Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon 2025 celebrates acclaimed comeback
Happy and exhausted faces among the athletes in the finish area, an electrifying atmosphere along the course and around 250,000 spectators in the city area - with its new name sponsor Uniper, the Düsseldorf Marathon made a brilliant return to the sporting map of the state capital Düsseldorf on Sunday.
A total of 16,127 athletes, including the relay teams with Lord Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller, the Fortuna legends relay team with Axel Bellinghausen, Ahmet Cebe, Oliver Fink and Jens Langeneke, who crossed the finish line with children from the Regenbogenland children's hospice , as well as the "Rheinische Raketen" with Miriam Lange, Pamela Seidel, Manuel Gajus and Arne Klüh were part of the successful marathon comeback in the sports city after a break of six years. The sporting kick-off of the day was reserved for the youngsters, who took to the course in the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf Kids Cup.
In early summer weather and bright sunshine, Esther Pfeiffer from the Uniper D.RUNNING Team set the first sporting mark of the day. With her husband Hendrik, also from the Uniper D.RUNNING team, who ran with her to the end as Esther Pfeiffer's pacemaker after an injury break, she reached the finish line at the Untere Rheinwerft directly on the Rhine after 1:09:43 hours as the winner of the half marathon. Florian Neuschwander won the men's race in 1:07:11 hours. Hendrik Pfeiffer came second in the half marathon behind Neuschwander with his wife's time. "Running together with Hendrik always makes it easier for me. The atmosphere along the course was amazing. I heard my name so often, it just makes me want to run," said Esther Pfeiffer.
The triumph over the 42.195 kilometers went to Alex Maier. The American crossed the finish line on the blue carpet after 2:08:33 hours, pulverizing his personal best. Leah Cheruto (2:25:23) from Kenya won the women's race, also with a personal best.
Along the route, numerous DJs provided the right background music for the "Run to the beat" motto, and at the end of the day there was a big "Run and Beat" party in the Rheinterrasse. Spectators cheered on the runners at hotspots and cheering zones along the roadside.
Dr. Stephan Keller, Lord Mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf: "The comeback of the Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon today once again proved how well major sporting events work in our city. The atmosphere along the course was unique, as I was able to see for myself as a relay runner. And then the weather also played along. It was an all-round successful day."
Michael Lewis, CEO Uniper: "It's great that the Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon is taking place again. It will enrich the city with a sporting and social highlight. A huge thank you to the organizing team - expectations were high, but they were more than exceeded. As a European company with firm roots in Düsseldorf, it's really important to us to make our connection with the city visible - and there's no better way to do that than with a commitment like this."
Sonja Oberem, Head of Running Events D.SPORTS: "As a team, we at D.SPORTS organized and ran the marathon in Düsseldorf completely on our own for the first time this year. This is of course a lot of work and I would like to take this opportunity to praise our team and the many volunteers. The happy faces of many of the participants allow us to draw an absolutely positive conclusion about this day."
The date for the next Uniper Düsseldorf Marathon has also already been set: on April 26, 2026, it will once again run through the streets of Düsseldorf.