Volksbank Münster Marathon

The Volksbank Münster Marathon is the marquee running event of Münster, Germany, held annually every September since its debut in 2002. The 2026 edition — the 24th — takes place on September 13, starting at 9:00 AM from the Schlossplatz and finishing at the Prinzipalmarkt, with a 6-hour cutoff (15:00 finish deadline). The mostly flat, fast course runs through Münster's historic old town for the first 10 kilometers before heading into the outer districts of Nienberge, Roxel and Gievenbeck, then returning to the city center. An AIMS/World Athletics member race since 2012, the Volksbank Münster Marathon is also an official qualifying race for the AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships. The event draws over 100,000 spectators and, alongside the marathon, offers a relay, a 28K, a 10K charity run, a 6K health run, and a kids' race — though for 2026 only the marathon itself remains open for entry, with the other distances already sold out. The 2025 edition set an all-time participation record with more than 12,000 total registrations across all distances, including 4,115 marathon finishers. Title sponsor Volksbank Münsterland Nord has backed the race for many years. The 2026 charity partner is the Prostate Center Support Association at University Hospital Münster, and the event promotes itself as Münster's "Grüner Marathon" (Green Marathon) with sustainability initiatives built into race operations.