TARGOBANK Run Duisburg 2027: date, course and entries

6,000 places, sold out six weeks before race day: at Duisburg's corporate run, getting in is decided in spring. What is known about 2027 and how to plan as a team captain.

Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 6 min read

TARGOBANK Run Duisburg 2027: date, course and entries

The TARGOBANK Run is Duisburg's corporate run: 5.2 km through the city centre, start and finish on Opernplatz in front of the theatre, followed by an after-run party and fireworks. The 19th edition on Wednesday, 26 August 2026 had 6,000 places and was fully booked six weeks before race day (source: radioduisburg.de, 14 July 2026). A 2027 date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026); the organiser plans another edition and will announce the date and details on its website (source: targobank-run.de, home page). If you want to run with colleagues in 2027, start planning now anyway: for this event, whether you get in is decided in spring, not in August.

The 2026 edition at a glance

Item 19th TARGOBANK Run, 26 August 2026
2027 date not yet published (as of 3 October 2026)
Day and start Wednesday, 7 pm; kids' and mascot run 6 pm
Course 5.2 km, start and finish on Opernplatz in front of the city theatre
Cut-off 8 pm
Places 6,000, sold out
Teams from 275 companies, at least three people per team
Entry fee €22 plus VAT, late fee €27 plus VAT
Minimum age born 2010 or earlier

Sources: targobank-run.de (Infos zum Event, Strecke), radioduisburg.de (14 July 2026), ssb-duisburg.de (registration opening, 20 March 2026).

The real race: getting a place

In 2025 the limit was reached by early June (source: ssb-duisburg.de, registration 2026). In 2026 registration opened on Friday, 20 March at 10 am, and by mid-July every place was gone (sources: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event; radioduisburg.de). After that, there were no late entries. The real hurdle is not the course but the window between opening day and the limit.

You cannot enter on your own. Every team needs a team captain who registers, enters each runner's name, gender and email via a team login, then collects and hands out the race packs. The captain does not have to run (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). Payment is by invoice only, and registered runners are charged even if they do not start. In return, swapping runners is free right up to race day (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event).

That gives you a calendar for 2027. The 2026 dates are only a guide; the 2027 dates are still to come:

5.2 km of city: Opernplatz, inner harbour, Königstraße

The start is on Landfermannstraße heading towards the town hall, and every kilometre is marked (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). The course runs through the centre including the Innenhafen (inner harbour) and Königstraße (source: ssb-duisburg.de). According to the 2026 road closures, it includes Steinsche Gasse, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Straße up to Düsseldorfer Straße and, at the inner harbour, Philosophenweg, Stresemannstraße and Schifferstraße (source: radioduisburg.de, closures 2026). At km 2.5 by the inner harbour there is water and a first-aid point; at the finish you get drinks and a finisher medal (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event).

One number matters more to beginners than any elevation figure: the cut-off is 8 pm, one hour after the start, because the roads reopen then (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). For 5.2 km that is a little over 11:30 minutes per kilometre, a brisk walk. If you do not want to run, walk. In 2025 TARGOBANK sent its own walking group of 38 people, who finished last on purpose so nobody had to come in alone (source: targobank-magazin.de, 2025 review). Line up at the front or back according to your pace, at least ten minutes before the start (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event).

An evening at the city theatre

This was the 2026 schedule (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event):

Changing rooms, showers and bag drop are in the City Palais on Königstraße; valuables can go to the Mercatorhalle cloakroom (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). From the main station you can walk to Opernplatz. Driving is tight: in 2026 Köhnenstraße and Landfermannstraße were closed from 4 pm, there were no-stopping zones around the theatre, and coaches could only drop teams at Burgplatz (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). Team photos were taken at two spots: in the FORUM for teams up to 20, in the schoolyard of the Landfermann-Gymnasium for bigger ones (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event).

Fans who are not running are welcome at the theatre (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). Bunert Events, which organises the run, speaks of almost 20,000 spectators along the course (source: bunert-events.de).

Rankings and the 2025 edition

Awards go to the three fastest women and men, the three fastest women's and men's teams, and the company with the most runners. A team time adds up the three fastest women or men of one company (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). So a big company can make the team ranking with three quick runners while everyone else just joins in.

At the 18th edition on 27 August 2025, Raphaël Leymarie won in 16:27; the fastest woman was Katharina Wehr of Team Laufsport Bunert in 17:47. The biggest team was the City of Duisburg with 600 people, just ahead of TARGOBANK with around 540. The start came in a heavy downpour (source: targobank-magazin.de, 2025 review). In 2026 TARGOBANK entered 550 people, the City of Duisburg 400 and Deutsche Bahn/VDES 203 (source: radioduisburg.de).

Each edition comes with a donation: €30,000 for charities in Duisburg in 2026, and €768,000 in total since the first run in 2005 (source: radioduisburg.de).

Training as a team, and more events in Duisburg

The TARGOBANK Run is short enough for colleagues who do not usually run. The easiest way in is a fixed date: one run together after work each week, a bit longer from early summer. If you want a group with regular weekly sessions, look at the Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs in Duisburg.

For the keen runners on your team, Duisburg has more: in spring the Rhein-Ruhr-Marathon is the next big goal, and with the IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg the city has a triathlon too. All other dates are in our overview of running events in Duisburg.

The TARGOBANK Run is not part of a series. Series-style corporate runs include B2Run and the AOK-Firmenlauf, nearby for example the AOK-Firmenlauf Bochum. Another big corporate run in the Ruhr area is the E.ON Firmenlauf Essen.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the TARGOBANK Run Duisburg 2027?
The date has not been published yet (as of 3 October 2026). The organiser has announced a 2027 edition. The last two were on Wednesday, 27 August 2025 and Wednesday, 26 August 2026 (sources: targobank-run.de; targobank-magazin.de).
How long is the course?
5.2 km through central Duisburg, start and finish on Opernplatz in front of the city theatre (source: targobank-run.de, Strecke).
Can I enter on my own?
No. Entries go through a team captain as a group registration; individual entries are not possible. A team has at least three people from one company (sources: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event; ssb-duisburg.de).
How much does it cost?
In 2026 a place cost €22 plus VAT, or €27 plus VAT at the late rate, paid by invoice (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). Prices for 2027 have not been set yet.
Can I walk it?
The cut-off is 8 pm, one hour after the start (source: targobank-run.de, Infos zum Event). That is a little over 11:30 minutes per kilometre, so a brisk walk is enough.

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