New course record in the Ring Running Series – this was the 4th edition at the Hockenheimring

Over 1,000 runners braved the wintry weather and cold temperatures at the Hockenheimring on Saturday, November 25th. At the fourth edition of the Ring Running Series on the Formula 1 racing circuit, the participants still heated up the asphalt.

At 10 a.m. sharp, around 250 participants started the marathon at the east curve of the legendary race track. The half marathoners made up a field of around 800 participants, who started the race an hour later on the Parabolika. The race was partly accompanied by wind and sleet, but this did not dampen the good spirits and motivation of the runners.

There were goosebumps again when crossing the original Formula 1 finish line. Many runners used the fast and flat route to celebrate a fantastic season finale – many were happy about setting a new personal best. In recent years, the course has also given numerous participants personal records.

Timo Schmidt (LT Florstadt) secured victory over the marathon distance in a time of 2:44:30 hours. Christian Kunisch (TV Ochsenfurt – Run with the Mouse) crossed the finish line almost three minutes behind with a time of 2:47:41 hours, followed by Andreas Dietz (LLG Wustweiler) in 2:50:51 hours. For the women, Lina Kabsch (LAZ Ludwigsburg) was able to significantly pulverize the previous course record and beat the magical three-hour mark. She reached the finish in 2:59:02 hours, almost 15 minutes ahead. Katrin Ochs (LG Filder) came second in 3:14:34 hours and relegated last year’s runner-up Julia Heinz (TV Goldbach) to third place in 3:20:49 hours.

Over the half marathon distance, Tim Holzmann (LLG Wonnegau) finished in 1:09:31 hours, ahead of last year’s marathon winner, Andreas Dietrich (TSV Bad Wörishofen / 1:10:41 hours), and Maximilian Walter (engelhorn sports Team – TV Schriesheim / 1:10:57 hours) the victory. Last year’s winner Sylvie Müller (engelhorn sports team – MTG Mannheim) was able to defend her title in 1:23:04 hours. Michelle Hassel (MTG Mannheim / 1:27:20 hours) came second. Alexandra Kraienhorst completed the podium in 1:30:40 hours.

In the “Kilometer-Fresser”-Ranking – a combination rating consisting of the 10km run as part of the Hockenheimring run of the ASG Tria Hockenheim, as well as the Ring Running Series 2023, the participants with the most kilometers run and the fastest overall time achieved were determined . Michelle Hassel (31.097km in a total of 2:07:58 hours) and Ralf Volles (52.195km in a total of 4:32:39 hours) won.

The number of participants on November 25th, 2023 marked a new registration record, which has grown steadily since the first edition in 2021. At the 4th edition, the starters represented over 40 nations and a wide age group – from 16 to 84 years.

The fifth edition of the Ring Running Series will take place on March 2, 2024, in which runners can compete over the half marathon distance. The 6th edition will follow on November 23, 2024, this time again over the half marathon and marathon distance. Registration is open.

You can find further reports on the Ring Running Series 2023 here: