Mitteldeutscher Marathon 2027: from Leipzig to Halle

On 17 October 2027 the 24th Mitteldeutscher Marathon runs from Leipzig to Halle (Saale). How to plan a point-to-point marathon, from the bib ticket to the clothing bag.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 6 min read

Mitteldeutscher Marathon 2027: from Leipzig to Halle

The 24th Mitteldeutscher Marathon (Central German Marathon) takes place on Sunday, 17 October 2027 (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, home page). It is one of the few city marathons in Germany that doesn't run in a loop: the start is in Leipzig, the finish on the market square of Halle (Saale). "2 federal states – 2 cities – 1 marathon" is how the organiser puts it (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de). For you as a runner, that means one thing above all: your day doesn't begin at the start line but with the question of how you get to Leipzig in the morning and how your bag gets to Halle.

Key facts

Aspect Details
Next date Sunday, 17 October 2027 (24th edition)
Marathon Point to point: start Leipzig, Elsterflutbecken next to the Sportforum · finish Halle (Saale), market square
Other races (2026) Händellauf half marathon, half marathon relay for four, Stadtwerke Halle 10 km, 10 km walking, Salzwirkerlauf, AOK taster run – all starting and finishing in Halle
Marathon start (2026) 9:00, course closes 14:30
Marathon fee (2026) €50 / €60 / €70 depending on entry date, late entry €75
Entry fee 2027 not yet published
Last edition with results 12 October 2025, around 5,000 participants across all distances

Sources: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de (home page, races, schedule, courses), hallelife.de (2025 report). As of 3 October 2026. The 23rd edition is on 4 October 2026; its results were not available at the time of writing.

A marathon with history: Leipzig to Halle since 1925

The route between the two cities is older than today's race. German athletes held their first marathon on it in 1925, according to the organiser (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). For the centenary in 2025, hallelife.de wrote that exactly 100 years earlier the first German marathon championship had been run between the two cities (source: hallelife.de). According to the same report, two-time Olympic marathon champion Waldemar Cierpinski has been behind the event for around 25 years (source: hallelife.de).

Point to point: race day in the right order

On a loop course you park, start and finish in the same place. Here you need to plan the day backwards from the finish. This is how it worked in 2026, as a guide for 2027:

  1. Saturday in Halle: race packs were available the day before from 14:00 to 18:00 at the registration office in the Stadthaus on Halle's market square (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, schedule). If you're in Halle on Saturday, collect yours there and see the finish area while you're at it.
  2. Sunday morning to Leipzig: the marathon bib includes an MDV regional transport ticket for one journey between Halle and Leipzig, valid in zones 210, 225, 163, 162 and 110 (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). Decide in advance whether you use it there or back. If you live in Leipzig you need it to get home from Halle; if you stay in Halle, to get to the start.
  3. 7:30 to 8:30 at the start: for anyone arriving on Sunday, a registration office in Leipzig handed out race packs and took late entries in 2026 – cash only (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). Bring cash if you want to enter late.
  4. Drop your bag: your kit travels to the finish in Halle in the official clothing bag (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). Anything you need after the race has to go into that bag in the morning – including a charging cable and a ticket if you need your own for the journey home.
  5. 9:00 start at the Elsterflutbecken next to the Sportforum.
  6. At the finish in Halle: in 2026 showers and changing rooms were available until 15:00 at the Friedrich-List-Schule, with free massages at the Roter Turm on the market square (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon).

For supporters, point to point means: whoever sees you off at the start will only reach Halle in time with planning. Agree on a fixed meeting point at the finish rather than a spot on the course.

The course: villages, wetlands and two cut-off times

Between Leipzig and Halle the marathon runs through the countryside, as the names of the 2026 aid stations show: Pfingstanger (km 8), B186 (km 12), Zur Aue (km 16), Ermlitz (km 18), Oberthau (km 20), Weßmar (km 22), Raßnitz (km 25), Lochau (km 27), Döllnitz (km 30), Osendorf (km 32), Bruckdorf (km 35), Dieselstraße (km 38) and Thüringer Bahnhof (km 40) (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). From kilometre 8 there's a station every two to five kilometres. Plan the first eight kilometres without support.

The organiser points out that the marathon passes through several nature and landscape protection areas where you must stay on the paths, and that runners should use the right-hand lane or the pavement where traffic rules require (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, notes before the start). In other words, this is not a fully closed city-centre road all the way.

Two cut-off times matter for pacing. In 2026 you had to reach the aid station at kilometre 29.5 by 12:53 and kilometre 36 by 13:43, or face disqualification (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). With a 9:00 start, the first cut-off roughly equals an average of just under eight minutes per kilometre. If you plan to run slower, check the 2027 cut-offs carefully once they are published. In 2026 there were pacers for 4:00, 4:30 and 4:45 plus one further target time (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon).

Not running the marathon? Half, relay and 10 km in Halle

All other races start and finish on Halle's market square. According to the organiser, the Händellauf half marathon follows the Saale river through shady woods; in 2026 it had a new, even flatter route (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, Händellauf). It started at 11:00 in 2026, the 10 km at 11:20 (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, schedule).

The half marathon relay for four is a great fit for a running group: four people share the 21.1 kilometres, and a bus takes all relay runners to their changeover points and back from the next changeover to the Hallmarkt square. In 2026 the meeting point was the Hallmarkt at 10:00, the fee €60 to €100 per team depending on entry date, with no late entries (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, relay). If your group travels from Leipzig, you can see off your marathon runners in Leipzig in the morning and run in Halle yourselves at midday.

Looking back: the centenary in 2025

On 12 October 2025 around 5,000 runners started across the various distances (source: hallelife.de). Dr. Cornelius Rossbach won the marathon in 2:45:07 and Jennifer Hönicke in 3:00:14, in dry, mild weather with little wind (source: hallelife.de).

Training for a mid-October marathon with your group

A marathon in mid-October means your long runs fall in August and September. A 16-week plan starts from Monday, 28 June 2027, a 12-week plan by Monday, 26 July 2027 at the latest. For Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs with weekly meet-ups in Leipzig, see Running in Leipzig. If you'd rather run your first marathon in the city in spring, everything is in our guide to the Leipzig Marathon; for an autumn half marathon right at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal, look at the LEIPZIG RUN.

For all other races in the city, see running events in Leipzig, and the 2027 marathon calendar shows where the Mitteldeutscher Marathon sits among the other autumn dates.

How the race between Leipzig and Halle compares with the big city races is covered in our overview of Germany's biggest marathons.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Mitteldeutscher Marathon 2027?
On Sunday, 17 October 2027, as the 24th edition. Entry fees and the 2027 schedule have not been published yet (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, as of 3 October 2026).
Where do the races start and finish?
Only the marathon starts in Leipzig (Elsterflutbecken next to the Sportforum) and finishes on the market square in Halle (Saale). The half, relay, 10 km and shorter races start and finish in Halle (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de).
How do I travel between Leipzig and Halle?
In 2026 the marathon bib included an MDV ticket for a single journey between Halle and Leipzig, either there or back. You need your own ticket for the other direction (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon).
What happens to my bag?
You drop it in Leipzig in the official clothing bag and it is taken to the finish in Halle. In 2026 showers and changing rooms were at the Friedrich-List-Schule in Halle (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon).
Are there time limits?
In 2026, yes: the course closed at 14:30 after a 9:00 start, with cut-offs at km 29.5 (12:53) and km 36 (13:43) (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon). The 2027 values have not been published yet.
How much is the entry fee?
Nothing has been published for 2027 yet. In 2026 the marathon cost €50, €60 or €70 depending on entry date, late entry €75 (source: mitteldeutscher-marathon.de, marathon).

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