Cologne Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Generali Köln Marathon is Cologne's city marathon, held on a Sunday in early October, with the start in Deutz and the finish beside Cologne Cathedral. It was first run in 1997 as the Ford Köln-Marathon. The marathon starts at 10:30 on Opladener Straße next to Ottoplatz and Deutz station, on the right bank of the Rhine, with a half marathon and a relay on the same day. The finish is on Komödienstraße next to the cathedral. The organisers describe the course as flat and fast, passing through Rodenkirchen, Lindenthal, Ehrenfeld and Nippes, with eleven refreshment stations. After a long stretch along the Rhine bank, the route runs in a star shape through the inner city. The organisers highlight the finish at the cathedral, the route through Cologne's neighbourhoods and tens of thousands of spectators. The time limit is six hours net, and the finish closes at 16:30. In 2026 the event set a participation record of about 41,000 entries across all distances, and both marathon course records were lowered: Bernard Kiprop Koech ran 2:06:10 and Jackline Chepngeno 2:21:34. Entries for the 29th edition in 2027 open on 25 November 2026.