Hamburg Run Clubs: Where to Run and Meet People
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Ten run clubs in Hamburg, around the Alster, in the Stadtpark and in Wilhelmsburg, early mornings, after work and at weekends. Where they meet, who they suit, how to join.
Run clubs are an easy way to meet people in Hamburg: a set time, a run side by side, often a coffee or a drink afterwards. We only list groups that announce their runs on their own page or channel.
The clubs at a glance
| Club | Meeting point | Roughly when | For whom | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dear World Runs | Marshall Street Coffee, Waterloostraße 7 or Schopenstehl 30 | Every other Sunday, 10 am | 5 to 6 km at a conversational pace, solo welcome | Not stated |
| Hummel Hummel Hamburg Hash House Harriers | Changing places in and around Hamburg | Usually first and third Sunday | Running and socialising | 5 € according to Hashruns |
| Taiyo Community Run | Changes, announced on WhatsApp | Tue | Several paces and distances | Free |
| NININCA Run Club | Altonaer Volkspark | Once a month on a Sunday | For women, about 5 km at an easy pace | Free |
| Inselrunners | Wälderhaus, Inselpark Wilhelmsburg | Thu 7 pm | About 10 km, some running experience | Free |
| Laufwerk Hamburg | Stadtpark, Linnering by the Jahnkampfbahn | Sat 10 am | Open run, one or two park loops | Free |
| FrontRunners | Lohmühlengymnasium, St. Georg | Wed 7 pm | Queer sports club, all fitness levels | Not stated |
| Hochschulsport Hamburg | Sportpark Rotherbaum, running track entrance in the Mollerstraße courtyard | Tue 7 pm | Running group by the Alster, a slower pace is welcome | 42 € for guests for the current course |
| OMR Run Club | OMR office, Lagerstraße | Once a month, usually 6 pm | 7 to 8 km, all paces | Not stated |
| 6AM Movement | Alster, Alte Rabenstraße or Harvestehuder Weg | Sun 6 am | About 10 km, relaxed | Not stated |
"Not stated" means we found nothing about cost, not that the run costs money.
The run clubs one by one
Dear World Runs (Eimsbüttel and Altstadt)
A run organised by Dear World, an international community in Hamburg: every other Sunday at 10 am, meeting from 9:45 am, from Marshall Street Coffee at Waterloostraße 7 in Eimsbüttel or at Schopenstehl 30. You run about five to six kilometres at a conversational pace, around 6:15 per kilometre, and then stay on at the café. You're welcome to come alone, as the group explicitly invites solo runners, and different levels are welcome. Dear World Hamburg on Meetup
Hummel Hummel Hamburg Hash House Harriers (changing places)
Hamburg's hash group describes itself as a running and beer community that meets on the first and third Sunday in and around Hamburg. Routes and meeting points change, and people sit together after the run. According to the blog, the next dates are posted on Harrier Central and Hashruns, where a run costs 5 €. Hummel Hummel Hamburg Hash House Harriers blog
Taiyo Community Run (changing places)
A free, open run every Tuesday with several paces and distances. You need neither to sign up nor to be a club member, not even the first time. Place and exact time change and are announced on WhatsApp and Instagram, so the WhatsApp group is worth joining. Taiyo running group
NININCA Run Club (Altonaer Volkspark)
A run club for women, once a month on a Sunday in the Altonaer Volkspark. The plan is about 45 minutes of relaxed running, around five kilometres at an easy pace, with a warm-up and cool-down together. The run is free; a short sign-up beforehand is required, and you then find out the exact spot in the park. NININCA SPORT
Inselrunners (Wilhelmsburg)
A weekly, no-commitment run on Thursdays at 7 pm in front of the Wälderhaus in Wilhelmsburg's Inselpark, meeting from 6:45 pm. It's around ten kilometres, free and without signing up; you don't need a club membership. According to the club, the run suits people with some running experience. Inselrunners at Hamburg Running
Laufwerk Hamburg (Stadtpark)
The running shop Laufwerk invites you to an open run in the Stadtpark on Saturdays at 10 am, meeting at the Linnering by the Jahnkampfbahn. After a warm-up lap of about 1.3 kilometres, the group runs the big 5.6-kilometre park loop, usually followed by a second. The run is free, and you just turn up. Laufwerk, open run on Saturdays
FrontRunners (St. Georg)
The running group of Startschuss, the queer sports club in Hamburg. They run all year round on Wednesdays at 7 pm, usually from the Lohmühlengymnasium in St. Georg and around the Alster, in groups by pace and open to all fitness levels. Afterwards, the club says, people like to go on to a café or a bar. Before your first run, and when the meeting point changes, the club asks for a short message. FrontRunners at Startschuss
Hochschulsport Hamburg (Rotherbaum)
The Hochschulsport running group is a course that guests can book too: on Tuesdays from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, meeting at the entrance to the running track in the Mollerstraße courtyard at Sportpark Rotherbaum, running by the Alster. The distance depends on what you can manage, and according to the description you can also run slowly and at ease. Guests pay 42 € for the current course period, and booking is required. Hochschulsport Hamburg, running
OMR Run Club (St. Pauli)
The run club of the Hamburg media company OMR: once a month, usually at 6 pm, on changing weekdays, from the OMR office in Lagerstraße. You run seven to eight kilometres, all paces are welcome, and afterwards there's shandy, cola or water. Dates are posted in the Strava club. OMR Run Club on Strava
6AM Movement (Alster)
For early risers: on Sundays at 6 am, around ten kilometres by the Alster at a relaxed pace of about 6:00 per kilometre. The meeting point is Alte Rabenstraße or Harvestehuder Weg by the bridge, as given with each run. Dates and sign-up are on Meetup. 6AM Movement on Meetup
How to find your club
- Pace: A conversational pace at Dear World Runs, an easy pace at NININCA, a slower pace is welcome at the Hochschulsport running group. The Inselrunners run around ten kilometres and suit you if you already run a bit.
- Time: Early risers have 6AM Movement on Sundays. After work, the Hochschulsport running group on Tuesdays, the FrontRunners on Wednesdays, the Inselrunners on Thursdays; Taiyo's Tuesday runs have varying start times. At weekends in the morning, Laufwerk on Saturdays, Dear World Runs and NININCA on Sundays.
- Group: NININCA is for women; the FrontRunners are the running group of a queer sports club.
- Afterwards: A café at Dear World Runs, a café or bar with the FrontRunners, socialising at the hash, a drink at the OMR Run Club.
- Signing up: Book the Hochschulsport course in advance, sign up for NININCA, a message before your first run with the FrontRunners, dates on Meetup for Dear World and 6AM Movement; Taiyo, the Inselrunners and Laufwerk need no sign-up.
After the run
Simple openers work: "Do you run this route often?", "How long have you been coming?", "Are you training for something?" If the group has a WhatsApp channel, join it; the next runs are posted there. And if you got on well with someone, suggest running together next week.
For people who lead a run club
If you lead a run club like these, you know the moment after the coffee when everyone heads off without swapping numbers. before is a web app for organisers. Before the start you show the QR code on your phone; runners check in with it in their browser, without installing an app, and anyone who likes takes a selfie. The day after, the afterparty is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Anyone who shared a selfie sees everyone else who shared one there and can press the button for meeting again for up to five people. At 8 pm everyone finds out at the same time who wants to see each other again, and only then does a chat open. One-sided wishes stay invisible, and nobody receives a rejection. Nobody needs a profile. More on the page before for organisers.