When is the 2027 Düsseldorf Marathon?

On Sunday, 18 April 2027. The half marathon waves start from 8 am, the marathon at 9:45 am and the relay at 10:15 am. The Bambini and Kids Cup take place the day before. Registration is open (uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de).

What is the Kö Meile?

A one-mile race on the Königsallee modelled on the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York, since 2026 with an additional 5 km race with an elite field plus school, youth and inclusion races. Almost 5,000 people started in 2026 (diekoemeile.de).

Which half marathons are there in Düsseldorf?

The half marathon at the Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon in April, the Benrather Volkslauf in spring, the Himmelgeister Brückenlauf in June and the Rhein City Run in October, which runs from Düsseldorf to Duisburg.

What is the biggest corporate run in Düsseldorf?

B2Run Düsseldorf, starting at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA: 16,000 people from 630 companies took part on 21 May 2026. The 2027 date is still to come (b2run.de).

Is there an IRONMAN in Düsseldorf?

No. The nearest is IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg on 29 August 2027, which is already sold out.

Running Events in Düsseldorf 2027: From the Marathon to the Kö Meile

Marathon in April, bridge run in May, sunrise runs in June, Kö Meile and Night Run in September: all the key running events in Düsseldorf for 2027 – plus what's still coming before New Year's Eve 2026.

Chris Mühlnickel · 28 September 2026 · 7 min read · Updated 29 September 2026

Running Events in Düsseldorf 2027: From the Marathon to the Kö Meile

In Düsseldorf the running year plays out in a handful of distinctive places: along the Rhine between the Old Town and the Rheinpark, on the Königsallee, around the Unterbacher See lake and in Benrath. Running here, you can start the marathon in April alongside more than 23,000 others, run around a lake at 5:18 am towards the sunrise in June and sprint a mile down the Kö in September. This overview shows which events are coming up during the year and who they suit. Where the organizer has already confirmed the 2027 date, it's listed; otherwise we give the date of the last edition for orientation. As of 28 September 2026.

Which event suits you?

Your goal	Events that fit
Your first race bib	Kö Meile, 5 km at the Brückenlauf, PINK 5K, 5 km at the Night Run
Your first half marathon	Half marathon at the Düsseldorf Marathon, Rhein City Run, Himmelgeister Brückenlauf, Benrather Volkslauf
Your marathon	Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon
A new personal best	Kö Meile, 10 km at the Brückenlauf, 10 km at the Schlosslauf
Running in the evening	Night Run, B2Run
At sunrise	Mittsommer-Lauf, vabali Sunrise Run
With colleagues	B2Run, Kö Meile company ranking
For a good cause	PINK 5K, Brückenlauf
Something completely different	SilvesterCrosslauf at the racecourse, Running store community runs, Martinslauf at the Unterbacher See

Still in 2026: autumn in Düsseldorf

In Düsseldorf, autumn is the season of small and special formats. Running stores and brands regularly host community runs with shoe tests that don't appear on any big calendar – such as the Saucony "Bavarian Evening" on 30 September at the Absolute Run store, the ALBA Social Run on 4 October in the Medienhafen, or the Sunday Community Run with Asics on 18 October. New dates like these keep coming; you'll find the current ones on We Up.

Among the bigger events, the PINK 5K at the Unterbacher See follows on 18 October: run or walk 5 km, with €5 of every entry going to Brustkrebs Deutschland, the German breast cancer charity (pink-5k.de). A week later, on 25 October, the Rhein City Run starts at the Robert-Lehr-Ufer – a half marathon that links two cities, running from Düsseldorf via Kaiserswerth and Wittlaer to Duisburg-Huckingen. With 6,000 places, the 2026 edition was sold out (rhein-city-run.de).

On 8 November comes the Martinslauf at the Unterbacher See, a traditional event in its 48th edition with a 10 km course and a lake loop of around 5.8 km that you can also walk (sfd.de). And the year ends with a first: at the SilvesterCrosslauf on 31 December you run one to four laps of 1,850 m on grass at the Grafenberg racecourse, with the first group starting at 11 am (silvestercrosslauf.my.canva.site).

Spring: marathon, Volkslauf and bridges

Düsseldorf's running year peaks in spring. The Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon on 18 April 2027 is the city's biggest running event: according to the organizer, more than 23,000 people took part over the 2026 weekend. The half marathon waves start first from 8 am, followed by the marathon at 9:45 am and the relay at 10:15 am; the start is on the Joseph-Beuys-Ufer, the finish by the Rhine. Children race the Bambini and Kids Cup the day before. Registration is open, and the entry fee rises as places fill up – from €90 to €120 for the marathon and from €70 to €100 for the half (uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de).

If you'd rather run away from the city centre, the Benrather Volkslauf is a classic with a long tradition: its 44th edition took place on 4 April 2026, with a half marathon, 10 and 5 km through the Benrath and Hassel forests and around the Unterbacher See. Like the Schlosslauf in June, it's organised by the Lauftreff Düsseldorf-Süd running group; the 2027 date is still to come (lt-duesseldorf-sued.de).

A month after the marathon, on 16 May 2027, the Sparda-Bank Brückenlauf runs along the Rhine and across the Oberkassel Bridge and the Rheinknie Bridge, starting and finishing at the Burgplatz. Children start over 2 km at 11 am, the 5 km at 11:45 am and the 10 km at 1 pm. Sparda-Bank West donates €20 per participant to the Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern children's charity (brueckenlauf-duesseldorf.de).

Summer: from the palace to the sunrise

In June, Düsseldorf gets early and green. The Benrather Schlosslauf at Benrath Palace set a record on 7 June 2026 with 2,114 participants, over 5 and 10 km plus children's, school and inclusion races; the 2027 date is still open (lt-duesseldorf-sued.de). On 12 June 2027 comes the Himmelgeister Brückenlauf, a half marathon along the Rhine and across two Rhine bridges that has started in Himmelgeist since 2004. The previous organising team stepped down after the 2026 anniversary race; according to the website a successor has been found and the date announced (himmelgeister-brueckenlauf.de).

The real summer experience, though, is running at sunrise. At the Mittsommer-Lauf on 20 June 2027, the longest day of the year, all runners and walkers start at 5:18 am at the southern beach of the Unterbacher See for 6 or 12 km (mittsommerlauf-duesseldorf.de). A week later comes the vabali Sunrise Run at the Elbsee lake, right on the city boundary with Hilden: start at 6:30 am, 5.5 or 11 km, and more than 1,000 people finished on 28 June 2026 (vabali.de).

September: the Kö and the Rheinpark

In September Düsseldorf has two events you'll only find here. The New Balance Kö Meile turns the Königsallee into a race track, modelled on the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York. Alongside the mile there's been a 5 km race with an elite field since 2026, plus school, youth and inclusion races. Almost 5,000 people started on 6 September 2026; the 2027 date is still to come (diekoemeile.de).

Two weeks later it gets dark: the Night Run covers 5 or 10 km through the illuminated Rheinpark between the Rheinterrasse and the Theodor Heuss Bridge, with DJs along the course and a medal for every finisher. Its second edition on 19 September 2026 drew more than 1,500 participants (d-running.de).

With your team: B2Run Düsseldorf

The city's biggest corporate run is B2Run Düsseldorf. Around 5.8 km lead from the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA along the Rhine over the Lohauser Deich embankment, finishing inside the stadium. On 21 May 2026, a record 16,000 people from 630 companies took part; the 2027 date is still to come (b2run.de). If you and your colleagues would rather sprint: the Kö Meile has a company ranking too.

For a good cause

Two Düsseldorf events raise money with every entry: the PINK 5K at the Unterbacher See for Brustkrebs Deutschland and the Sparda-Bank Brückenlauf, where €20 per participant goes to the Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern (see above).

Nearby: IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg

There's no IRONMAN in Düsseldorf, but there's one right next door: IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg takes place on 29 August 2027 in the Sportpark Duisburg, with a 1.9 km swim in the regatta course, 90 km bike and 21.1 km run. The 2027 edition is already sold out (ironman.com). And if you run the Rhein City Run, you'll end up in Duisburg anyway.

Planning tips for your running year

Three places shape Düsseldorf's running year. The Rhine riverbank hosts the marathon, the Brückenlauf, the Night Run and the start of the Rhein City Run. The Unterbacher See brings together the PINK 5K, the Martinslauf and the Mittsommer-Lauf, with the Sunrise Run at the neighbouring Elbsee. And in Benrath, the Lauftreff Düsseldorf-Süd hosts the Volkslauf and the Schlosslauf.

Register early. The Rhein City Run sold out its 6,000 places in 2026. At the marathon and the Brückenlauf, the entry fee rises the later you register.

What it costs. At the Brückenlauf the 5 km starts at €18, the Mittsommer-Lauf from €29.90, the SilvesterCrosslauf €18 to €35 depending on distance, the marathon €90 to €120.

Don't train alone

Düsseldorf's dates line up nicely for a training plan: start in winter, run the half marathon at the marathon in April, use the Brückenlauf in May as a fitness check and run all the way to Duisburg at the Rhein City Run in October. On your own that's a long year; in a group it's much easier. Düsseldorf has plenty of running groups (Lauftreffs) and run clubs that prepare for these events together – from Sunday runs along the Rhine to midweek interval sessions. You'll find the right group among the running groups in Düsseldorf.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 Düsseldorf Marathon?: On Sunday, 18 April 2027. The half marathon waves start from 8 am, the marathon at 9:45 am and the relay at 10:15 am. The Bambini and Kids Cup take place the day before. Registration is open (uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de).
What is the Kö Meile?: A one-mile race on the Königsallee modelled on the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York, since 2026 with an additional 5 km race with an elite field plus school, youth and inclusion races. Almost 5,000 people started in 2026 (diekoemeile.de).
Which half marathons are there in Düsseldorf?: The half marathon at the Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon in April, the Benrather Volkslauf in spring, the Himmelgeister Brückenlauf in June and the Rhein City Run in October, which runs from Düsseldorf to Duisburg.
What is the biggest corporate run in Düsseldorf?: B2Run Düsseldorf, starting at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA: 16,000 people from 630 companies took part on 21 May 2026. The 2027 date is still to come (b2run.de).
Is there an IRONMAN in Düsseldorf?: No. The nearest is IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg on 29 August 2027, which is already sold out.