The Harz Run (german: Harzquerung) is a

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pr ...

and

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

event in the

Harz mountains 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 ...

of Germany that has been organised since the 1970s by the Wernigerode Skiing Club (''Skiklub Wernigerode 1911'') and takes place on the last Saturday of April. The main run is an ultra marathon which is long and crosses the Harz between

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 ...

and Nordhausen in a north-south direction. There is also a 25 km route from Wernigerode to

Benneckenstein Benneckenstein () is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the town of Oberharz am Brocken. Benneckenstein is in the eastern Harz, 14 km southeast of Braunlage, and 24 km s ...

and a 28 km course from Benneckenstein to Nordhausen. From its start on the edge of the town of Wernigerode it initially climbs the Hilmersberg and then continues to the Zillierbach Reservoir. After 11.5 km the first drink stop is reached at Neue Hütte. The route forks at

Lange Lange may refer to: People *Lange (surname), a German surname * Lange (musician) (born 1974), British DJ * Lange (Brazilian footballer) (born 1966), Brazilian footballer Companies * Lange (ski boots), a producer of ski boots used in alpine (dow ...

at the 20 km point. Whilst the 25 km runners turn off right to Benneckenstein, the ultra marathon runners run straight ahead in a southerly direction. Shortly beyond Trautenstein they are joined by the 28 km runners from Benneckenstein. The route continues via Sophienhof to Netzkater. Next comes the second longest climb to the Poppenberg, whose peak is reached at the 39 km point. The course runs through Neustadt/Harz and Rüdigsdorf to its finish in the Albert Kuntz Stadium at Nordhausen. The route is quite demanding due to its near-natural course on small tracks and the height difference of 1200 m that has to be overcome. The instigator for the runs was Herbert Pohl of Wernigerode who died in 1993. In

East Germany 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 ...

the organisation of the run was sometimes banned by the authorities. In 2004 the 25th ''Harzquerung'' was combined with the 4th German Ultra Marathon Championships.

Statistics

Course records

* Men: 3:23:47, Karsten Sörensen, 1996 * Women: 4:00:04, Heidrun Peckert, 2005

Fastest runner of 2007

* Men: Andreas Schneidewind, 3:37:09 * Women: Nicole Kresse, 4:30:52

No. of finishers in 2007

* 51 km: 334 (272 men and 62 women) * 25 km: 75 (57 men and 18 women) * 28 km: 68 (51 men and 17 women)

List of victors

External links

{{portal, Harz
Official website

* ttp://www.frau-werwolf.de/laufstall/harzquerung2004/harzquerung2004.htm Run reports from the 2004 ''Harzquerung'' at frau-werwolf.de
Run reports from the 2007 ''Harzquerung'' at marathon4you.de

with links to other run reports. Ultramarathons Athletics competitions in Germany Sport in Saxony-Anhalt Sport in Thuringia Harz