hella hamburg halbmarathon 2026
Sunday, 25 October 2026 · Hamburg, Germany
The 2026 race has been run. The 2027 details are not out yet.
On this page
The weekend at a glance
- Date
- 2027 date not announced yet
- Start
- From 9:30, Reeperbahn, St. Pauli, in blocks by target time
- Finish
- Karolinenstraße, by the Messe exhibition grounds
- Distance
- 21.0975 km, officially measured
- Your number
- Hamburg Messe, Hall A4. Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday 8:00 to 9:30
- Bag drop
- Hamburg Messe, Hall A1, from 8:00 on race morning only. None at the start
- Time limit
- 3 hours 30, and the finish closes at 14:40
- Drinks
- Seven refreshment points with hella water, the last three also with a sports drink
- Getting there
- Your bib is your ticket on HVV buses and trains, zones A to F, on race day
- Weather
- Late-October mornings at 9:00 ran from 5.7 °C to 10.8 °C in the last five years
- Entering
- The organiser has not said yet when 2027 entries open
The 2026 race was run on Sunday 25 October. The 2027 date has not been announced yet. The details below are the 2026 edition's. It is usually run in the summer, but the organiser moved this year's race to October because of the heatwave. The first start is at 9:30 on the Reeperbahn in St. Pauli, and the finish is at Karolinenstraße, by the Messe exhibition grounds.
The course is point to point, mostly flat and on closed roads, with a sign at every kilometre. It runs west into Altona, back along the Elbe past the Elbphilharmonie and the Speicherstadt, then round the Outer Alster before the finish.
The clocks go back an hour in Germany in the early hours of race day, so check the time on any device that doesn't change by itself.
Planning the trip? See how In the Running helps make it easier.
Collecting your number 2026 details
Numbers are collected at Hamburg Messe, in Hall A4, on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October from 10:00 to 20:00, and on race morning from 8:00 to 9:30. The organiser recommends Friday or Saturday and warns of queues on every day. Bring your start number, which is emailed to you again before the race, and photo ID. Numbers are not posted out.
The organiser's two pages disagree on whether someone else can collect for you. The FAQ allows it with a signed authorisation and a copy of your ID, and the information page says numbers must be collected in person. Plan to collect your own. Any shirt or socks you ordered are handed out at the Messe only, by 10:00 on Sunday.
Race morning 2026 details
The bag drop is in Hall A1 at the Messe, from 8:00 on race morning only. There is none on the Saturday and none at the start on the Reeperbahn, so leave your bag at the Messe first and travel to the start. Label it with the section from your race documents.
Your start number is your ticket on HVV buses and trains in zones A to F, second class, to the start and home again on race day. The Reeperbahn and St. Pauli stations are by the start. Starts go in blocks by the target time you gave when you entered, and you hear your block about 10 days before. You can move back to a later block, but not forward. There are mobile toilets at the start.
The course 2026 details
From the Reeperbahn the route heads west along Königstraße into Altona, loops back past Altona's town hall and drops to the Elbe at the fish market. It follows St. Pauli Hafenstraße and Vorsetzen past the Elbphilharmonie and through the Speicherstadt, and turns north past the main station to cross between the two Alster lakes at about 11 km.
The second half is a loop of the Outer Alster, along An der Alster and Schöne Aussicht on the east side and back down Harvestehuder Weg on the west. From the Esplanade it runs along Gorch-Fock-Wall to the finish at Karolinenstraße, by Sternschanze station and the Messe.
There are seven refreshment points with hella mineral water, and the last three also have hella's sports drink. Mobile toilets stand at the refreshment points. The maximum finish time is 3 hours 30 minutes, and the finish closes at 14:40.
Getting to Hamburg 2026 details
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station, and the course passes close to it at about 9 km. On race day your start number covers HVV travel in zones A to F. For other days, buy an HVV ticket as usual.
Where to stay in Hamburg
The Messe, where you collect your number, drop your bag and finish, is the place to stay near. A room around the Messe, Sternschanze or Dammtor keeps the bag drop and the finish on foot, and the start on the Reeperbahn is a short ride away. Allow time on race morning to drop your bag at the Messe before going to the start.
Weather in Hamburg in late October
This is the first time the race has been held in October, so there are no past race days to show. These are the fourth Sunday in October in each of the last five years, at the start on the Reeperbahn, at 9:00 and at 13:00. The hour is the one the race starts in. They are model estimates for the start area, not readings from a weather station.
| Day | 9:00 | 13:00 | Wind at 9:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 October 2021 | 6.2 °C | 10.7 °C | 13 km/h |
| 23 October 2022 | 10.8 °C | 16.0 °C | 10 km/h |
| 22 October 2023 | 10.3 °C | 14.0 °C | 16 km/h |
| 27 October 2024 | 10.6 °C | 13.5 °C | 13 km/h |
| 26 October 2025 | 5.7 °C | 10.4 °C | 31 km/h |
Late October in Hamburg was between about 6 °C and 11 °C at the start, and windy in 2025. The Alster loop is open water on one side, so check the wind in the forecast in race week.
Afterwards 2026 details
You finish at Karolinenstraße, by the Messe. The finish area has hella drinks, alcohol-free Erdinger and bananas, with toilets, showers and changing rooms. Collect your bag from Hall A1, and use your start number to get home on HVV.
Other race weekends
Close by, and with guides of their own, are Berlin Half Marathon.
The next races with a guide
Sources
| 2027 date not announced, the 2026 race run | BMS Die Laufgesellschaft, organiser, checked 26 October 2026 |
| 2026 date, start, finish, course, time limit, finish closure, collection, drinks, toilets, entry, fees and field size | Infos, organiser, 2026, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Collection halls and hours, documents, collecting for someone else, bag drop, start blocks and the transport ticket | FAQ, organiser, 2026, checked 13 October 2026 |
| The move to October because of the heat, and late entry | hella hamburg halbmarathon, organiser, 2026, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Route, kilometre marks, refreshment points and stations | Streckenplan, organiser, 2026 route map, checked 13 October 2026 |
| Late-October weather | Open-Meteo historical weather, at the start on the Reeperbahn, ERA5-Land temperatures on about a 9 km grid; ERA5 wind on about a 25 km grid |
Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 26 October 2026.
If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.