Rescheduled hella hamburg half reaches record field

The finish line has been moved to the Heinrich Hertz Tower. A strong field of runners will be aiming for both course records. Significant traffic disruptions are expected in the city center.

This coming Sunday, October 25, the rescheduled hella hamburg half marathon 2026 will take place. The road race, originally scheduled for June 28th, had been postponed to autumn due to the heat. Nearly 21,000 runners from around the world have registered for the event. This marks a double registration record for the hella hamburg half marathon: never before have there been so many registrations in the event’s history – and never before for a single road race in Hamburg.

The starting gun will still be fired on the Reeperbahn, but at 9:30 a.m. for the rescheduled race. The one-hour delay takes into account the cooler temperatures of an autumn morning. Combined with the time change the night before the race, this will give participants and spectators an extra two hours of sleep.

The biggest change awaits runners at the end of the 21.1 km race: The finish line is moving from the east side of the Hamburg Messe (intersection of Jungiusstraße / St. Petersburger Straße / Bei den Kirchhöfen) to the west side (Messeplatz area / Karolinenstraße / Rentzelstraße) – directly at the foot of the Heinrich Hertz Tower. This is because the previously used B-area of ​​the Hamburg Messe will not be available as an event center on the rescheduled date.

The short-notice postponement has presented the organizers with organizational and financial challenges. According to the organizers, the losses amount to over half a million euros. Numerous costs had already been incurred at the time of the decision, and parts of the event had to be redesigned. In addition, there were refund claims from participants.

Nevertheless, the supporting program will not be cut: The proverbial “party on 21.1 km” is set to live up to its name even on the rescheduled date. Around 50 event points with DJs, live bands, and drum and samba groups will create a lively atmosphere along the course, setting the perfect rhythm for both runners and spectators on race day.

From a sporting perspective, the autumn date promises to be particularly exciting. Cooler temperatures could favor fast times and bring both course records within reach. The men’s record has stood at 1:00:52 since 2015, set by Merhawi Kesete from Eritrea. The women’s record of 1:10:05, set by Israeli Lonah Salpeter in 2023, is the goal.

Kefyalew Sileshi Kifle arrives with a particularly ambitious goal. The Ethiopian equaled the existing 10-kilometer course record at the CURREX Alsterlauf in September. He had already secured the course record at the City Night Berlin in August. His previous half-marathon personal best of 1:05:59 (Pune, IND) is significantly faster than the Hamburg record, but he has stated his goal for Sunday is to finish under 61 minutes – and on a really good day, even a sub-60-minute time would be possible.

A promising competitor is James Kipkurui from Kenya. The 24-year-old boasts a personal best of 1:00:50 (Mainz, 2025). This is already two seconds faster than the Hamburg course record.

Among the German participants, all eyes are on Tobias Tim Prater of VfL Sindelfingen. He aims to match his personal best of 1:03:58, set in Barcelona, ​​and finish as high up the field as possible. An exciting duel could develop with Sweden’s David Nilsson: The 39-year-old enters the race with a season’s best of 1:03:54, also achieved in Barcelona.

Joan Chepleting, the 2025 winner, returns to the women’s race. The Kenyan missed the course record last year by just 7 seconds with a time of 1:10:12. Temperatures around 25°C and wind made the race difficult. Now she’s making another attempt at the Hamburg record.

Among her strongest competitors is Elizeba Cherono-Franken from the Netherlands. With a personal best of 1:10:10, she is also in contention.