My marathons

Münster Marathon

09:009:00 AM Münster
Prinzipalmarkt
Prinzipalmarkt. Photograph by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The marathon starts at the Schlossplatz, spends the first 10 km in the city centre, runs through Nienberge, Roxel and Gievenbeck, and finishes on the flag-lined Prinzipalmarkt.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Ten km in the city, then the outer districts, finishing on the PrinzipalmarktSchlossplatz start, ten city km, Nienberge, Roxel, Gievenbeck, finish on the Prinzipalmarkt.
  • A course the organiser calls basically without a climbThe organiser calls the course basically without an ascent.
  • Over 100,000 spectators and a red carpet at the finishAround 300 acts, 100,000 spectators, a red carpet on the Prinzipalmarkt.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryTen km in the city, then the outer districts, finishing on the PrinzipalmarktSchlossplatz start, ten city km, Nienberge, Roxel, Gievenbeck, finish on the Prinzipalmarkt.

The organiser calls the course an ideal mix of city and landscape marathon. After the start at the Schlossplatz the first 10 km run through the city centre, then the route goes through the outer districts of Nienberge, Roxel and Gievenbeck. The finish is on the flagged Prinzipalmarkt, and the other competitions run on the same route. The course was officially measured on 2 September 2025.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2GradientA course the organiser calls basically without a climbThe organiser calls the course basically without an ascent.

Under the heading about the route the organiser says that the course is basically without a climb (“im Grunde ohne Anstieg”). The start at the Schlossplatz and the finish on the Prinzipalmarkt are both in the centre of the city, and the outer districts of Nienberge, Roxel and Gievenbeck lie in between.

Sourced

km 42 to 42.2CrowdOver 100,000 spectators and a red carpet at the finishAround 300 acts, 100,000 spectators, a red carpet on the Prinzipalmarkt.

The marathon page describes themed power points along the whole route, around 300 artists and bands and more than 100,000 spectators, and says the red carpet is rolled out for the finish on the Prinzipalmarkt. The 2026 race, its 24th edition, had about 12,000 runners across all competitions.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Münster, 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

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

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.

Keep exploring

More races to look at after the Münster Marathon.

Marathons people fly to

Races in Europe
  • A frame from our Berlin Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth4:01Entry closes 12 Nov

    Berlin Marathon

    Berlin, Germany

    Sun 26 Sep 202742.2 km36 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Frankfurt Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth4:00Entry open

    Frankfurt Marathon

    Frankfurt, Germany

    Sun 31 Oct 202742.2 km44 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Dresden Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth0:58

    Dresden Marathon

    Dresden, Germany

    Oct 202742.2 km73 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Munich Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth1:00

    Munich Marathon

    Munich, Germany

    Oct 202742.2 km59 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.

Courses on film

All races on film
  • A frame from our Athens Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56Race week

    Athens Marathon

    Athens, Greece

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km281 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Malaga Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:50Race week

    Malaga Marathon

    Malaga, Spain

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km63 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Porto Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:53Race week

    Porto Marathon

    Porto, Portugal

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km133 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Curitiba Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:51Entry open

    Curitiba Marathon

    Curitiba, Brazil

    Sun 15 Nov42.2 km128 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
More races in Germany and in September