The Rennsteiglauf (full name GutsMuths-Rennsteiglauf) is a

trail running Trail running is a type of running that takes place on outdoor trails, often in mountainous terrain, and often includes significant ascents and descents. It is similar to both mountain running, mountain and fell running (also known as hill r ...

event on the

Rennsteig The () is a ridge walk as well as a historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in Central Germany. The long-distance trail runs for about from and the valley in the northwest to and the ...

path in the

Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German language, German ) is a mountain range in the southern parts of the Germany, German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorg ...

. The longest course is an

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

currently 72.7 km from

Eisenach Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...

to Schmiedefeld and part of the

European Ultramarathon Cup The European Ultramarathon Cup, also known as the Europacup Ultramarathon (ECU), was an annual cup event covering some of the biggest Ultramarathon races in Europe from 1992 until 2019. History The European Ultramarathon Cup began after the fall o ...

. Other competitions are a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

(42.195 km) from

Neuhaus am Rennweg Neuhaus am Rennweg is a town in the district of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 17 km north of Sonneberg, and 22 km southwest of Saalfeld. The former municipalities Lichte image:Wallendorfe ...

to Schmiedefeld, a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

from Oberhof to Schmiedefeld, short cross country races for people with

intellectual disabilities Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

and several hiking courses from 10 to 50 km. Since 1973, the race has taken place annually in May. It used to be the biggest popular sport event in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, and is still one of the biggest ultramarathons in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, attracting more than 10,000 participants, including those for other distances. It was named in honor of sports educator

Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths, also called Guts Muth or Gutsmuths (9 August 1759 – 21 May 1839), was a teacher and educator in Germany, and is especially known for his role in the development of physical education. He is thought of a ...

History

The first official run took place on 12 May 1973 as the ''I. 100-km GutsMuths Rennsteiglauf''. It was intended to commemorate the pedagogue

. The course of almost 100 kilometers led from the ''Hohen Sonne'' near Eisenach to Masserberg. The four participants Hans-Georg Kremer, Hans-Joachim Römhild, Jens Wötzel and Wolf-Dieter Wolfram ran without any competitive intention and reached the finish together after 9:55 hours. The following year, the event was repeated on May 17 on a route of 82 kilometers - from Heuberghaus to Neuhaus. Eight of twelve participants reached the finish line after 10:35 hours: G. Clausnitzer, K. Gottert, R. Knoch, H.-G. Kremer, H.-J. Römhild, W. Schuck, J. Wötzel, and S. Ziega

On 9 May 1975 the Rennsteiglauf was held as a competition for the first time. In addition to the 50-mile run (82 km), a second course of 38 km was set up for women, starting at the youth hostel at Rennsteig station near Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig. Of a total of 974 participants, 811 reached the finish (long course: 692 men, 10 women; short course: 108 women, 1 man

In 1976, the course length was reduced to 75 km, and later to 68 km (1983-1985) and 65 km (1986-1996). The run was organized on a voluntary basis and initially remained without support from the DTSB board. In the end, the run had cult status. Amateur athletes from all over the GDR made a pilgrimage to the Rennsteiglau

Since 1997, the run has had its current length with the start in Eisenach. Since 2017, after a remeasurement, the course length is given as 73.5 km instead of the previous 72.7 k

The shorter run has been started in Neuhaus since 1977, initially over 45 km, 43.5 km and from 2016 over the marathon distance. Since 1992, the half marathon from Oberhof to Schmiedefeld has been held, and since 1993, children's races have been part of the program. Over time, the Rennsteiglauf developed into the largest popular sports event in the GDR. Today, it is one of the largest popular runs in Germany and has been regularly ranked among the ten most popular runs in Germany by ''Laufzeit'' magazine since 1991. Trademarks are the stomach-friendly

gruel Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...

at the aid stations, the dedicated helpers along the course who are recruited from local sports clubs, and the "dumpling parties" on the eve in the starting towns as well as the runners' parties in the finishing town of Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig.

External links

GutsMuths-Rennsteiglauf
{{Authority control Ultramarathons in Germany Thuringian Forest Trail running Sport in Thuringia