Hamburg Marathon 2027: from February 1 to April 25, your plan on your Garmin

Your training, timed for April 25

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, February 1. With more time, it can start on January 4 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Feb 1 → Feb 21

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Feb 22 → Mar 21

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Mar 22 → Apr 11

   Long blocks at marathon pace, 2-hour-plus runs

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   Apr 12 → Apr 25

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

Almost dead flat, from the harbor to the Alster

The Haspa Marathon Hamburg starts on Karolinenstraße by the Hamburg Messe and finishes there too, on a red-carpet home straight. The organizer calls the course fast and "nahezu topfeben", almost dead flat, with only small ramps.

The route takes the Reeperbahn, runs along the Elbe on the Elbchaussee, comes back past the Fischmarkt and the Landungsbrücken with views of the Elbphilharmonie, crosses the center via Jungfernstieg and the Kennedybrücke, follows the east shore of the Outer Alster and the Stadtpark up to Ohlsdorf, the northernmost point, then returns along the west shore of the Alster, past Dammtor and the Planten un Blomen park.

Three workouts for a flat marathon

On a flat course, the challenge isn't the terrain but the pace: going out too fast along the Elbe costs you around the Alster. Your AI assistant can create each of these workouts and send it to your watch, with paces based on your MAS (maximal aerobic speed).

• — 2 × 5 miles at marathon pace (76 to 80% of MAS), 1.2 miles easy in between: the pace that has to last from the Reeperbahn to the Alster loop.
• — A long run of about 18.5 miles, the last 45 minutes at marathon pace: the plan's longest run, three weeks before race day.
• — A 50-minute progression run: 20 min easy, 20 min at marathon pace, 10 min at half-marathon pace (82 to 85% of MAS), to finish strong on Karolinenstraße.

A build through the heart of winter

With the race on April 25, training starts on February 1, in the middle of winter, and the long runs fall in March and early April. With more lead time, the plan runs up to 16 weeks and starts on Monday, January 4, 2027, right after the holidays.

Easter weekend (March 28, 2027) closes week 8, and the longest run comes the following week. If you're away for Easter, tell your assistant: it can move a workout and note the days you're available. After a missed week, the weekly review matches the plan against what your watch recorded; the plan's rule decides whether to repeat the week, and the next week goes to your watch.

Bibs, starts and pacers

All 20,000 marathon bibs are taken, and the half marathon and relay are sold out too. Runners must turn 18 in the year of the race. Pacers run for finish times from 3:00 to 5:00 hours in quarter-hour steps; your start block depends on the finish time you gave when you registered.

Frequently asked questions