Hamburg Half Marathon
Hamburg, Germany The fourth Sunday in April Founded 2018
An afternoon half up the Alster to the north of the city and back down its west bank, to finish under the marathon's arch at the Messe.
Overview
It's an easy course to run hard. The whole of it sits within 16 m of height, and the finish is 11 m higher than the start.
About 6,800 finished in 2026, and the 10,000 places for 2027 sold out in ten days.
- When
- The 2027 Hamburg Half Marathon is on Sunday, 25 April 2027, starting at 2:00pm local time on Alsterglacis, by the Kennedy Bridge.
- Course
- The Hamburg half's course climbs 77 m in all, with its lowest point at 4 m and its highest at 20 m.
- Entry
- Entry to the Hamburg half is first come, first served (sold out for 2027), and costs €76–86 for 2027.
- Field
- The 2026 Hamburg Half Marathon had a half-marathon field of 6,800.
- Weather
- Across 29 years, the Hamburg half's race-day temperature has a median of 15.7 °C.
- Time limit
- The Hamburg half's time limit is 2 hours 45 minutes.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Hamburg Half Marathon
An afternoon half up the Alster to the north of the city and back down its west bank, to finish under the marathon's arch at the Messe. Alsterglacis, by the Kennedy Bridge → Karolinenstraße, Hamburg, Germany.
- Distance
- 21.1 km
- Ascent
- 77 m
- Descent
- 66 m
- Net
- +11 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · the dashed line is the marathon, which the half follows all the way except for a short cut across Alsterdorf at about 12.0 km · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the organiser's 2026 course file · Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0 · smoothed 100 m 4–20 m
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0.04.28.512.717.021.2
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The lowest point is by the Außenalster in Winterhude, 4 m at about 3.8 km, and the highest is near the finish at Sievekingplatz, 20 m. The steepest climbing kilometre is Maria-Louisen-Straße in Winterhude, 13 m, and the steepest descending one follows it, down Südring past the Stadtpark, 12 m. The last few kilometres rise gently to the finish. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and, for a 90-minute runner, the course comes out about 24 seconds slower than a flat 21.1 km (0.4 %).
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0 elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0, measured on the organiser's 2026 course file, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/half-marathons/hamburg/ · checked 2026-10-19
How to enter: dates and fees
You can withdraw free of charge within two weeks of entering, and not after. A substitute runner can take your place until 25 March 2027, for €20, and withdrawal insurance was €10.90. Entry otherwise works as it does for the marathon, and the marathon page has the rest.
History
No course records are set yet on the new course; the 2026 winners were Jonas Gübeli in 1:08:11 and Viktoria Semlinger in 1:19:39. The race's full history is on the marathon page.
- 2018The first half on marathon day, and Sabrina Mockenhaupt wins the women's race in 1:15:12
- 2019Karol Grunenberg wins in 1:05:54, the fastest winning time on the old course
- 2020No race
- 2023The 4,500 places for 2024 go in record time, by September
- 2026The half moves to an afternoon start on the Alsterglacis and shares the marathon's finish; about 6,800 finish
- 202710,000 places sold out in ten days
20202025
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 2:00pm
- Time limit
- 2h 45m
- 4
There's an aid station every 5 km, with electrolyte drink, Hamburg tap water and tubs of water for cooling off, bananas from 10 km and gels at 20 km, and toilets every kilometre. Pacers run for 1:30 to 2:15. Only open-ear headphones are allowed; any other kind means disqualification.
The morning, hour by hour
- 11:00am
- Half-marathon bag drop opens, Messehalle B5
- 1:00pm
- Runners line up on the Alsterglacis
- 2:00pm
- Start, in waves until about 2:15pm
- 6:00pm
- Last bag collection
The organiser's times for 2027, unchanged from 2026. The limit is two hours 45 minutes after the last runner crosses the start line. The organiser publishes no intermediate cut-offs.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 15.7 °C
- Warm years
- 11 of 29
- Wet years
- 4 of 29
Race-day mean temperature, 1995-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Hamburg half start?
At 2:00pm on the Alsterglacis by the Kennedy Bridge, in waves until about 2:15pm. The marathon starts at 8:30am, so the half runs in the afternoon.
Organiser participant information, 2026.
Is it flat?
Nearly. The whole course sits within 16 m of height, and the steepest kilometre climbs 13 m, in Winterhude.
Sonny 1" terrain model, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Can I still enter for 2027?
No. The 10,000 places sold out within ten days, by 10 May 2026. A runner who already has a place can name a substitute until 25 March 2027.
Organiser half-marathon page, checked 2026-10-19.
Does the half share the marathon's course?
Nearly all of it. It's on the marathon's route from the start, follows it north, takes a short cut across Alsterdorf at about 12.0 km, and finishes with it on Karolinenstraße.
Organiser course files, compared.
What is the time limit?
Two hours 45 minutes after the last runner crosses the start line. The organiser publishes no intermediate cut-offs.
Organiser participant information, 2026.
Where do I leave my bag?
At the Messe, in Halle B5, from 11:00am, before you walk to the start. Collect it by 6:00pm.
Organiser participant information, 2026.
How do I get to the start?
By S-Bahn to Dammtor or U1 to Stephansplatz. Your bib isn't a transit ticket.
Organiser participant information, 2026.
Can I get a refund?
Only within two weeks of entering. After that you can name a substitute for €20 until 25 March, or take out the €10.90 withdrawal insurance when you enter.
Organiser 2027 terms.
What's the weather like in April?
Mild. Across 29 race days the median temperature during the half was 15.7 °C, and four had a millimetre of rain or more.
ERA5 climatology, 14:00 to 17:00, 1995 to 2025, without 2020 and 2021.
Is it a good first half?
A good one: flat, with pacers from 1:30 to 2:15, aid every five kilometres and two hours 45 minutes to finish. Getting a place is the hard part.
Organiser race information; measured profile.
How many people run it?
About 6,800 finished the half in 2026, the first afternoon edition, against about 3,900 in 2025. The 2027 race has 10,000 places.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 15.7 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 29 years, which have run from 7 °C to 22.8 °C. 4 of the 29 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from Sonny 1" .hgt tiles — CC BY 4.0, sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.75. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 2 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 8
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | The organiser's 2026 GPX, which measures 21.31 km, 1.0 % long | 2026-10-19 |
| Elevation | Sonny 1" .hgt tiles (CC BY 4.0), the model the marathon is measured on; the Kennedy Bridge and the Hebebrandstraße bridge interpolated between their ends | 2026-10-19 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive, 14:00 to 17:00 on race day, 1995 to 2025, without 2020 and 2021 | 2026-10-19 |
| Results and field | Official results (mika:timing), 2018 to 2026, counted by finisher | 2026-10-19 |
| Start, limit, aid and bag drop | Organiser half-marathon participant information, 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Entry | Organiser half-marathon page, 2027 price graphics and terms | 2026-10-19 |
| History | Organiser news posts, 2023 to 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Niklas Ohlrogge (the Außenalster), Holger Woizick (the Alster from above), Wolfgang Weiser (the Binnenalster) | 2026-10-19 |
Until the Hamburg Half Marathon · 25 Apr 2027
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