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VVO Oberelbe-Marathon
The VVO Oberelbe-Marathon is a course of 42.2 km with 72.2 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 108 m and its highest 140 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 25 April 2027.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon
- Total climb
- 72.2 m237 ft
- Highest point 32 m105 ft above lowest
- Time limit
- 6 hours
The course
Pick a place, or drag along the profileThe 2026 course stays between 107.5 m and 139.8 m above sea level and climbs 72.2 m in the full marathon, with the high point at km 8.2 and the low point at km 40.9.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: Zairon, CC0
km 17.8mile 11
Pirna
The 2026 course leaves the Elbe cycle path for a detour of about 1.5 km through the historic old town of Pirna, which the organiser describes on its marathon page.
km 40.4mile 25.1
Semperoper
The Semperoper stands about 160 m from the line at 40.4 km, a few hundred metres from the finish in the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion.
Photo: Zairon, CC0
km 41.6mile 25.9
Heinz-Steyer-Stadion
The finish for every distance is in the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion, the organiser's finish venue in central Dresden.
Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi
Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
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- A gentle Elbe valley, 72 m of climbing72.2 m of climbing between 107 and 140 m, high at km 8.2, low at km 40.9.
- From Königstein along the Elbe to DresdenKönigstein, Rathen, Pirna, Pillnitz, Blue Wonder, then Dresden's old town.
- A railway crossing between km 5 and km 7Deutsche Bahn gives a 25-minute window to cross the tracks between km 5 and 7.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GradientA gentle Elbe valley, 72 m of climbing72.2 m of climbing between 107 and 140 m, high at km 8.2, low at km 40.9.
The 2026 course starts at 119 m in Königstein and finishes at 113 m in Dresden, following the Elbe downstream, so the net change is small. The highest point, 139.8 m, comes at km 8.2, and the lowest, 107.5 m, near the finish at km 40.9. These figures are for the 2026 course.
Measured
km 0 to 42.2GeometryFrom Königstein along the Elbe to DresdenKönigstein, Rathen, Pirna, Pillnitz, Blue Wonder, then Dresden's old town.
The organiser starts the marathon at Königstein, follows the Elbe cycle path through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains past Rathen and Stadt Wehlen, and detours about 1.5 km through the old town of Pirna. After the large aid station at Dresden-Zschieren at km 26 come Pillnitz Palace, Laubegast and the Blue Wonder bridge, then the Elbe meadows and the last kilometres past the Brühl Terrace and the Semperoper.
Sourced
km 5 to 7ConditionsA railway crossing between km 5 and km 7Deutsche Bahn gives a 25-minute window to cross the tracks between km 5 and 7.
The marathon start time follows from that window. The finish for every distance is in the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion in Dresden, and the time limit for the marathon is six hours after the start.
Sourced
Race weekend
Bib pickup at BallsportARENA Dresden, Weißeritzstraße 4Friday 23 April Bib pickup
-
15:003:00 PM–19:007:00 PM
Start numbers and runners' expo BallsportARENA Dresden, Weißeritzstraße 4. The nearest station is Dresden-Mitte, 300 m away. A start number is collected with the electronic entry confirmation.
Saturday 24 April Last bib day
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10:0010:00 AM–18:006:00 PM
Start numbers and runners' expo BallsportARENA Dresden, Weißeritzstraße 4
Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.
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Sunday 25 April Race day
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Time not published
Marathon time limit Six hours after the start. The start number is valid as a ticket on all trains, buses, trams and ferries of the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe on 25 April 2027. 6:00 limit: 8:31/km for 42.195 km6:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 26.2 mi -
Time not published
Finish in the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion Heinz-Steyer-Stadion, Dresden. The finish for every distance, a few hundred metres from the Semperoper and the Frauenkirche.
Times as published by the organiser, in Dresden time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Dresden time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Dresden, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Dresden stays within 32 m105 ft of height, so they go by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
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.
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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, 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
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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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
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
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 VVO Oberelbe-Marathon
- Is the VVO Oberelbe-Marathon course flat?
- Not entirely. It has 72.2 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 32 m above the lowest.
- When is the VVO Oberelbe-Marathon 2027?
- Sunday 25 April 2027.
- What is the time limit at the VVO Oberelbe-Marathon?
- Runners have 6 hours to finish.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the VVO Oberelbe-Marathon.
