When is the Phoenix Half Marathon 2027?

The organiser says the starting gun "always" fires on 3 October, which would be Sunday, 3 October 2027. An explicit 2027 date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026).

How much does it cost?

In 2026 the half marathon cost €45 for the first 500 entries and €50 after that; a three-person relay was €75 per team. 2027 prices have not been published.

How does the relay work?

Three people share the 21.1 km, changing at km 7 in the Westfalenpark and km 14 on Phoenix-West. You share one bib on a race belt, shuttle buses take you to the changeover zones, and you meet at the rendezvous point just before the finish.

How do I get to the start?

Take the U41 to "Willem-van-Vloten-Straße" or "Dortmund-Hörde Bahnhof" and walk just under ten minutes. RE57, RB53 and RB59 also stop at Hörde.

Can I give my place to someone else?

Cancellations are not possible, but you can transfer your place to another person until the entry deadline via the link in your confirmation email.

Phoenix Half Marathon Dortmund 2027: course, relay, registration

The Sparkassen-Phoenix-Halbmarathon always starts on 3 October at Lake Phoenix and sold out in 2026. What you need to know for 2027: course, the two-hour mark, the three-person relay and getting there.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 6 min read

Phoenix Half Marathon Dortmund 2027: course, relay, registration

The Sparkassen-Phoenix-Halbmarathon has a fixed slot in the calendar: "the starting gun always fires on 3 October!", the organiser writes (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de). On 3 October 2026 the 13th edition was run, sold out with 5,000 individual runners and 250 relays (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Anmeldung; ruhrnachrichten.de). This page therefore looks ahead: what you need to know about the race at Lake Phoenix if you want to run it in 2027, and why the relay in particular suits a running group.

Date 2027 and the essentials at a glance

No official 2027 date is on the website yet. If the organiser sticks to its rule, it will be Sunday, 3 October 2027, German Unity Day. The other details come from the 2026 edition and serve as a guide:

Item	2026 edition
Date	Saturday, 3 October 2026 (2027: "always on 3 October", date not yet explicitly confirmed)
Start and finish	Phoenix-See (Lake Phoenix), Dortmund-Hörde; finish in the Hafencity on "Am Kai"
Start time	11:00 (half marathon and relay)
Races	Half marathon 21.1 km · 3-person relay over 21.1 km (women, men, mixed) · KNAX Fun Run for nursery and primary school children
Entry fee	Half marathon €45 (first 500 entries), then €50 · relay €75 per team
Field limit	5,000 individual places, 250 relays, both sold out
Entry deadline	6 September 2026, late entry online until 3 October, 10:00 (plus €5)
Cut-off	3 hours; Rombergpark exit (approx. km 13) within 2 hours

Sources: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de (home, race info, registration, course info). As of 3 October 2026.

The course: lakeside, industrial backdrop and two parks

The race starts on the south side of Lake Phoenix and sets off anticlockwise (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, FAQ). From there it heads over Phoenix-West, through the Westfalenpark and the Rombergpark and back to the lake, where you cross the finish line in the Hafencity (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de). The organiser itself calls it "parks, recreation areas and industrial scenery". The course is DLV-certified (German athletics federation) and eligible for ranking lists; a GPX file is available as a free download (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Streckeninfos).

There are five aid stations: water and bananas at km 4, 11 and 17, water only at km 7 and 14 (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Streckeninfos). In between there are several cheer zones. In 2026 the course had to be diverted because of construction work on Phoenix-West (source: ruhrnachrichten.de). Whether the 2027 route returns to the previous layout is still open.

The two-hour mark in the Rombergpark

The most important number for anyone running at a relaxed pace is not the finish cut-off. You have three hours in total, but you must reach the Rombergpark exit, at around km 13, within two hours of the starting gun. Anyone arriving later is taken out of the race; according to the organiser this is a condition of the permit (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Streckeninfos).

Convert that into pace: 13 km in 120 minutes is about 9:14 per kilometre. That is achievable for most people, but it counts from the gun, not from when you cross the start line. If you line up far back, a few minutes are gone before you start. So plan the first part at around 8:30 per kilometre, leaving room for walking breaks at aid stations and congestion in the opening kilometres.

The relay: a half marathon for the whole running group

What sets the Phoenix half apart from many races of this size is the three-person relay. Three people share the 21.1 km, with women's, men's and mixed categories (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Laufinfos). How it works (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Streckeninfos and FAQ):

Changeovers at km 7 and 14. The first is in the Westfalenpark, the second on the Phoenix-West site at the roundabout by the dog meadow. The legs are roughly, but not exactly, equal in length.
Leg two is the hardest. The organiser recommends putting your strongest runner on leg two because it has the most climbing. You choose the order yourselves and do not have to register it in advance.
One bib for everyone. Timing works via the bib handover, so a race belt is compulsory.
Shuttle buses to the changeover zones. DSW21 buses leave from Faßstraße behind the Hörder Burg castle and take you to the changeover points and back.
Finish together. About 150 m before the finish, on Am Kai, there is a rendezvous point where the first two runners wait for the third and cross the line together.

In 2026 a relay cost €75 per team, so €25 per person (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Anmeldung). For a running group where not everyone wants to run 21 km, it is the easiest way to take part in a big race together. According to the FAQ you cannot switch from the half marathon to a relay because they are separate competitions, so decide before registering. To find a group to train with through the summer, see running in Dortmund.

Sold out: what that means for 2027

Both the half marathon and the relays sold out before race day in 2026 (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de). The cheapest tier only applied to the first 500 entries (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Anmeldung). When registration for 2027 opens and what it will cost has not been published. If you want a guaranteed place, keep an eye on the registration page.

A few rules from the 2026 edition help with planning (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, FAQ):

No cancellations, but you can transfer your place to another person via the link in your confirmation email until the entry deadline.
Bibs are printed with your name after the deadline. They can be posted to you on request; otherwise you collect them.
The finisher medal is included in the fee; your name and time can be engraved for €12.
Headphones are not allowed for safety reasons.

Getting there and race day

In 2026 bibs were handed out at two locations: Hagener Straße 38 on several days in late September, and at the Hörder Burg the day before from 15:00 to 19:00 and on race day from 8:30 (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Laufinfos). Bag drop is at the Hörder Burg; changing rooms and free showers are in the Phoenix-Gymnasium school, Seekante 12. The award ceremony starts from 13:00 on the stage in front of the Hörder Burg (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Streckeninfos and FAQ).

Take the U41 underground to "Willem-van-Vloten-Straße" or "Dortmund-Hörde Bahnhof"; both are just under ten minutes' walk from the start. Regional trains RE57, RB53 and RB59 also stop at Hörde station, from where bus 456 runs to "Weingartenschule am See" on the opposite side of the lake (source: sparkassen-phoenix-halbmarathon.de, Laufinfos). If you drive, there are car parks on Phoenixseestraße and Hörder Hafenstraße; cars parked on the course are towed.

More races in Dortmund

Lake Phoenix hosts other events too. The AOK-Firmenlauf Dortmund (corporate run) goes once around the lake, and the B2Run Dortmund runs through two stadiums. Both are company runs with team rankings and much shorter than the half marathon. Every race of the year is listed under running events in Dortmund. If you are looking for a spring race in the Ruhr area, take a look at the Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon in Duisburg.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the Phoenix Half Marathon 2027?: The organiser says the starting gun "always" fires on 3 October, which would be Sunday, 3 October 2027. An explicit 2027 date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026).
How much does it cost?: In 2026 the half marathon cost €45 for the first 500 entries and €50 after that; a three-person relay was €75 per team. 2027 prices have not been published.
Is there a time limit?: Yes. The finish closes after three hours, and you must reach the Rombergpark exit at around km 13 within two hours of the starting gun, otherwise you are taken out of the race.
How does the relay work?: Three people share the 21.1 km, changing at km 7 in the Westfalenpark and km 14 on Phoenix-West. You share one bib on a race belt, shuttle buses take you to the changeover zones, and you meet at the rendezvous point just before the finish.
How do I get to the start?: Take the U41 to "Willem-van-Vloten-Straße" or "Dortmund-Hörde Bahnhof" and walk just under ten minutes. RE57, RB53 and RB59 also stop at Hörde.
Can I give my place to someone else?: Cancellations are not possible, but you can transfer your place to another person until the entry deadline via the link in your confirmation email.