Tübinger Erbe Lauf Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The 10K of the Tübinger Erbe Lauf is a lap race: four circuits of a roughly 2.5 kilometre loop through the old town, with start and finish at the same point. Every lap follows the same pattern. After a flat opening, a climb of about 400 metres begins, averaging just under four percent with peaks around five percent and costing roughly 15 metres of elevation each time, at kilometres 0.65, 3.1, 5.6 and 8.1. A short crest follows, then the course rolls back down a long, gentle descent to its starting level.

In total the profile adds up to around 85 metres of climbing spread across four identical efforts; a good 40 percent of the distance is flat, the rest splits into moderate up and down, with no steep sections anywhere. The race has been organised by LAV Stadtwerke Tübingen since 1994 and is named after its main sponsor, local company Erbe Elektromedizin. Around 10,000 spectators line the course, the route is certified, and with roughly 4,000 participants it is one of the larger city races in the region. The 10K starts in two waves.

Pacing Strategy

This course rewards even work per lap rather than per kilometre. The four climbs are short, but they arrive every 2.5 kilometres, and attacking each ramp at full pace gets expensive from lap three onwards. Take the climbs at constant effort rather than constant pace: losing a few seconds per ramp is part of the plan, and you get them back on the long, gentle descent that follows, provided you settle back into rhythm immediately.

The biggest trap is the flat opening: the first climb arrives at kilometre 0.65, so an over-eager start is punished right away. The race-deciding section is the fourth passage of the climb at kilometre 8. If you have dosed your effort cleanly, that ramp and the descent after it are where the final positions are settled, while runners who overpaced crack exactly there. Use the lap format: from lap two you know every metre and can manage your splits per lap instead of per kilometre.

12-Week Preparation

For most age-group runners the Erbe Lauf 10K means an effort of roughly 40 to 70 minutes, run just below or at threshold. The load is not uniform, though: the four short climbs force four spikes in effort per race, each followed by quick recovery at speed on the descent. Your training should mirror exactly that.

The base is aerobic volume plus weekly threshold work, such as tempo runs or cruise intervals of 8 to 15 minutes, because a good 40 percent of the course is flat and run at steady pace. Add short hill repeats that simulate the ramp: 60 to 90 seconds uphill at four to five percent, easy jog back, six to ten repetitions. The transition matters most: practise picking the pace back up right after the crest, for example with intervals that start uphill and finish flat or slightly downhill.

The race is decided on the third and fourth passages of the climb, which means climbing under fatigue. Place hill sections late in long runs or tempo runs instead of hitting them fresh. And since every crest is followed by a long, gentle descent, relaxed fast downhill running is worth training as a skill, so you gain time there without spending extra energy. In the final weeks before the race, lap simulations help: 2.5 kilometre segments at goal pace including a short ramp, until pacing and rhythm changes run on autopilot.