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Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop

Start 13:001:00 PM Nijmegen, Netherlands

The Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop is a course of 15 km with 70.7 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 36 m and its highest 86 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 15 November 2026, starting at 13:00.

Waalbrug
Waalbrug. Photograph by Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2026 race
Start
13:001:00 PM
Distance
15.0 km9.3 mi
15K
Total climb
70.7 m232 ft
Highest point 51 m167 ft above lowest
Entry fee
€30.95
For the 2026 race
Time limit
2 hours

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The organiser warns that the first 5 kilometres are treacherous because of the false flat, and the road rises from 35.8 m at the start to 79.7 m at 5 km, 34 m of it between 3 and 5 km.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Roger Veringmeier, CC BY 3.0
  3. Photo: schoenselaars, CC BY 3.0

km 6.9mile 4.3

Derdebaan

The organiser places the first drink station on the Derdebaan, after 6 kilometres.

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 15. The trace runs between 36 and 86 metres, a range of 51 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there.
0 5 10 15 km
0 2 4 6 8 9.3 mi

Your 1 gel, at the orange marksFor a 1:20 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7.5mile 4.7

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  • The first 5 km are a false flat that climbs 44 mNearly flat for 3 km, then 34 m up in the next 2 km.
  • The middle section rolls between 72 m and 87 mHigh and rolling: 72 to 87 m, with a dip at 10 km and the top at 8 km.
  • The last 4 km drop 50 m to the finishFrom 11 km the road only goes down: 50 m to the finish.
Course notes 4 short reads on the course
km 0 to 5GradientThe first 5 km are a false flat that climbs 44 mNearly flat for 3 km, then 34 m up in the next 2 km.

The organiser’s course text says: “De eerste 5 kilometers zijn verraderlijk door het vals plat.” From the start on the Groesbeekseweg the road runs over the Nijmeegse Baan and the Derdebaan.

The road is at 35.8 m at the start and 46.2 m at 3 km, so the first three kilometres rise only about 10 m. From 3 km to 5 km it reads 79.7 m: 34 m in two kilometres, an average slope of 1.7%.

Measured

km 5 to 11GradientThe middle section rolls between 72 m and 87 mHigh and rolling: 72 to 87 m, with a dip at 10 km and the top at 8 km.

The organiser writes: “Het middenstuk kent pittige heuvels en voert over de Zevenheuvelenweg.” The streets it names for this stretch are the Zevenheuvelenweg, the Meerwijkselaan, the Postweg, the Molenbosweg and the Oude Kleefsebaan. The two drink stations stand on the Derdebaan after 6 km and on the Meerwijkselaan after 9.5 km.

The course is at 79.7 m at 5 km, at its highest (86.6 m) around 8 km, down to 71.9 m at 10 km and back up to 86.1 m at 11 km.

Measured

km 11 to 15TacticsThe last 4 km drop 50 m to the finishFrom 11 km the road only goes down: 50 m to the finish.

The organiser’s course text ends: “de laatste vier kilometers gaan vals plat naar beneden.” After the Kwakkenbergweg the route returns by the Postweg and the Gelderselaan to the Groesbeekseweg, where it started.

The 50 m of descent is the biggest single fall on the course, and the finish is also its lowest point, about 35.9 m, level with the start. The organiser’s history page connects the two: in 2018 Joshua Cheptegei “liep een fantastisch wereldrecord: 41.05”, after running the first 10 km behind record schedule and then “een zeer snelle laatste 5 kilometer van 13.11”.

Measured

Whole courseCrowdThe largest 15 km race in the world, started in blocks A to IBlock A goes at 13:00 and block I crosses between 14:26 and 14:38.

The history page puts it plainly: “Hiermee is het de grootste 15km wedstrijd ter wereld en met het wereldrecord voor mannen ook de snelste ter wereld.” It grew from 500 runners in 1984, and the organiser says 45,000 people sign up for the event.

For the 15 km on Sunday 15 November 2026 the start is 13:00. Block A crosses the line at 13:00 and block I between 14:26 and 14:38, so the field takes about an hour and a half to get started. The start and finish are on the Groesbeekseweg at the Sumatrastraat.

Sourced

Race weekend

Before race week 1 key date

  1. 13 Nov 2026 · 18:006:00 PM

    Last day to hand your bib to someone else Transfers run through the participant's own dashboard from 20 October.

Sunday 15 November Race day

  1. 11:0011:00 AM–17:005:00 PM

    Zevenheuvelenplein opens Esplanade of the Van Schaeck Mathonsingel, between the station and Keizer Karelplein. Shirt pick-up (if ordered) 11:00 to 17:00 on the same square.

  2. 12:0012:00 PM

    Start blocks open Groesbeekseweg. Blocks A and B open at 12:00 and close at 12:57; the later blocks open up to 13:30 and close up to 14:30.

  3. 16:304:30 PM

    Clothes left at the start blocks are removed Groesbeekseweg and the parallel start. Clothing hung on the fences or left at the front of the blocks stays until 16:30. A guarded cloakroom for small bags stands at the start of the Groesbeekseweg and on the Pontanusstraat.

  4. Time not published

    Time limit The organiser gives 2 hours (120 minutes) for the 15 km and does not say whether it counts from the gun or the start mat. 2:00 limit: 8:00/km for 15 km2:00 limit: 12:52/mi for 9.3 mi
Other races (3)

  1. 13:001:00 PM

    Start of the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop (15 km) Groesbeekseweg, at the Sumatrastraat. Block A crosses the start line at 13:00. Blocks B to I follow: B 13:00 to 13:03, C 13:03 to 13:06, D 13:06 to 13:15, E 13:15 to 13:27, F 13:28 to 13:46, G 13:46 to 14:07, H 14:07 to 14:26, I 14:26 to 14:38. Running Blind goes at 13:27.

  2. Time not published

    Drink station at 6 km On the Derdebaan. Sports drink and water.

  3. Time not published

    Drink station at 9.5 km On the Meerwijkselaan. Sports drink and water.

Times as published by the organiser, in Nijmegen time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Nijmegen time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

1 gel for Nijmegen, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, by the clock:

  1. km 7.5mile 4.7

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Order by 25 October to test them on two long runs first.

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Questions about the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop

Is the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop course flat?
Not entirely. It has 70.7 m of climbing over 15 km. The highest point is 51 m above the lowest.
When is the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop 2026?
Sunday 15 November 2026. The start is at 13:00.
How do I enter the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €30.95 (for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the Garmin Zevenheuvelenloop?
Runners have 2 hours to finish.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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