Düsseldorf (Germany), Sunday 26 April 2015

This popular marathon race takes runners on a tour of Düsseldorf, a prosperous city of about 600,000 residents, situated in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region in the far west of Germany.

The race begins on the right bank of the mighty River Rhine in front of the Ehrenhof cultural centre, an expressionistic complex of buildings which houses the ‘Museum Kunstpalast’ art museum and the ‘Tonhalle’ concert hall.

The route consists of four different flat-to-gently-undulating loops. At first, competitors run along the Rhine to the northern part of Düsseldorf, then across the river to the western part of the city, then to the east, and finally to the south.

The finish line is also on the right bank of the river, but about 1km further south on the edge of the Altstadt with its many bars, restaurants, and beer halls.

In 2014, on a very rainy day, around 2700 marathon runners and 2500 relay teams took part in the event. The top finishers were Gilbert Yegon of Kenya (2:08:06) and Annie Bersagel of the United States (2:28:59).

The time limit to finish the marathon is six hours.

Country: Germany

Venue (Map): Düsseldorf (Cologne 40km, Brussels 203km, Amsterdam 228km)

Date: 26 April 2015 (Sunday)

Race distance: 42.2km (certified); 42.2km relay (10.8+10.8+11.3+9.3km)

Start time: 8.30 (children's race), 9.00 (42km individual runners); 10.00 (relay teams)

Start: Joseph-Beuys-Ufer 33 (at the Ehrenhof)

Finish: Rathausufer 20

Race centre: Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, Berliner Allee 33 (24 April 2015, 15.00-19.00; 25 April 2015, 10.00-18.00); on Marktplatz (on the day 6.30-9.00)

Entries: online or by post (up to 12 April 2015); late entries on 24 April and 25 April 2015; no entries on the day

Entry fees: € 54 (up to 31 Aug 2014); € 66 (up to 30 Nov 2014); € 72 (up to 15 Mar 2015); € 84 (up to 12 Apr 2015); € 95 (up to 25 Apr 2015)

Timekeeping: ‘Chronotrack’ bib chip (included in the entry fees)

You get: finisher medal, free use of public transport in Düsseldorf on the day of the race

Showers, changing facilities, baggage storage: yes

Number of finishers 2014: 2702 (42km), 2452 relay teams, 28 handbikers, 476 children

Event website: www.metrogroup-marathon.de

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.