OTB-Silvesterlauf Osnabrück

The OTB-Silvesterlauf Osnabrück is a New Year’s Eve running event in Osnabrück, Germany, organized by the Osnabrücker Turnerbund since 1980. The main race is 10 kilometers, with a 5.6 km short race, an 8.2 km walking option, a 2 km Jedermannslauf for general participants, and a 0.8 km Bambinilauf for children. It draws one of the larger popular-running fields in Lower Saxony, with entries now handled through advance registration and prepayment, and the three main races capped at 3,000 runners combined. The longer routes start and finish at the OTB club grounds in Weststadt, then run through a recreation area in western Osnabrück, passing places such as Heger Friedhof, Rubbenbruchsee, and Klinikum Osnabrück. The children’s and Jedermann races stay directly on the club grounds, which makes the day work for families as well as club runners and faster 10 km racers. Chip timing has been used since 1996, and the race history includes sharp 10 km records of 30:08 for men and 34:45 for women. A former section through Heger Holz forest was removed for nature conservation reasons, and the route was adjusted through a residential area.