Race-Report München-Marathon 2026

(And then in October you will pace me at the Munich Marathon, right?) (January 29, 2026)Almost every year since my first marathon I get asked if I’d be running the marathon in Munich. Every year I say, “No, the Munich Marathon doesn’t enthrall me.” The route is boring, yet challenging to run, and there is hardly any support from spectators. In summary, I consider it too big to die and too small to be spectacular. There are bigger fall marathons to run.This year, my friend Tina entered the chat. In January I shared my Summer of Speed plan with her, concluding with the 5k/mile double in Düsseldorf and the news that I had gotten a spot for the Valencia Marathon. Her idea? Use the Munich Marathon as a swing-by and pace her to a new PB. At the time I didn’t say no quickly enough, which my brain took as a cue to entertain the idea of signing up for a pace job. After all, her PB pace would be an up-tempo run for me. The unknown variable was if five weeks would be enough to turn speed…