Flensburg liebt dich Marathon Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The marathon consists of four identical laps of a 10.55 km circuit, starting and finishing at the Südermarkt square in Flensburg's city centre. From the square at around 14 metres of elevation, the opening kilometre drops to harbour level, and the loop then spends most of its length close to the waterline of the Flensburg Fjord, passing the Hafenspitze at the head of the harbour. Only towards the end of each lap does the route climb again: on the final lap, at kilometre 39, a roughly 400 metre ramp at just over three percent average, with one short steeper pitch, leads back up to the Südermarkt.

Overall the profile is decidedly flat. About half the distance is level, the rest rolls gently, and steep sections make up less than one percent of the course. Apart from the ramp at the end of each lap there are no climbs worth naming.

The event wears its name with conviction: it sees itself as a celebration of sport and the region, drawing several thousand finishers across all distances, with a lively atmosphere around the market square and the harbour. The lap format means dense spectator points you pass four times and easy logistics for supporters.

Pacing Strategy

This course rewards evenness above all. With more than half the distance dead flat and only gentle rollers, the terrain never paces you, so you have to meter your marathon effort yourself. The biggest trap comes on lap one: the start at the Südermarkt sits slightly above the harbour, the first kilometre runs downhill, and with fresh legs in a dense field it is easy to run ten to fifteen seconds per kilometre too fast. That debt comes due on lap four.

The small ramp back up to the Südermarkt costs a few metres of climbing on every lap. Run it on even effort rather than even pace, otherwise four small overdrafts add up. The race is decided on the final lap: between kilometres 32 and 39 the course runs almost perfectly flat along the water, and this is where tired races fall apart. If you are still on goal pace there, the final ramp at kilometre 39, around 400 metres at just over three percent, will not change anything decisive.

12-Week Preparation

For most age-group athletes this marathon means an effort of roughly three and a half to five hours. Your preparation should build towards that duration step by step, with long runs approaching the three hour mark in the final weeks.

The demand profile is as steadily aerobic as a marathon gets: more than half the course is level, there are no climbs worth the name, and nothing forces anaerobic surges. That sounds easy, but it demands a very stable sense of pace, because the terrain never offers natural breaks or changes of rhythm. Steady-state runs at planned marathon pace and long runs with a faster finish therefore form the core of the build.

The race is decided on laps three and four, in particular the flat kilometres along the water from kilometre 32 and the closing ramp at kilometre 39. Train exactly that situation: tired legs, level ground, holding a constant pace. Long runs with marathon-pace segments in the final third replicate it well.

The resulting training emphases: aerobic endurance through a high volume of easy running, race-pace economy through regular marathon-pace blocks, short hill repeats so the ramp to the Südermarkt, which you meet four times, costs you nothing, and mental preparation for the lap format. Four identical laps mean you run the same sections in very different states of fatigue; if you know that feeling from long runs on loop courses, you will stay calm on lap four.