Running Events in Münster 2027: Volksbank-Münster-Marathon, Zoolauf and City Triathlon

The Advents-Aaseelauf by torchlight, the Zoolauf at the Aasee in April, the City Triathlon in June, the Sternlauf and a half marathon in Hiltrup in August and the marathon at the Prinzipalmarkt in September: all the key running events in Münster for 2027 – plus what's still coming before New Year's Eve 2026.

Chris Mühlnickel · 30 September 2026 · 10 min read

Running Events in Münster 2027: Volksbank-Münster-Marathon, Zoolauf and City Triathlon

Münster runs mainly by the water and in the old town. The Aasee is the city's home loop: the LSF Münster's spring race, the Zoolauf around the Allwetterzoo and the Silvesterlauf all start at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe, and on the first Sunday of Advent an evening run by torchlight begins at the Aaseekugeln. The second stage is the old town: the City-Run starts and the marathon finishes on the Prinzipalmarkt in front of the town hall, with the marathon setting off in the morning at the Schlossplatz. In the south, Hiltrup has its own dates, with a Firmenlauf at the Hiltruper See and a half marathon through the Stadion am Osttor. And once a year, running groups from all over the Münsterland converge on the city in a star pattern.

This overview shows which events are coming up 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 30 September 2026.

Which event suits you?

Your goal Events that fit
Your first race bib 3 km at the Silvesterlauf, 5 km at the Zoolauf, 5 km at the City-Run
Your first half marathon Zoolauf, TuS Hiltrup Halbmarathon
Your marathon Volksbank-Münster-Marathon
A new personal best ZfS Münster-City-Run, SIENA GARDEN Straßenlauf
Running in the evening Advents-Aaseelauf, 1KOMMA5° Urban Run
Together rather than against the clock 1KOMMA5° Urban Run, Münsterland-Sternlauf
With colleagues AOK-Firmenlauf Münster, Company ranking at the SIENA GARDEN Lauf, Relay marathon
For a good cause Münsterland-Sternlauf, 10 km charity run at the marathon
Triathlon Sparda Münster City Triathlon, IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg

Still in 2026: torches at the Aasee and New Year's Eve

The city's 2026 marathon is already behind it (more on that below); the rest of the year belongs to the Aasee – with two events where you should secure a place early.

On 29 November 2026, the first Sunday of Advent, the AOK Advents-Aaseelauf (Advent run around the Aasee) starts its 36th edition. Tri Finish Münster invites you to an evening run around the Aasee, starting at the Aaseekugeln. You run by torchlight over 3, 5 or 10 km, and every year there's a shirt with a changing theme (advents-aaseelauf.de). Important for your planning: places are regularly gone within a few hours of registration opening, and according to the organizer, the 2025 run sold out within hours. The organizer doesn't publish participant numbers.

To close the year, the Laufsportfreunde Münster host the ACTIVE LAUFSHOP Silvesterlauf (New Year's Eve run) for the 36th time on 31 December 2026, again at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe by the Aasee. You can choose between a 3 km fun run, 5 km, 5 km walking and 10 km. The 10 km is started in two races, split by expected finish time, so that fast and leisurely runners don't get in each other's way. Registration is open, with around 2,500 places across all distances combined (lsf-muenster.de). The fun run is a good occasion for your first race bib.

Spring: laps at the Aasee

In spring, things return to the Aasee, where Münster's 2026 running year ended.

Traditionally, the season opens in March with the SIENA GARDEN Straßen- und Firmenlauf (road and corporate run) of the LSF Münster. On 21 March 2026 it took place for the 28th time, on a flat loop at the Aasee starting at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe. There are 3, 5 and 10 km, plus a company ranking over 5 km for teams of three (more on that in the section on corporate runs). The club hasn't published the 2027 date yet, and registration is still closed (lsf-muenster.de). The flat loop is a good way to test your form after the winter.

On 11 April 2027 comes the Lauf rund um den Allwetterzoo (run around the Allwetterzoo), known in Münster simply as the Zoolauf. It then takes place for the 41st time, with start and finish at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe by the Aasee. The distances are 5 km, 10 km and the half marathon, which is also available as a relay. At the 40th anniversary edition on 19 April 2026, 2,068 people reached the finish according to the organizer's statistics, compared with 1,507 in 2025 (wasser-freizeit.de). Registration for 2027 opens on 1 December 2026. With its half marathon and relay, the Zoolauf is a good setting for your first long distance, and the 5 km for your first race of all.

With your team: corporate runs

Münster has two formats where you line up with colleagues – one as part of a club race, one as an event of its own.

At the SIENA GARDEN Straßen- und Firmenlauf in March, companies run in teams of three over 5 km at the Aasee, alongside the individual rankings. According to the race calendar of the FLVW athletics association, the company ranking ran for the 22nd time in 2026. A date for 2027 is still to come (lsf-muenster.de).

Younger is the AOK-Firmenlauf Münster by AOK NordWest and GID Projects. After its premiere in 2025, it took place for the second time on 7 May 2026, with start and finish at the Freibad Hiltrup (outdoor pool). The course of around 5.5 km runs along the Hiltruper See and the edge of the Hohe Ward forest (aok-firmenlauf-muenster.de). The organizer hasn't published the 2027 date or participant numbers yet.

Summer: through the old town

In early summer, running moves into the city centre – once together and without a watch, once as a race on a measured course.

The 1KOMMA5° Urban Run isn't a race but a guided group run. The team behind the Münster Marathon hosts it on a Wednesday evening; in 2026 it was 3 June. You run around 5.5 km in pace groups with running guides through the city centre, which isn't closed off for it, and there's no timing. According to the organizer, 1,000 people took part in 2026, and the places were gone right after registration opened on 2 February (volksbank-muenster-marathon.de). The organizer hasn't named the 2027 date yet. If you want to run in a big group for the first time without looking at the clock, this is the right place.

The ZfS Münster-City-Run of the LSF Münster, on the other hand, is all about times. The start is on the Prinzipalmarkt at the town hall, and you run a flat loop through the old town over 5 or 10 km. Both courses are DLV-measured (German Athletics Association), and the City-Run is part of the Westmünsterland-Laufserie (race series). In 2026 it took place on 5 July, according to the organizer for the 19th time. The 2027 date and participant numbers haven't been published yet (lsf-muenster.de). Flat and measured: this is the date in Münster's summer for a new personal best over 5 or 10 km.

Triathlon in the city centre

At the Sparda Münster City Triathlon by Tri Finish Münster, you swim, cycle and run right in the middle of the city. There's the sprint distance (Volksdistanz) and the Olympic distance, the sprint distance also as a relay, plus inclusion rankings for individuals and relays. The 19th edition took place on 21 June 2026, and the 20th edition has been announced for 20 June 2027 (muenster-triathlon.de). For getting into triathlon, the sprint distance or the relay are a good fit – in the relay, you share the three disciplines with others.

August: Sternlauf and half marathon in Hiltrup

At the end of August, two very different events fall on one weekend: a charity run that leads from the surrounding region into the city, and a half marathon in the south of Münster.

The Münsterland-Sternlauf (star run) isn't a classic city run, and that matters for your planning: it doesn't start in Münster but in towns across the Münsterland. From there, groups run on five routes into Münster in a star pattern, with the routes totalling around 71.5 km. The shared finish is in Münster at the Leonardo-Campus. If you can't be there in person, you can take part virtually. The organizer is the association Läuferherz, and all proceeds go to the Kinderkrebshilfe Münster, a charity for children with cancer. According to the organizer, more than 1,000 people take part every year. The 15th edition took place on 22 August 2026, and the 16th has been announced for 21 August 2027 (muensterland-sternlauf.de).

A day later, on 22 August 2027, the TuS Hiltrup Halbmarathon (half marathon) starts for the 15th time. The start is at the Stadion am Osttor in Hiltrup, and you run two laps of around 10.55 km each, both leading through the stadium. If you want to split the distance, you can run 10.5 km each in the two-person relay. In 2026 the half marathon was fully booked, and registration for 2027 opens in April 2027 (tus-hiltrup.de). The two laps make the course manageable – a good setting for your first half marathon, and, three weeks before the marathon, also a final form test.

September: Volksbank-Münster-Marathon

On 12 September 2027 comes the biggest date in Münster's running year. The Volksbank-Münster-Marathon then takes place for the 25th time. The start is at the Schlossplatz, the course leads through the old town and the districts of Nienberge, Roxel and Gievenbeck, and the finish is on the Prinzipalmarkt. According to hdsports.org, 10,300 people took part across all races in 2025, making the marathon the biggest event in this overview. The 24th edition took place on 13 September 2026.

Alongside the 42.195 km, there's a relay marathon for teams of four, 28 km, a 10 km charity run and a 6 km health run. Registration for 2027 opens on 2 November 2026 (volksbank-muenster-marathon.de). If you're training for the marathon, you do the long runs in July and August – and the half marathon in Hiltrup three weeks before fits well into the plan. And if you don't want to run the full distance alone yet, the relay is a way in with colleagues or friends.

Nearby: middle distance in Duisburg

There's no IRONMAN race in Münster. The nearest one is around 90 km away: the IRONMAN 70.3 Duisburg on 29 August 2027 (ironman.com). At the Sportpark Duisburg-Wedau, the swim is 1.9 km on the regatta course, followed by 90 km on the bike past the industrial scenery and a half marathon in the Sportpark. According to media reports, around 2,500 triathletes started at the edition on 16 August 2026 (nordbote.de). If the City Triathlon in June has given you a taste for more, this is the next step.

Planning tips for your running year

At some events, hours decide. At the Advents-Aaseelauf, places are regularly gone within a few hours of registration opening, at the Urban Run they were gone right after registration opened on 2 February 2026, and the TuS Hiltrup Halbmarathon was fully booked in 2026. If you want to take part in one of these events, note the registration start.

The next registration dates. Registration opens on 2 November 2026 for the marathon, on 1 December 2026 for the Zoolauf and in April 2027 for the half marathon in Hiltrup. For the Silvesterlauf it's already open, with around 2,500 places across all distances combined. For the SIENA GARDEN Lauf in March it's still closed.

Three organizers carry a lot. The Laufsportfreunde Münster host the SIENA GARDEN Lauf, the City-Run and the Silvesterlauf. Tri Finish Münster organizes the City Triathlon and the Advents-Aaseelauf. And the same club is behind both the marathon and the Urban Run.

Three places shape Münster's running year. The SIENA GARDEN Lauf, the Zoolauf, the Advents-Aaseelauf and the Silvesterlauf take place at the Aasee with the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe. The old town with the Schlossplatz and the Prinzipalmarkt belongs to the City-Run, the Urban Run and the marathon. And in the south lies Hiltrup, with the Firmenlauf at the Hiltruper See and the half marathon at the Stadion am Osttor.

Don't train alone

Münster's year has two big goals that fit together well: the Zoolauf in April, which you train for over the winter, and the marathon in September, whose long runs fall in the summer. It's easier in a group, and at the start it's nicer when you know someone. You'll find the right group among the running groups and run clubs in Münster.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 Münster Marathon?
On 12 September 2027, for the 25th time. The start is at the Schlossplatz, and the finish is on the Prinzipalmarkt. Alongside the marathon, there's a relay marathon, 28 km, a 10 km charity run and a 6 km health run. Registration opens on 2 November 2026 (volksbank-muenster-marathon.de).
When is the 2027 Zoolauf Münster?
On 11 April 2027, for the 41st time, with start and finish at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe by the Aasee. The distances are 5 km, 10 km and a half marathon, also as a relay. Registration opens on 1 December 2026 (wasser-freizeit.de).
Which half marathons are there in Münster?
The half marathon at the Zoolauf on 11 April 2027 and the TuS Hiltrup Halbmarathon on 22 August 2027, on two laps through the Stadion am Osttor. The Hiltrup half marathon was fully booked in 2026, and registration for 2027 opens in April 2027 (tus-hiltrup.de).
Where does the Münsterland-Sternlauf start?
Not in Münster: the five routes begin in towns across the Münsterland and lead into Münster in a star pattern, with the shared finish at the Leonardo-Campus. The 16th edition is on 21 August 2027, and all proceeds go to the Kinderkrebshilfe Münster (muensterland-sternlauf.de).
Is the Urban Run in Münster a race?
No. The 1KOMMA5° Urban Run is a guided group run of around 5.5 km in pace groups with running guides through the city centre, which isn't closed off, and without timing. In 2026 it took place on 3 June with 1,000 participants; a date for 2027 is still to come (volksbank-muenster-marathon.de).
Which running events are still coming up in Münster in 2026?
The AOK Advents-Aaseelauf on 29 November, by torchlight around the Aasee (advents-aaseelauf.de), and the ACTIVE LAUFSHOP Silvesterlauf on 31 December at the Sportpark Sentruper Höhe with 3, 5 and 10 km (lsf-muenster.de).

Running events in other cities