LEIPZIG RUN 2027: half marathon at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal

The LEIPZIG RUN is the season finale of Leipzig's running year: a half marathon and 10 km across the 1813 battlefield. The 2027 date is still to come – here's what you can plan already.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 6 min read

LEIPZIG RUN 2027: half marathon at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal

The LEIPZIG RUN is the half marathon and 10 km at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations), and its organiser maximalPULS calls it the "season finale of Leipzig's running year" (source: l-iz.de, maximalPULS press release). The 2026 edition is on Sunday, 11 October 2026 (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com). The 2027 date has not been published on the organiser's site yet (as of 3 October 2026). This page helps you plan the next edition: what makes the race special, how the day runs and how a running group can fit both distances into one morning.

At a glance

Aspect Details
Next date 2027 to be announced · last edition: Sunday, 11 October 2026
Organiser maximalPULS GmbH, Leipzig
Start and finish opposite the Völkerschlachtdenkmal
Distances #LEIPZIG21k (half marathon) · #LEIPZIG10k · KIDS-RUN 1.5 km · Bambini run 210 m
Start times (2026) 10 km 9:00 · half marathon 11:00
Course closes (2026) 10 km 10:30 · half marathon 14:15
Entry fee (2026) half €55 to €70, 10 km €35 to €50, kids' races €7, in four price tiers
Included race bag, timing, personalised bib, refreshments, certificate, changing rooms, finisher medal

Sources: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com (home page, schedule, course), as of 3 October 2026. Values marked "2026" are a guide until the 2027 details are online.

A course across the 1813 battlefield

The course starts at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal and crosses the former battlefields of the 1813 Battle of the Nations (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com). The organiser takes this further than a line in the race info: at every kilometre a costumed historical figure from the battle marks the distance, plus music points along the way (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, course). You count the kilometres by the characters, not your watch.

According to the course description, the half marathon ran via Wachau to the shoreline path of the Markkleeberger See lake, turned east across the battlefields just before Güldengossa and returned via Meusdorf to the monument – mostly on tarmac and fully closed in the running direction (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, course). For 2026 maximalPULS extended the concept: the route now includes the Störmthaler See as well, reaching further into the Leipziger Neuseenland lake district (source: l-iz.de, maximalPULS press release). Whether this routing stays for 2027 is not yet known.

The 10 km course goes from the monument through the Dölitz-Dösen park and back to Prager Straße; the organiser describes it as very flat, on tarmac and park paths (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, course). The organiser presents the race as a flat course on which you can improve your personal best (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com).

One morning, two distances: how a running group can plan it

The 2026 schedule separates the two distances by two hours. The 10 km starts at 9:00 and closes at 10:30; the half starts at 11:00 (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, schedule). For a mixed group that's ideal:

If you run the half, factor in the late start. You eat breakfast earlier than for a 9:00 race, wait longer and run into midday in mid-October. Plan a small snack about two hours before the start and bring warm clothes for the wait. In 2026 race packs were available in the days before at the Leipziger Laufladen running shop on Brühl and at a registration desk at the Tabaksmühle by the monument (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, schedule).

Registration: early birds pay €15 less

The entry fee rises in four date-based tiers. For the 2026 edition the cheapest tier started the day after the previous edition, from 12 October to 31 December 2025: half marathon €55, 10 km €35. By race day the prices had risen to €70 and €50 (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, fees). The organiser has not yet published the 2027 tiers. If you're set on the 2027 half, check the site in the days after 11 October 2026.

Registration runs through the maximalPULS portal, linked from the official LEIPZIG RUN website. If you don't know anyone else running, the race's Strava club is a way to find other participants (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com).

Season finale: the autumn half as a PB attempt

By mid-October the season has done its work. If you built your base over the summer, you now have the shape for a fast half marathon. Count back from race day once the 2027 date is set: with eight to ten weeks of focused half marathon training you start in early to mid-August, the longest runs fall in September, and the final week before the start is for recovery.

A flat course tempts you to start too fast. The half marathon route heads into open countryside by the lakes, where wind can play a part. Run the first kilometres slightly slower than your goal pace and use the kilometre figures as checkpoints.

You don't have to train alone in Leipzig: for Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs with weekly meet-ups, see Running in Leipzig. If you train with colleagues, the Firmenlauf Leipzig (corporate run) is a shared checkpoint. And if you'd rather run the full distance in autumn, look at the Mitteldeutscher Marathon, which starts in Leipzig and finishes in Halle.

Looking back: 2025 and 2026

In 2025 the race ran as the DECATHLON LEIPZIG RUN (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, residents' info). According to a report by the SC DHfK Leipzig club it was the 11th edition, with 3,329 participants across four races. Rico Bogen won the half in 1:09:49 and Yvonne van Vlerken in 1:18:01, her third win at this event (source: scdhfk-laufsport.de). Because of roadworks on Prager Straße, the 2025 route ran through Marienbrunn and Lößnig instead (source: scdhfk-laufsport.de).

For 2026 the organiser reported 4,400 registrations ten days before the start and expected more than 5,000 participants (source: l-iz.de, maximalPULS press release). Final numbers and results from 11 October 2026 were not available at the time of writing.

For all other races in the city across the year, see running events in Leipzig.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the LEIPZIG RUN 2027?
The 2027 date has not been published yet. The last edition is on Sunday, 11 October 2026 (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, as of 3 October 2026).
Which distances are there?
Half marathon (#LEIPZIG21k), 10 km (#LEIPZIG10k), a 1.5 km KIDS-RUN and a 210 m Bambini run (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com).
Where are the start and finish?
Opposite the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in Leipzig (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, course).
How much is the entry fee?
Nothing has been published for 2027 yet. In 2026 the half cost €55 to €70 depending on the tier, the 10 km €35 to €50, the kids' races €7. The cheapest tier started the day after the previous edition (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com).
Is the course good for a personal best?
The organiser describes it as flat and built for fast times, mostly on tarmac and fully closed in the running direction (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, course).
Did the race have a different name before?
Yes, in 2025 it ran as the DECATHLON LEIPZIG RUN (source: leipzigrun.maximalpuls.com, residents' info).

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