MORE ABOUT RUNNING IN LEIPZIG
The city's green lifeline is the Leipziger Auenwald, a shaded floodplain forest that cuts right across town. The most popular after-work loop runs through Clara-Zetkin-Park and the adjoining Johannapark, with wide meadows in the Rosental near the zoo. For longer sessions, runners head along the Karl-Heine-Kanal through Plagwitz or out to the Neuseenland lakes — Lake Cospuden, known locally as the "Cossi," with its paved 11-kilometer loop, or Lake Kulkwitz and Lake Markkleeberg.
Groups meet in nearly every neighborhood — in Connewitz, Plagwitz, Gohlis, Schleußig, or around the city center. Every meetup lists when, where, and how fast before you sign up. Many are free and deliberately built for beginners, with walk breaks and no pressure. Just how fast Leipzig's running scene is growing shows in the Leipzig Marathon: 2025 brought around 11,800 registrations, almost a third more than the year before.
A meetup in your neighborhood, one click for the next event — that's really all it takes. The best part of running in Leipzig isn't marathon day, it's the weekly loop through the Auwald — and whatever happens afterward at the café or along the canal. Find your people and get going.
Last updated 13 July 2026
Sources: de.wikipedia.org · leipzigmarathon.de · leipzigmarathon.de · outdooractive.com · leipzigerseen.de · leipzig.travel