Street closures on weekend Things to know about Sunday’s Cologne marathon
Cologne · On Sunday, the Cologne marathon will fill the city with energy. Last year more than 25,000 runners took part. Traffic obstructions are to be expected, and public transport will also be affected.
The goal of some runners on Sunday will be to succeed Tobias Blum. The young athlete won the Cologne Marathon last year. Not only professional athletes will compete in Cologne, but also hobby runners will be at the starting line. At 8:30 am the half marathon starts, at 10 am the full marathon and the relay run and then at 11:25 am the student run begins.
After-Run party, live stream and App at the Cologne Marathon
Spectators can join in the excitement with the athletes and after the race take part in the after-run party in the "ReissDorf". At the Neumarkt there will be a Street Food Festival where the athletes can end the day with their family and friends. If you can't make it to Cologne, you can also watch the marathon in a live stream from the organizers. (This page is in English and also shows how to download the marathon App.)
With the App, spectators can also track individual runners. Participants can see their progress using the App, compare themselves with other runners and challenge them to a running duel
Road closures at the Rheinenergie Marathon in Cologne
For the residents, the marathon means some restrictions in terms of getting around. Road closures affect the districts of Deutz, Bayenthal, Rodenkirchen, Sülz, Lindenthal, Ehrenfeld and Nippes as well as the entire city center around Cologne Cathedral, Hohe Straße, Rheinuferstraße and Kölner Ringe between Barbarossaplatz and Ebertplatz.
On Friday at 3 pm, Komödienstraße, Tunisstraße and the medieval castle wall in the city center will already be closed. In Deutz on Saturday, Opladener Strasse and the exit of the Deutz bridge will no longer be passable.
On Sunday, the day of the marathon, the running tracks in Sülz, Lindenthal, Ehrenfeld and on the Ring road will be closed at 7 am. At 9 a.m. the sections affected by the marathon in Bayenthal, Rodenkirchen, Severinsviertel and Rheinuferstraße will also be closed.
Some closures in the city center will continue until early Monday morning. A detailed list and map of all blocked streets and times can be found here.
Roads which remain open during the Cologne Marathon
The Severin and Zoo bridges as well as the tunnel area of the north-south route and the Gürtelstrecke are not affected and will remain open to traffic. Rodenkirchen, Bayenthal and Rheinuferstrasse will be open again on Sunday from about 1 p.m. and the Severinsviertel and Sülz from about 2 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., Lindenthal will no longer be closed, Ehrenfeld opens at about 3 p.m. and Nippes at 5 p.m. The restrictions on the Ring road will be lifted around 5:30 pm.
Public transport at the Cologne Marathon
Tram and bus services will also be affected by the closures on Sunday. Tram Lines 1, 7, 9, 16 and 17 will be split or only operate on certain sections. For trams, the Saturday timetable will be in effect marathon day between 8 am and 8 pm. The bus service is operated all day according to the Sunday timetable.
Marathon runners can use their participant ticket as a ticket in the extended VRS transportation network. This ticket is valid from four hours before the start of the marathon until 3 a.m. at night. One adult and two children under the age of 14 can also be taken along on the tickets.
(Orig. text: ga.de, Translation: ck)
