My marathons

Kassel Marathon

The organiser has not published a date. Kassel
Hercules monument
Hercules monument. Photograph by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 marathon was run as two laps from the Auestadion area on Damaschkestraße through the districts of Waldau, Bettenhausen, Forstfeld, Unterneustadt, Wesertor, Nord, Rothenditmold, Kirchditmold, Vorderer Westen, Mitte and Süd.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Two laps from the Fuldaaue through Kassel's districtsTwo laps through eleven districts, the second passing the Goldenes Tor.
  • A 9:30 start, six hours, a drink every 5 km9:30 start, finish by 15:30, drinks every 5 km from km 5 in 2026.
  • About 200 metres of climbing in two lapsThe organiser gives about 200 m of climbing for the marathon.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryTwo laps from the Fuldaaue through Kassel's districtsTwo laps through eleven districts, the second passing the Goldenes Tor.

The organiser describes the 2026 course as two laps starting on Damaschkestraße by the Auestadion, past the Fuldaaue and out along Ochshäuser Straße to a turn, then back into the city centre by way of Schützenstraße and Ysenburgstraße. The second lap goes through the Goldenes Tor on Menzelstraße into the Aue as far as Siebenbergen before rejoining the first lap’s roads.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsA 9:30 start, six hours, a drink every 5 km9:30 start, finish by 15:30, drinks every 5 km from km 5 in 2026.

The 2026 race started on Damaschkestraße at 9:30, and the organiser’s FAQ gave six hours gross for every distance, so the last finish was at 15:30. Food stations stood every 5 km from km 5.0 and water points every 5 km from km 7.5. Start blocks were set by expected finishing time. The marathon was open to anyone born in 2008 or earlier, with no club membership needed.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientAbout 200 metres of climbing in two lapsThe organiser gives about 200 m of climbing for the marathon.

The organiser’s marathon page says the marathon’s climb comes to about 200 metres (“ca. 200 hm”) and shows an elevation profile headed “200 HM”. The figure is the organiser’s own, given for the 2026 course.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Kassel, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

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.

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

Get it on Amazon

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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
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.

Get it on Amazon

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.

Get it on Amazon

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

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.

Get it on Amazon

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

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

Trip

Getting a place

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.

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