The Harz Mountain Run (german: Harz-Gebirgslauf) is a mountain run, that has taken place since 1978 in October in

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

in central Germany. Since 1990, its programme of events has included a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

race, the Brocken Marathon, which is reckoned to be one of the toughest in Germany. Other events include a 22 km run and an 11 km run. In 2007 a 5 km run was offered for the first time that started at the same time as the 11 km run. The event attracts several thousand participants, e.g. in 2001 there were 3,500 and, in 2004, 3,110 runners finished, including 695 men and 73 women in the marathon. The record was achieved in 1987 with over 5,000 participants.

Brocken Marathon

The Brocken Marathon is "one of the great scenic marathons in Germany" and has also been recognised as one of the toughest endurance runs in Germany, not least because of the Alpine climate experienced at the summit of the

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. ...

, the highest mountain in the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

. The race has been described as "one of the most beautiful nature runs" taking place as it does through the "picturesque scenery" of the Harz National Park. The run takes place on the Saturday in October each year.''Harz-Gebirgslauf — Wernigerode, Germany''
at runinternational.eu. Retrieved 16 Feb 2022. The start and finish is in Hasserode, a suburb on the outskirts of the town of

. The marathon run follows a circular route during which the highest mountain in the Harz, the Brocken (1,141 m), has to be climbed. The route entails climbing a total of 1,150 metres in height. In 1961, the Brocken fell within the restricted area of the

Inner German Border The inner German border (german: Innerdeutsche Grenze or ; initially also ) was the border between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not including the ...

between the

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and FRG and was therefore not allowed to be crossed. With

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governmen ...

in 1990, the first "real" Brocken marathon took place with 386 runners. Two years later, crossing the Brocken was prohibited for nature conservation reasons. There has been a compromise with the

National Park Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

since 1993, according to which a maximum of 1,000 runners may cross the Brocken plateau in the course of the 42,195 km long marathon which climbs through over 1,200 metres in height.de/de/naturparkwettbewerb-2009.html ''Harzgebirgslauf der Stadt Wernigerode''
In: ''harzregion.de'', retrieved 27 August 2019.

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Duwe, Klaus (2008). "Brocken Marathon" in ''42 mal 42: Marathon-Erlebnisse von Antalya bis Zermatt'', Munich: Copress. pp. 255 ff. * Schillings, Wolfgang (2007). ''Die 100 besten Tipps für den Marathon''. Hamburg: spomedis.

External links

Official website
Harz Sport in Saxony-Anhalt Marathons in Germany Autumn events in Germany Mountain marathons

Brocken Marathon

See also

References

Bibliography

External links