Ottonenlauf 2026

The Ottonenlauf sends runners from three different Harz villages to a shared finish in Quedlinburg, a UNESCO World Heritage city. The starts are split by distance: Stiege for the 69 km Super Marathon, Alexisbad for the 45 km marathon options, and Meisdorf for the 26 km races. It is a trail-style landscape run on the Selketal-Stieg, with walking and Nordic walking options alongside the running events, so the field is not limited to ultrarunners. Most of the route follows forest and forestry tracks through the Selketal, with shady woods, rougher rural sections, and enough climbing to make pacing matter. The long course is about 69.9 km, with 809 meters of ascent and more than 1,000 meters of descent; the climbing comes in small and medium hills rather than one single mountain push. The event uses electronic timing, gives finishers a medal, and is organized by Selketal-Stieg-Lauf. Its appeal is straightforward: quiet Harz forest paths, three ways into the same finish, and a course that feels more like a point-to-point journey than a city race.