for the stations at km 5/25, 10/30, 15/35 and 20/40, on race day by 8:15 at the info stand at the marathon expo (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Join a pacer. Marathon pacers run 2:59, 3:14, 3:29, 3:44, 3:59, 4:14 and 4:29 hours, half-marathon pacers 1:29, 1:44, 1:59 and 2:14 hours, and there is a 59-minute pacer for the 10 km (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). A steady rhythm across both laps beats any gut feeling at km 22.

If you drop out but have crossed the half-marathon timing mat, you still get a half-marathon time and certificate (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). That takes some pressure off a debut.

Registration: price tiers by date

Registration has been open since 3 October 2026. It runs online through the Baer-Service portal, linked from the official Leipzig Marathon website (registration). Prices rise in four date-based steps: the marathon costs €70 until 22 November 2026, €80 until 24 January 2027, €90 until 29 March 2027 and €99 after that. For the half marathon it is €60, €65, €75 and €85 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations; baer-service.de, registration). So the first tier runs from the opening of registration to 22 November 2026, just over seven weeks.

A few rules from the regulations matter for planning:

Transfers and switches: changing distance or handing over your place costs €10 from 31 March 2027. Moving down to a shorter distance gets no refund of the difference; moving up means paying it (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Late entries: entries from 30 March 2027 count as late entries. Online registration closes on 13 April 2027; after that, only on race weekend at bib pick-up on the Marathon Campus. The organizer reserves the right to close registration at any time, especially after 29 March 2027 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Minimum age: marathon born 2009 or earlier, half marathon 2011, 10 km 2013 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). For the 4 km, the race regulations (born 2019) and the registration portal (born 2017) gave different years in early October 2026 – if in doubt, ask the organiser.
Not allowed: among other things headphones, dogs, baby joggers and bike escorts (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Your bib works as a bus and tram ticket in MDV zone 110 from 5:30 to 19:30 on race day. There is no parking at the Sportforum or the campus; from the main station it is four stops on tram lines 3, 7, 8 or 15 to „Sportforum Süd“ (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). The expo runs on Saturday, 17 April 2027, from 10:00 to 19:00 on the Marathon Campus, where you also pick up your bib (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

With your club or running group

There is a team ranking that needs no extra effort: in the marathon, the three fastest runners of a club or team are automatically scored together. No separate team entry is required, but everyone has to enter the team or club name in exactly the same spelling when registering (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations). If you sign up as a running group, agree on the name first and send it to everyone.

With four distances to choose from, a mixed group can travel together: some run the 10 km at 9:30 and then cheer from the roadside, others start the marathon at 10:00 or the half at 12:45. Thanks to the late half-marathon start, half-marathon runners can cheer on the marathon runners from their own group in the morning before starting themselves. Children aged 3 to 10 have the 600 m Stadtwerke kids' run at 11:30 in the start/finish area (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

For the long runs through winter, a regular training group helps. You will find Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs with weekly sessions under running in Leipzig. Races to test your form before April are listed in the yearly overview of running events in Leipzig.

Growth with a long history

The Leipzig Marathon in its current form has existed since 1977; its roots go back to 1897, when Leipzig held a 40 km race modelled on the Olympic Games (source: leipzigmarathon.de). At the first modern edition in 1977, 183 runners started and 100 finished. In 2020 the race was cancelled because of the pandemic and held virtually (source: leipzigmarathon.de, history).

Recent years show clear growth: 7,229 participants in 2024, about 12,500 registrations and 9,626 finishers in 2025, then 14,351 participants in 2026 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, history). The marathon itself is the smaller distance: in 2025, 1,072 people ran the full 42.195 km, about 11 percent of all participants (source: leipzigmarathon.de, history). In 2026, a total of 2,700 children finished the school marathon and kids' run (source: leipzigmarathon.de, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon).

The 2026 edition was a wet one: a few minutes after Jakob Lange crossed the line in 2:17:43, the rain set in. Antonia Müller won the women's race in a personal best of 2:43:07 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon). Race director Michael Mamzed called the half-marathon logistics the biggest challenge, saying patience was needed especially at the start (source: leipzigmarathon.de, review of the 48th Leipzig Marathon). If you run the half in 2027, allow some extra time in the start area.

Planning further ahead: the organizer has announced 30 April for 2028 and 14 April for 2030 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).

Leipzig in the marathon calendar

Leipzig is one of several spring marathons in Germany. To compare dates, see all races in the 2027 marathon calendar, and for a ranking by size read our article on Germany's biggest marathons. Another spring marathon with its own guide is the ADAC Marathon Hannover.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Leipzig Marathon 2027?: The 49th Leipzig Marathon is on Sunday, 18 April 2027. Start and finish are on „Am Sportforum“; the marathon starts at 10:00 (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Since when is registration open and how much does it cost?: Registration has been open since 3 October 2026. The marathon costs €70 until 22 November 2026, then €80, €90 and €99 from 30 March 2027; the half marathon €60 to €85 (source: leipzigmarathon.de).
What is the course like?: It is a loop course from the Sportforum, measured to DLV and AIMS rules. The marathon runs it twice, the half marathon and 10 km once. Aid stations are at km 5, 10, 15 and 20 on each lap (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
What are the marathon cut-offs?: The first lap (about 21.2 km) must be completed by 12:40 and the Schleußiger Weg/Wundtstraße checkpoint reached by 15:00. The finish closes at 16:00, six hours gun time (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Are there pacers?: Yes. Marathon pacers run 2:59 to 4:29 hours in 15-minute steps, half-marathon pacers 1:29, 1:44, 1:59 and 2:14 hours, and there is a 59-minute pacer for the 10 km (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).
Can my running group enter a team ranking?: In the marathon, the three fastest runners of a club or team are scored automatically. No separate team entry is needed, but everyone must enter the team name in identical spelling (source: leipzigmarathon.de, 2027 race regulations).