Running Events in Munich 2027: From the Marathon to the Wings for Life World Run

Winterlaufserie and half marathon in the Olympiapark, Wings for Life and Giro di Monaco in May, SportScheck RUN at the Siegestor in July, the marathon in October: all the key running events in Munich for 2027 – plus what's still coming before New Year's Eve 2026.

Chris Mühlnickel · 29 September 2026 · 10 min read

Running Events in Munich 2027: From the Marathon to the Wings for Life World Run

In Munich, the running year has a centre: the Olympiapark. This is where the marathon and half marathon start and finish, where you run a whole series in winter, after work in summer and into the new year on New Year's Eve, and where you climb the Olympiaberg at the cross-country race and the obstacle race. The other half of Munich's running year plays out between the Siegestor, the Englischer Garten and the Isar – and once a year on the car-free Altstadtring, when more than 11,000 people run together for a good cause.

This overview sorts the events by what suits you. 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 29 September 2026.

Which event suits you?

Your goal Events that fit
Your first event Giro di Monaco, Mental Health Rocks Run, 5 km at the SportScheck RUN, 5 km at the Halbmarathon München
Your first half marathon Halbmarathon München, Half marathon at the SportScheck RUN, Half marathon at the Marathon München
Your marathon Marathon München, Marathon relay
A new personal best 10 km at the Silvesterlauf, Halbmarathon München
Fit through the winter Winterlaufserie, Nikolauslauf
Running in the evening Sommernachtslauf, Urban Trail Run
With colleagues B2Run München
For a good cause Wings for Life World Run, Giro di Monaco, Run for Life, Mental Health Rocks Run
Something completely different Wings for Life World Run, Barefoot run at the Olympiaberg-Cross, Spartan Race, Munich Triathlon

Still in 2026: marathon, cross-country and New Year's Eve

Autumn is marathon season in Munich, and things don't quiet down afterwards: before New Year's Eve there are three more dates in the Olympiapark, each appealing to very different people.

On 11 October 2026 the Marathon München by Brooks gets under way, known as the Generali München Marathon until 2024 and under new management since 2025. In 2025, 28,500 participants came together across all races, a record (marathonmuenchen.org). The marathon starts at 9 am in waves on the Spiridon-Louis-Ring and runs as a single lap through the Englischer Garten, past the Siegestor, Odeonsplatz and Marienplatz, out to the Werksviertel and along the Isar; the finish is at the Willi-Daume-Platz by the Olympiasee lake. The half marathon follows at 10:25 am with its turning point at the Sendlinger Tor, plus 10 km, a marathon relay for four runners and, the day before, the 4.2 km Coffee Run as a shake-out. Registration for 2026 is closed, the half marathon and 10 km were fully booked, and there's no date for 2027 yet. You'll find the course, schedule and tips for spectators in our Munich Marathon article.

Two weeks later, on 25 October, it gets muddy: at the 12th Olympiaberg-Cross, laps of around 1.1 km with several climbs and four straw-bale obstacles lead across the meadows on the Olympiaberg. The programme ranges from the 600 m Speed-Cross through children's and youth races to the 7.7 km long course, and the elite race is a stage of the German Cross Cup. Our tip if you're looking for something new is the 1.2 km barefoot run – minimalist shoes are banned, traditional Bavarian dress is welcome. Adults pay €18, and the barefoot run costs €8 (olympiaberg-cross-muenchen.de).

On 5 December at 3 pm the Nikolauslauf (St Nicholas run) opens the Winterlaufserie in the Olympiapark (more on that in the next section). The year closes on 31 December with the MRRC Silvesterlauf (New Year's Eve run) of the München RoadRunners Club, one of Germany's biggest New Year's Eve runs: the 40th edition in 2025 had more than 4,300 entries from 54 nations. There are 10 km on a course eligible for the ranking lists, 5 km and a 2 km schools' race, with start and finish at the Werner-von-Linde-Halle. The club states 4,000 places, and registration opens in autumn (mrrc-muenchen.de).

Winter and spring: getting in shape in the Olympiapark

If you train through the winter in Munich, the Winterlaufserie (winter running series) gives you a fixed framework. Three dates in the Olympiapark with growing distances: the Nikolauslauf on 5 December 2026 (10 km according to the organizer's calendar) is followed by 15 km on Epiphany, 6 January 2027, and 20 km on 13 February 2027, each at 11 am. The series has existed since the winter of 2013/14, and it's a good way to avoid doing your long runs alone in the dark (laufwinter.de).

On 14 March 2027 comes the Mental Health Rocks Run, a young event that puts mental health at its centre and took place for the third time in 2026. You run a 5 km loop in the Olympiapark once or twice, and it doesn't matter whether you jog, walk, skate or use a wheelchair. In 2026, 830 people crossed the finish line with timing, plus walkers without timing (mentalhealthrocks.de). If you want to try an event for the first time, this is an entry point with no pressure at all.

The most important spring goal is the Halbmarathon München on 18 April 2027, the 21st edition. It's run on a traffic-free 5 km loop in the Olympiapark, plus 10 km, 5 km and children's and youth races. According to the entry list, 4,336 participants were on the start line in 2026 – more than twice as many as the year before. According to the organizer, registration for 2027 opens soon (halbmarathon-muenchen.de).

May: Catcher Car and Altstadtring

In May, Munich has two big charity runs, and both work differently from a normal race.

At the Wings for Life World Run on 9 May 2027 there's no finish line. At 1 pm, people all over the world start at the same time; 30 minutes later the Catcher Car sets off and gradually catches up with the field – once you're overtaken, you're done. Munich is the German Flagship Run: in 2026, 14,000 people ran from the Olympiapark through Munich and Karlsfeld towards Dachau. All entry fees go to spinal cord research, and places are limited (wingsforlifeworldrun.com). The format suits everyone who wants to find out how far they can go without committing to a distance.

A week later the Altstadtring belongs to the runners. At the Giro di Monaco you go once clockwise around the old town, just under 5 km with only 8 metres of elevation gain, without timing and without race bibs. More than 11,000 people took part on 17 May 2026, and the proceeds fund Bellevue di Monaco's projects for refugees. The organizer has announced a Giro for 2027, but the date is still to come (giro-di-monaco.de). If you've never been to an event, you can simply join in here with friends, family or a pushchair.

Summer: Siegestor, Isar and balmy evenings

In summer, Munich's running year briefly leaves the Olympiapark. The SportScheck RUN on 4 July 2027 starts and finishes on the Ludwigstraße right by the Siegestor and leads through the Englischer Garten and along the Isar. With 13,884 participants in 2026, it's one of the city's biggest running events, and it has been around since 1979. The half marathon starts early in the morning (at 8 am in 2026), followed later by 10 km and 5 km, which you can also walk, and the Kids RUN. The race shirt doubles as your bib. The half marathon and 10 km sold out in advance in 2026 (sportscheck.com).

After that, it's back to the Olympiapark in the evening. The Sommernachtslauf (summer night run) starts at 7:30 pm over 5 or 10 km, and you pick up your race pack at the Olympiaschwimmhalle. In 2026 it took place on 22 July, its results archive goes back to 2008, and the 2027 date is still open (citylauf-muenchen.de). Two days later in 2026 came the INTERSPORT Urban Trail Run: not a road race, but a loop over stairs, waterside paths and the hills of the Olympiapark, around 100 metres of elevation gain over 5 km and twice that over 10 km. On 24 July 2026, 1,049 people crossed the finish line, with starts between 6 pm and 8 pm. The format is still young, and there's no date for 2027 yet (intersport.de).

With your team: B2Run München

B2Run München is the city's biggest corporate run: on 15 July 2026 more than 30,000 people took part in around 1,700 teams, and the run was sold out. The roughly 6 km lead through the Olympiapark and past the Olympiasee; because of construction work in the Olympiastadion, the 2026 finish was on the Parkharfe in the B2Run Village. You can take part as a team or on your own, also walking or in a wheelchair. The 2027 date hasn't been published yet (b2run.de).

Obstacles and triathlon

The Olympiapark is also the stage for formats where running is only one part. According to the organizer, the Spartan Race on 9 and 10 April 2027 leads through the Olympiastadion, along the Olympiasee and up the Olympiaberg. You can choose between the Sprint over 5 km with 20 obstacles, also as a Night Sprint, the Super over 10 km with 25 obstacles, a Kids Race and the four-hour Hurricane Heat (spartan.com).

New is the Munich Triathlon on 25 July 2027, developed by the German Triathlon Union together with World Triathlon – the same organizer as the World Triathlon Hamburg. The swim is in the Olympiasee, the bike leg heads west and back, and the run goes through the Olympic grounds including the Olympiaberg; the finish is at the Hans-Jochen-Vogel-Platz next to the Olympiastadion. There's a sprint and an Olympic distance as well as a relay. Demand was enormous: the individual places for the Olympic distance were gone in under two hours after registration opened on 3 September 2026, followed by the sprint distance – only the relay still has places (munich-triathlon.com).

For a good cause

Charity runs carry weight in Munich. Alongside the Wings for Life World Run and the Giro di Monaco in May and the Mental Health Rocks Run in March, there's the Run for Life, a run with tradition: in 2026 it took place for the 26th time on 13 September. From the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum on the Prinzregentenstraße, you run 10 or 5.5 km through the Englischer Garten, and all entry fees go to the prevention and support services of the Münchner Aids-Hilfe. Around 1,000 people ran in 2026 and raised €38,650; the 2027 date is still to come (runforlife.de).

Planning tips for your running year

Registering early pays off. Many Munich events fill up long before race day: in 2026 the half marathon and 10 km at the Marathon München were fully booked, as were the half marathon and 10 km at the SportScheck RUN, B2Run was sold out, and at the Munich Triathlon the individual places were gone within a few hours – nine months before the first edition. Places at the Wings for Life World Run are limited, and the Silvesterlauf has 4,000.

What it costs. Many organizers only publish their prices when registration opens. The Olympiaberg-Cross is good value at €18 for adults and €8 for the barefoot run; if you enter after 20 October, you pay €7 more. At the charity runs, your entry fee goes straight to the cause: all of it to spinal cord research at the Wings for Life World Run, and to the Münchner Aids-Hilfe at the Run for Life.

Two places shape Munich's running year. The Olympiapark is the setting for almost everything: the marathon, the Halbmarathon München, the Winterlaufserie, the Silvesterlauf, the cross-country race, B2Run, the Sommernachtslauf, the Urban Trail Run, Wings for Life, the Spartan Race and the triathlon. The Englischer Garten with the Isar is the second territory, crossed by the SportScheck RUN, the Run for Life and the marathon course.

Don't train alone

A date in the calendar is the easy part. If you want to run a marathon in October, you do the long runs in August, and if you're planning the half marathon in the Olympiapark in April, you train in January in the cold and dark. Munich has plenty of running groups (Lauftreffs) and run clubs that prepare together for exactly these events, from easy runs through the Englischer Garten to intervals in the Olympiapark. And on race day it's nicer when you know someone at the start. You'll find the right group among the running groups and run clubs in Munich.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 Munich Marathon?
The organizer hasn't published the 2027 date yet. In 2026 the Marathon München by Brooks takes place on 11 October, starting at 9 am on the Spiridon-Louis-Ring in the Olympiapark and finishing at the Olympiasee (marathonmuenchen.org).
Which half marathons are there in Munich?
The Halbmarathon München in the Olympiapark on 18 April 2027, the half marathon at the SportScheck RUN at the Siegestor on 4 July 2027 and the half marathon at the Marathon München in October, which was fully booked in 2026.
What is the biggest corporate run in Munich?
B2Run München in the Olympiapark: on 15 July 2026 more than 30,000 people in around 1,700 teams ran around 6 km, and the run was sold out. The 2027 date is still to come (b2run.de).
Which running events are there in Munich in winter?
The Winterlaufserie (winter running series) in the Olympiapark with the Nikolauslauf on 5 December 2026, 15 km on 6 January 2027 and 20 km on 13 February 2027, plus the MRRC Silvesterlauf (New Year's Eve run) on 31 December with 10 km, 5 km and a schools' race.
How does the Wings for Life World Run in Munich work?
There's no fixed finish line: 30 minutes after the start a Catcher Car sets off, and once you're overtaken, you're done. Munich is the German Flagship Run, and the next one takes place on 9 May 2027 at 1 pm in the Olympiapark. All entry fees go to spinal cord research.
Is there a triathlon in Munich?
Yes, from 2027: the Munich Triathlon makes its debut on 25 July 2027 in the Olympiapark, with a sprint and an Olympic distance and the swim in the Olympiasee. The individual places went quickly after registration opened, and only the relay still has places (munich-triathlon.com).

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