Gutenberg Half Marathon Mainz 2027 – and what happened to the marathon

On 2 May 2027 Mainz runs the Gutenberg Half Marathon; there has been no marathon there since 2024. Here are the date, price tiers and deadlines, why the marathon was dropped and how to tackle the course with the pacers.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 8 min read

Gutenberg Half Marathon Mainz 2027 – and what happened to the marathon

The Gutenberg Halbmarathon Mainz (Gutenberg Half Marathon) takes place on Sunday, 2 May 2027. The half marathon starts at 10 am on Große Bleiche next to the Electoral Palace, the 10K at 8:45 am (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon and 10 km). If you searched for "Gutenberg Marathon 2027", you are in the right place – but you'll need to adjust your plans: there has been no marathon in Mainz since 2024. Below is what happened, how the course runs and where the deadlines are.

What happened to the Gutenberg Marathon

The Gutenberg Marathon was first held in 2000 to mark Johannes Gutenberg's 600th birthday; the last marathon edition was in 2023 (source: de.wikipedia.org, Gutenberg-Marathon). In December 2023 the Frankfurt agency motion events announced that the city of Mainz had awarded it the event and, in the same breath, announced the change: from then on the half-marathon course would be the centrepiece, supplemented by a 10 km race (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 13 Dec 2023).

The organiser's reasoning came down to one sober number: the half marathon had already been the biggest race, with more than 5,000 participants in 2023, while fewer than 1,000 runners started the marathon. The aim was to strengthen the half marathon, give it an elite field and let it grow (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 13 Dec 2023). The first edition in the new format was held on 5 May 2024 (source: ibid.).

The numbers since then show whether that worked. In 2025, 13,781 runners started across all events, a record; the half marathon sold out 50 days before race day. Mayor Nino Haase called the decision to focus on the half marathon "very good" at the time (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 4 May 2025). In 2026 there were 17,500 participants across all events, 12,500 of them in the half marathon and 2,000 over 10 km. Course and schedule changes added 3,500 half-marathon places compared with the previous year, yet both the half and the 10K sold out weeks in advance (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 21 Apr 2026).

If you really want to run 42 km in 2027, the alternatives are in our marathon calendar 2027. If you'd rather stay in the region and use the half as a fitness test, you can pair it with the Frankfurt Half Marathon across the Rhine.

Date, fees and deadlines for 2027

Item Details
Date Sunday, 2 May 2027; expo and bib pick-up from Friday, 30 April
Half marathon Start 10:00, Große Bleiche by the Electoral Palace, finish at the palace, course closes after 3:00 hours
10 km Start 8:45, finish on the Rhine promenade by the Raimunditor gate, course closes after 1:30 hours
Entry fee half marathon €55 (entries 1–750) · €65 (751–1,749) · €75 (1,750–4,500) · €85 (from 4,501) · late entry on site €95
Entry fee 10 km €29 (1–499) · €34 (500–999) · €39 (from 1,000)
Online entry closes 18 April 2027, 23:59, unless sold out earlier
Late entry only 30 April and 1 May 2027 at the expo, no late entry on race day
Bib transfer online until 18 April 2027, €10 processing fee
Cancellation not possible
Course records Men 59:14 (Dennis Kipkogei, 2026) · Women 1:08:01 (Beatrice Cheserek, 2026)

Sources: halbmarathon-mainz.de (half marathon, race information, 10 km), ladv.de (2026 results). As of 3 October 2026.

Registration for 2027 is already open via the organiser's registration portal (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, registration). Prices rise not by date but by the number of entries; the portal shows which tier currently applies. Since the race sold out weeks before the start in each of the last two years, 18 April is more of a theoretical deadline (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press releases of 4 May 2025 and 21 Apr 2026).

Important for your winter planning: cancellations are not possible. You can, however, transfer your place online to someone else until 18 April, who then pays a €10 processing fee. And if you realise 21.1 km is too much, you can switch to the 10K by email until the same date; the price difference is not refunded (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information).

The course, translated for runners

The start is on Große Bleiche. Via Große Langgasse and past the Roman theatre you reach Rheinstraße; between km 2 and 5 you run with views of the Rhine past the State Chancellery, the state parliament and the Theodor-Heuss bridge. From km 4 the course heads via Kaiser-Karl-Ring and Hattenbergstraße to the district of Mombach, then back into the Neustadt. The turnaround is on Barbarossaring, after which the route goes via Gartenfeldplatz "up into Kaiserstraße", as the organiser puts it. The last four kilometres belong to the old town: Gutenbergplatz, the State Theatre, a view of the cathedral between km 18 and 19, and after km 20 via Bauerngasse and Flachsmarktstraße back to the palace (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information).

What that means for your race:

A note on the front of the field: according to the organiser, Mainz is Germany's second-fastest half marathon after Berlin (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 4 May 2025). In 2026 Dennis Kipkogei ran 59:14, the first sub-hour time on this course; in the women's race Beatrice Cheserek won in 1:08:01 ahead of Blanka Dörfel in 1:08:06 (source: ladv.de, 2026 results).

Hitting your goal time with the pacers

For many runners the biggest help on the course is not the aid stations but a flag. Mainz provides pacers for finish times of 1:29, 1:39, 1:44, 1:49, 1:59, 2:14, 2:29 and 2:44, recognisable by a flag with the target time and a T-shirt (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, pacers and race information). The times sit deliberately just below the round marks. If you want to break two hours, stick with the 1:59 group, which averages around 5:38 per km (our own calculation).

Start blocks are assigned by expected finish time, with the last block for times over 2:10 (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information). Enter an honest time when you register: if you're too optimistic you start among faster runners and almost inevitably go out too quickly. If you run with a running buggy, the organiser asks you to choose the last block. Being accompanied by bike or by spectators running alongside leads to disqualification (source: ibid.).

On the time limit: the three-hour cut-off works out at just over 8:30 per km on average, and the 10K's 90 minutes at 9:00 per km (our own calculation based on halbmarathon-mainz.de, course and 10 km). For beginners who mix brisk walking and running, that is achievable.

Training in Mainz: Wednesdays at 7 pm

A race on 2 May means your build-up falls in February and March. Counting back, a twelve-week plan starts on Monday, 8 February 2027, a ten-week plan on 22 February. That puts your long runs in late winter and your dress rehearsal over 15 to 18 km in mid-April.

The organiser itself points to an open Lauftreff (group run): every Wednesday at 7 pm at the official running shop LaufZeit, Eppichmauergasse 8 (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, preparation). More group runs and run clubs with weekly slots are listed on Running in Mainz. Especially for weekend long runs, a group running at your planned race pace is worth a lot.

The weekend around the race

The expo with bib pick-up is in the Electoral Palace (entrance via Große Bleiche): Friday, 30 April 2027, 12 noon to 7 pm, and Saturday, 1 May, 10 am to 7 pm; half-marathon runners can also collect their bibs on race morning from 7:30 to 9:30 am (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information). On Saturday, 1 May, at 10:30 am a shake-out run sets off from Ernst-Ludwig-Platz for a relaxed four kilometres along the Rhine (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, programme) – a good excuse to meet your running group and pick up bibs straight afterwards.

Public transport is the way to get there. Your printed Startpass (entry pass), together with photo ID, is valid on the event weekend as a ticket for one return trip in RMV fare zone 6500 Mainz/Wiesbaden, 2nd class (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information). If you drive: the palace car park closes from Thursday, 29 April, and the Deutschhausplatz garage from Saturday. On race day registered runners can use the Rathaus, Römisches Theater and Rheinufer garages for a fee, entering by 7:30 am (Rathaus, Rheinufer) or 9 am (Römisches Theater, only via Windmühlenstraße), with exit possible from 2:30 pm (source: ibid.).

Bag drop is on Adenauer-Ufer opposite the palace gate; showers and changing rooms are in the grammar school by the Electoral Palace, both open on Sunday from 8 am to 2:30 pm (source: ibid.). The entry fee includes a medal, on-course and finish-area refreshments, showers and a massage service, among other things. On Peter-Altmeier-Allee at the Theodor-Heuss bridge there is a donation gate: run through it and €5 automatically goes to the children's charity Herzenssache (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, race information and course).

All other races in the city throughout the year are listed in our overview of running events in Mainz.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is there still a Gutenberg Marathon in Mainz in 2027?
No. Since 2024 motion events has staged the event as a half marathon with a 10K, without a marathon distance. The reason given was the 2023 numbers: more than 5,000 half-marathon runners, fewer than 1,000 in the marathon (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 13 Dec 2023).
When is the Gutenberg Half Marathon Mainz 2027?
On Sunday, 2 May 2027. The half marathon starts at 10 am, the 10K at 8:45 am (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon and 10 km).
How much does the Gutenberg Half Marathon 2027 cost?
The fee rises with the number of entries: €55 for entries 1–750, €65 up to 1,749, €75 up to 4,500, then €85, and €95 for late entry on site. The 10K costs €29, €34 or €39 (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon and 10 km race information).
Can I cancel or transfer my place?
Cancellation is not possible. You can transfer your place online until 18 April 2027; the new runner pays a €10 processing fee. Switching from the half to the 10K is possible by email until the same date, without a refund of the difference (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, half marathon race information).
How fast is the Mainz course?
According to the organiser, Mainz is Germany's second-fastest half marathon after Berlin (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, press release of 4 May 2025). The course records date from 2026: 59:14 for men and 1:08:01 for women (source: ladv.de, 2026 results).
Are there pacers at the Mainz half marathon?
Yes, for finish times of 1:29, 1:39, 1:44, 1:49, 1:59, 2:14, 2:29 and 2:44. They carry a flag showing the target time (source: halbmarathon-mainz.de, pacers).

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