Hamburg (Germany), Sunday 17 April 2016

The Hamburg Marathon is one of the biggest spring marathon races in Central Europe. Last year, Lucas Rotich of Kenya (2:07:17) and Meseret Hailu of Ethiopia (2:25:41) led a crowd of about 15,000 marathon runners and 1,500 relay teams across the finish line at the Hamburg Messe exhibition grounds.

You may not agree with those Hamburgers who like to call their city "die schönste Stadt der Welt" (the most beautiful city on earth) but you will probably concur with those who say that the marathon route is very scenic as it takes in many of Hamburg's best sights — the famous Reeperbahn red-light district, the gigantic port, the old Binnenhafen (pictured), the Binnenalster and Außenalster lakes, and some exclusive residential areas.

Hamburg is located in the generally-flat northern part of Germany but the marathon route is just about flat. There are no climbs or hills to mention but it's rarely completely flat.

The entry fees have risen significantly over the last years. For the 2016 marathon, they range from €65 for early birds up to €99 for late entries, not including a carbo-loading meal, an event T-shirt or the fees for the timing chip. Runners from outside Germany must pay an unexplained ‘service charge’ of  € 2.50.

Country: Germany

Venue (Map): Hamburg

Date: 17 April 2016 (Sunday)

Race distance: 42.195km; 42.195km relay (4-person teams: 16.3km+11.2km+5.4km+9.4km)

Start time: 9.00

Time limit: 6 hours 30 minutes

Start and finish: on Karolinenstraße, at the Hamburg Messe (Hamburg Exhibition Centre)

Race centre: at the Endurance'16 exhibition, Hamburg Messe (Friday 15 April 2016, 8.00-20.00; Saturday 16 April 2016, 9.00-19.00)

Entries: online or by post (up to 17 March 2016); late entries on 15 and 16 April 2016 if the entry limit has not been reached

Entry limit: 20,000 participants

Entry fees (42km): € 65 (up to 17 Sep 2015), € 75 (up to 17 Dec 2015), € 85 (up to 17 March 2016), € 99 (up to 16 April 2016)

Runners not living in Germany must pay a ‘service charge’ of € 2.50

Timekeeping: ChampionChip—use your own chip, rent a chip (€ 6.50), or buy a chip (€ 31.50)

You get: goodie bag, finisher medal, refreshments and massage service on the course and at the finish

Showers, changing facilities, bag storage: yes

Number of finishers 2015: 14,754 marathon runners and 1,519 relay teams

Event website (in German and English): www.haspa-marathon-hamburg.de

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page! Please visit the official event website to verify the above information.