Dortmunder Friedenslauf

The Dortmunder Friedenslauf ("Dortmund Peace Run") is an annual road race held on Whit Monday in the Kirchlinde district of Dortmund, Germany, organized by TSV 1889 Kirchlinde e.V., one of the city's oldest sports clubs. First staged more than three decades ago, the event traditionally opens the neighborhood's Kirchlinder Woche festival week and has grown into one of west Dortmund's largest community races, drawing a record 950 participants across all distances at the 2026 edition. The event centers on a half marathon that loops twice through the wooded Rahmer Wald, alongside a 10K run and 10K Nordic walking that cover the forest once, a 5K run and a 5K walking option, a 1.2K school run, and a roughly 300-meter Bambini dash for the youngest runners. All races start and finish at the Vereinszentrum Kochschule on Westerwikstrasse in Kirchlinde, with the course mixing paved roads and gravel forest paths and a climbing stretch back up Westerwikstrasse near the finish. Every finisher receives a medal, and the afternoon closes with live music, food, and other festivities at the finish area. The 2026 edition (the 30th) took place May 25, 2026; the next edition, the 31st Dortmunder Friedenslauf, is projected for Whit Monday, May 17, 2027, following the event's annual Whit Monday cadence.