Photo: © Mainova Frankfurt Marathon / motion events▶Mainova Frankfurt Marathon
Frankfurt am Main, Germanysince 1981Choose the distanceTap a distance: the course, fees, times and rules below update for that race.
At a glance
Mainova Frankfurt Marathon 2026 takes place on 25 October 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Distances: 42.195 km. First start at 10:00.
- Date
- Sunday, 25 October 2026
- Location
- Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Distances
- Marathon Relay · 42.195 km · Competitive
- Marathon · 42.195 km · Competitive
- Start times
- 10:00
- Finishers at the last edition
- Marathon about 8,000
- Organiser
- motion events GmbH ↗
- Official website
- frankfurt-marathon.com ↗
- Edition
- since 1981
- Series
- Boston qualifier · European Marathon Classics · World Marathon Majors qualifier
- Status
- To be confirmed
Last updated: 19 October 2026
The race
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon is Germany's oldest city marathon: it was born on 17 May 1981 as the Hoechst-Marathon, with 3,169 entrants and Emil Zátopek as starter. Today it has around 27,000 participants across all races and half a million spectators, and the next edition takes place on Sunday 31 October 2027. The course is a flat, fast loop on both banks of the Main: there are just 27.8 metres between its lowest (89.4 m) and highest (117.2 m) points.
It starts on Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, crosses the city centre and its skyline, passes through Sachsenhausen, reaches Höchst and returns along Mainzer Landstraße to the trade fair tower; the finish is inside the Festhalle, on a red carpet, in front of thousands of spectators in the stands. The men's record belongs to Wilson Kipsang (2:03:42 in 2011) and the women's to Hawi Feysa (2:17:25 in 2024); Arne Gabius ran the German record of 2:08:33 here in 2015.
More than 90 parties with music and local groups line the course. The organiser is motion events GmbH; 2027 fees and registration opening have not been published yet.
Videos
Course
The course is an almost flat loop (27.8 metres between 89.4 and 117.2 m above sea level), entirely asphalt and mostly on wide main roads, on both banks of the Main. The start is on Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage facing the city centre: the first part runs through the city beneath the skyscrapers, then the route crosses the river to Sachsenhausen, continues to the Höchst district and returns along Mainzer Landstraße, through the centre and past the trade fair tower, to the east gate of the Festhalle: after 60 metres on the red carpet you cross the line.
Every kilometre and halfway are signposted, with a race clock every 5 km. More than 90 course parties with music and bands; runners who drop out can use the sweep bus and return buses.
Rules and requirements
Online registration is open until the seventh day before the race, unless the participant limit is reached earlier; if places remain, late entries are possible at the fair on race weekend. Minors can only be registered by their parents or guardians for races they are eligible for. No medical certificate is required: by entering you confirm you will start only if healthy and adequately trained, and medical staff can remove runners at risk.
World Athletics and German Athletics (DLV) rules apply, including anti-doping; being accompanied by bike or by non-participants is forbidden. The 2027 date is 31 October; 2027 fees and the registration opening date have not been published yet. In 2026 the start was at 10 am in four waves (everyone across the line by 10:30) and the finish stayed open until 4:45 pm, i.e.
6 hours net. Fees are not refundable; withdrawal is only possible for health reasons, with a code for the following year and a €20 processing fee, and entries can be transferred online up to three weeks before (€20 paid by the new runner). Bib and chip are collected at the Marathonmall in the fair with the race pass emailed in mid-October and an ID; someone else can collect it with the race pass, written authorisation and a copy of your ID.
