04 April 2017, 7am
hella hamburg halbmarathon
Sun 25 June 2017
The 23rd hella hamburg half promises to be a spectacular sporting event for the city. As one of the few ‘stand alone’ half marathon races in Germany, this classic city race leads runners past numerous Hamburg tourist attractions and is considered to be the fastest of the German summer half marathon races.
Held since 1995, the race has grown to become Germany’s second biggest half marathon attracting over 10000 runners.
The race starts at 10.00 on the four-lane Reeperbahn, in the centre of Hamburg’s famous night life district, accompanied by a DJ with typical St. Pauli/Hamburg sound. Skaters in the German Inline Cup are set off along the course 15 minutes before the runners.
The point-to-point course runs through the heart of the city and has over 50 sightseeing highlights. You will see Hamburg from a new perspective: passing the harbour and the traditional Altona fish market, the Speicherstadt (UNESCO world heritage site) and Hamburg’s new landmark the Elbphilharmonie. You will cross the Kennedy Bridge between the two Alsterlakes “Binnen and Aussenalster” and run around the Aussenalster, an oasis of green along the waterfront. You find the finish at the old Rothenbaumchaussee tennis stadium.
This year the hella hamburg half has adopted a new concept of 21 ‘living’ kilometre points. Be ready for our famous tunnel DJs, big samba bands, sign spinner, cheering points from running crews, event points from running partners, the world’s first bike disco with spectator-driven pedal power, live bands and many more attractions. Our live acts, DJs and artists will make the race even more unique, combining sport with a huge party for Hamburg’s enthusiastic spectators.
There is always a strong elite field. Two years ago Eritrea’s Merhawi Kesete set the current course record of 1:00:52 and Kenya’s Agnes Mutune set the women’s record with 1:11:27.
“This year’s race could be a record-setting event for the 14th time in a row,” says Race Director Karsten Schölermann. “Take your chance and discover our beautiful city by running the hella hamburg half.” The New York Times rated Hamburg in the top ten places to go in 2017.