Frankfurt Marathon

The Frankfurt Marathon is a 42.195-kilometer city marathon in Frankfurt am Main, typically held on the last Sunday of October. Officially named the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, it has taken place annually since 1981, with the exception of cancellations. It ranks as Germany’s second-oldest city marathon, following Leipzig, and is also Germany’s second-largest by finishers, attracting over 14,000 participants each year. Its fast, flat course positions it among the world's quickest marathon events. The race now begins and concludes near the Messegelände, with the finish line situated inside the Frankfurter Festhalle, providing a unique indoor-arena atmosphere for the final meters. The inaugural event started and finished at the Osttor of the Hoechst factory grounds. The route then followed the Main river through the city center, Sachsenhausen, Niederrad, and Schwanheim before returning west. Frankfurt has been the venue for German Championship races, incorporates children’s and school runs, and draws elite runners aiming for fast times, as well as club runners and mass-participation marathoners. Wilson Kipsang’s 2:03:42 and Hawi Feysa’s 2:17:25 demonstrate the course's appeal to competitive marathon runners.