Start & Finish
The start and finish areas are located about 300 m from the hall along the Saar River.
From Scharnhorststraße, you reach the Saar riverside paths by crossing Koßmannstraße and going through a tunnel.
The marathon starts at 9:30 a.m. together with the half marathon.
Please assemble at the meeting point for your assigned start group before the race.
The meeting points are on the lawn in front of the start chute. The chute itself may only be entered when instructed, as it is also used as the finish or passage chute for previously started races.
Start Groups
Please line up in one of the start groups A to K according to your expected finishing time.
| A | 3:00 h |
| B | 3:20 h |
| C | 3:30 h |
| D | 3:40 h |
| E | 3:50 h |
| F | 4:00 h |
| G | 4:10 h |
| H | 4:20 h |
| I | 4:40 h |
| K | 5:00 h und mehr |
Incorrect positioning leads to unnecessary overtaking or even congestion. Since net time is measured, starting later does not put you at a disadvantage.
Course
You will not be alone on the course. The race takes place on public cycle paths and pedestrian walkways that are not closed to other users. Expect encounters with cyclists and pedestrians. Please be courteous and considerate — a good time is not everything.
The exact course map can be found at:
https://www.westspangenlauf.de/strecke/
Pacemakers
We have arranged pacemakers for target times from 3:15 to 5:00 hours, in 15-minute intervals.
Unfortunately, pacemakers are not yet available for all times. Thank you for your understanding. The current status can be found at:
https://www.pacerteam.de/veranstaltungen/sparkassen-saarathon/
Refreshments
There are aid stations every 3 to 5 km:
5 km (State Theatre): water
8.5 km (Malstatt Bridge): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks
12 and 14 km (Lock): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, gel (Sponser Salty)
19 km (Völklingen Ferryman): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, gel
24 and 27 km (Völklingen Pier): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, gel
30 km (Ferryman): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, gel
35 km (Lock): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, gel
38.5 km (Malstatt Bridge): water, isotonic drink, bananas, salty snacks, cola
At the finish, you will receive water, fruit, salty snacks, and non-alcoholic Bitburger beer.
In the hall, you can also purchase a wide range of drinks, cakes, and sandwiches.
Time Limit & Cut-Offs
To ensure that our many volunteers can eventually go home, the official time limit is 3:00 p.m., i.e. 5 hours 30 minutes after the marathon start.
In addition, there are checkpoints along the course where runners who are unlikely to reach the finish in time will be withdrawn from the race:
14 km: 11:30 a.m.
World Heritage Site (23 km): 12:45 p.m.
Völklingen Pier (27 km): 1:20 p.m.
Luisenthal Lock (34.4 km): 2:30 p.m.
Affected runners will be transported back to the hall by shuttle.
Thank you for your understanding. We know that time limits are more generous at other events, but as a small club run entirely by volunteers, we would otherwise not be able to organize a marathon. You benefit from this through our affordable entry fees as well.
Awards Ceremony
Every finisher is a winner and receives a beautiful medal.
Further award ceremonies take place in the St. Arnual multi-purpose hall. Overall winners as well as age-group winners and place-getters will be honored.
The marathon awards ceremony starts at 2:00 p.m.
Don’t miss it — we’ve got some great prizes lined up for you!