RUNNING GERMANY – 26. Haspa Hamburg Marathon – 26th Edition of Germany’s biggest spring marathon on 22 May 2011

1. Two weeks to official entry deadline
2. Present Haspa Marathon Hamburg ranked no. 2 in national comparison

1.) Two weeks to official entry deadline

Until January 31st interested amateur and recreational runners have the chance to secure one of 22,000 starting places for this year's Haspa Marathon Hamburg at a price of 70 EURO. Then the official registration period for the 26th Edition of Germany's biggest spring marathon on 22 May 2011 runs out.

"We can – not least because of the early snowy winter – assure every marathoner that his/her registration means a save starting place but also that he/she has to pay the fixed price of 70 EURO" promises Race Director Wolfram Götz.

However foreign runners have to time to register until 15 March. Also participants in the German and Hamburg Marathon Championship can lean back. Their registration period and their guarantee of a secure starting place runs until April 21st.

2.) Present Haspa Marathon Hamburg ranked no. 2 in national comparison

On 22 May 2011 the start of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg will be at 9.00 clock. The sporting highlight is the biggest running spectacle in Hamburg and from the start one of the largest and most attractive marathons in Germany and in Europe (4th place). In the current issues of running magazines Runner's World and Spiridon the Haspa Marathon Hamburg is ranked second place in the analysis of large German road races – behind Berlin and before Frankfurt and Munich ranked third and fourth place.

Hamburg with 14,172 finishers is placed – according to the ranking of magazine Spiridon – clearly before Frankfurt (9558) and Munich (6406). Also, the women quota is pleasently high in the Hanseatic city. With 20.5%, the classic spring marathon is ranked just behind the road race in the capital (20.7%). Frankfurt recorded only 17.8%, Munich, however, 19.2%. So Hamburg and Berlin are the only two marathon events across Germany, where the women quota is over 20%.

Another criterion for Hamburg as Germany's second largest road race is the child and youth run "The tenth". Again, the Hamburg Marathon Haspa is ranked second place behind Berlin. In 2010 5476 young marathoners started in Hamburg to face the 4.2195 long course in the middle of the city. In Berlin, there were even more than 9,000 kids.

"We are very proud that the Haspa Marathon Hamburg is in second place in the national comparison. This shows that our concept and the effort to offer our runners ideal conditions, so that they can fully concentrate on their sporting performance, are accepted and appreciated", comments Matthias Neumann, managing director of the organizing agency ACT AGENCY GmbH, the ranking.