RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Dresden, Germany · 42.195 km road marathon

Oberelbe Marathon 2027

Sunday 25 April 2027

A point-to-point marathon down the Elbe from Königstein in Saxon Switzerland to a stadium finish in Dresden, mostly on the Elbe cycle path, with a 6 h limit.

Oberelbe Marathon at a glance

Start: 09:20 (provisional), Elbwiese below Königstein station
Finish: Heinz-Steyer-Stadion, Sportpark Ostra, Dresden
Course: Point to point on one bank of the Elbe, rolling to km 13, then flat on the cycle path
Elevation: Between 106 and 161 m above sea level
Time limit: 6 h from the start; the finish closes at 15:20
Cut-offs: None published
Entry: Open; 75 euro until 29 November 2026, rising in steps to 95 euro
Bib pickup: BallsportARENA Dresden, Friday 15:00 to 19:00, Saturday 10:00 to 18:00; start pickup 18 euro if booked
Getting to the start: S1 from Dresden Hbf to Königstein, about 40 minutes; your bib is the ticket
Aid stations: Drinks about every 5 km, extra water at km 24 and 40.5

Checked against the organizer's pages on 24 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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Oberelbe Marathon course map and elevation

Point to point on one bank of the Elbe, rolling to km 13, then flat on the cycle path. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Flat (<5%)

Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

Sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland, past Rathen below the Bastei around km 6 to 8
A railway crossing between km 5 and 7, kept clear for the field for about 25 minutes
About 1.5 km through the Pirna Altstadt, with a prize sprint on the Marktplatz at km 18
Under the Blaues Wunder near km 35, then the Brühlsche Terrasse and Semperoper around km 40 to 41

The map follows the organizer's 2026 course file along the streets and paths, with the final stadium lap drawn around the outside of the track; the 2027 route has not been published separately.

Read the full course description

This point-to-point course, officially measured to DLV rules, follows the Elbe downstream from Königstein to the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion in Dresden on one bank throughout, largely on the Elbe cycle path, which the organizer calls mostly narrow. The first 13 km wind through the sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland, past Rathen below the Bastei around km 6 to 8 and Stadt Wehlen near km 10; the organizer's profile rolls between about 115 and 145 m, peaking near km 8. Between km 5 and 7 the field crosses the railway in a window of about 25 minutes. At Pirna the route leaves the cycle path for about 1.5 km through the Altstadt, with a prize sprint on the Marktplatz at km 18 and a rise to about 125 m, then runs flat through Heidenau, opposite Schloss Pillnitz near km 28 and under the Blaues Wunder near km 35. The last kilometres look across to the Elbschlösser, then pass the Brühlsche Terrasse and Semperoper around km 40 to 41 before the finish on the stadium track. Drinks come every 5 km or so, fruit from km 10, isotonic drinks and bars from km 20, extra water at km 24 and 40.5, and pacers run for 3:00 to 5:00. No climb figure is published; the 2026 course file shows about 150 m of ascent.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.3 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Three decisions to make before race day

Choose your S1 train to Königstein before race week

Parking in Königstein is scarce, so take the S1 from Dresden Hbf, about 40 minutes, free with your bib. In 2026 the last train arrived at 09:08 for the 09:20 start; take an earlier one.

More detail
Parking in Königstein is scarce and the organizer strongly advises the S-Bahn: the S1 from Dresden Hbf takes about 40 minutes, and your bib is a free ticket on all VVO trains that day. In 2026 the S1 left Dresden Hbf between 06:59 and 08:29, the last arriving at 09:08 for the 09:20 start. Take an earlier train so you have time to drop your bag.
Collect the bib and official bag in Dresden, not at the start

Bags only travel in the official bag issued with the bib, so collect it at the BallsportARENA on Friday or Saturday. Start pickup must be booked at entry for 18 euro; posting costs 15 euro.

More detail
Bags travel from Königstein to the finish only in the official starter bag issued with the bib. Pickup is at the BallsportARENA beside the finish on Friday 23 April 15:00 to 19:00 or Saturday 24 April 10:00 to 18:00. Collecting at the start must be booked at entry and costs 18 euro; posting costs 15 euro and arrives about two weeks before.
Hold back through Saxon Switzerland; the flat comes after km 13

The course rolls between about 115 and 145 m to km 13, then is nearly flat. The finish closes 6 h after the start, at 15:20, and the slowest pacer runs 5:00.

More detail
The organizer's profile rolls between about 115 and 145 m to km 13, peaking near km 8, then stays nearly flat to Dresden apart from a short rise into Pirna at km 18. The finish closes 6 h after the start, at 15:20 on the provisional time, and the slowest pacer runs 5:00. On the mostly narrow cycle path, settle into your group early.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Dresden.

Target finish time, including stops

HoursMinutes

Total stopped minutes Your start time (local)

09:20 is the organizer's 2027 start time, but it is still provisional: the start is set by a window of about 25 minutes that Deutsche Bahn keeps the railway crossing between km 5 and 7 clear for the field, and the organizer says the time may shift slightly once that window is agreed. Europe/Berlin.

Time limit: 6 h from the start; the finish closes at 15:20

How this sheet applies the limit

The organizer closes the finish 6 h after the marathon start, which with the provisional 09:20 gun is 15:20; if the start moves when the railway window is agreed, the closing time moves with it. There is one start with no waves. Places 1 to 10 are ranked on gun time and everyone else on net time. No intermediate cut-offs or sweep schedule are published.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

13:20:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

120 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
Distance	Elapsed	Local clock
5 km	00:28:26	09:48:26
10 km	00:56:53	10:16:53
15 km	01:25:19	10:45:19
20 km	01:53:45	11:13:45
Halfway	02:00:00	11:20:00
25 km	02:22:12	11:42:12
30 km	02:50:38	12:10:38
35 km	03:19:05	12:39:05
40 km	03:47:31	13:07:31
Finish	04:00:00	13:20:00

Training plan for Oberelbe Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Open; 75 euro until 29 November 2026, rising in steps to 95 euro
Bib pickup:: BallsportARENA Dresden, Friday 15:00 to 19:00, Saturday 10:00 to 18:00; start pickup 18 euro if booked

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Open online through Baer-Service. The marathon fee rises in steps: 75 euro until 29 November 2026, 80 euro to 28 February 2027, 85 euro to the 11 April 2027 closing date, then 95 euro for late online entry until 24 April; there is no entry at the start. The 2027 field size is not stated, but in 2026 the marathon was capped at 1,800 for the first time with about 350 places left six weeks out. A place can pass to another runner for 10 to 15 euro until 22 April 2027, and a switch of distance costs 8 euro from 1 April. Bibs are collected at the BallsportARENA Dresden, Weißeritzstraße 4, on Friday 23 April 15:00 to 19:00 or Saturday 24 April 10:00 to 18:00.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-04. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms

2027 regulations (Ausschreibung): The 25 April 2027 date of the 28th edition, the official DLV measurement, the Deutsche Bahn crossing window between km 5 and 7 and the provisional start time, the 11 April closing date and late entry to 24 April, no entry at the start, 15 euro posting, gun and net ranking, the bib as a VVO ticket, pacers, aid stations, bag transport in the official bag, the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion finish, the 6 h limit, the S1 journey and bib pickup days and hours.
Course overview and start times: The 09:20 marathon start on the Elbwiese below Königstein station, marked as subject to the railway window, the route summary and the course, profile and finish-area downloads.
Marathon course page: Distance 42.195 km, finish 6 h after the start, the landmarks from Rathen to the Semperoper, the 1.5 km Pirna Altstadt detour, the Zschieren station at km 26 and the organizer-linked 2026 course file behind the map line.
2027 entry fees: The 2027 marathon fee bands from 70 to 95 euro with their dates.
Participant FAQ: Transfers to another runner at 10, 12 and 15 euro until 22 April 2027, the 8 euro distance-change fee from 1 April, start-area pickup only if booked at entry for 18 euro, proxy pickup with the confirmation, posted bibs about two weeks before, and the narrow cycle path.
2026 organizer course map, profile and finish plan: The 2026 profile between about 105 and 145 m with its high point near km 8 and the Pirna rise at km 18; the 2026 course map (oem2026_Streckengrafik_VVOMarathon_RZ.pdf) and finish plan (Lageplan-Ziel-TN-und-Zuschauer_2026.pdf) show the same bank throughout and the finish on the stadium track. 2026 files, not 2027 confirmations.
2026 marathon train timetable: The 2026 S1 departures from Dresden Hbf at 06:59 to 08:29 and arrivals in Königstein from 07:38 to 09:08. The 2027 timetable is not yet published.
2026 participant cap announcement: The first cap on all distances in 2026, 1,800 for the marathon, with about 350 marathon places left on 15 March 2026.