Spectacular victory at the Tollenseseelauf: Scheffler defends his title!

Spectacular victory at the Tollenseseelauf: Scheffler defends his title!

The Tollenseseelauf, a proven highlight in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's sports calendar, once again attracted running enthusiasts from numerous countries on June 17, 2025 to conquer the picturesque route around Lake Tollense. With almost 1,900 participants, this year's edition was one of the strongest after the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Race director Jörg Knospe was happy about the great response and summarized: “That was the best number of participants after Corona.”

The event, organized by SV Turbine Neubrandenburg e.V. - one of the largest recreational sports clubs in the region with over 2,000 members - offers running enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to get active. The route, also known as “The Hardest in the North”, attracts many athletes every year, supported by over 300 volunteers who ensure everything runs smoothly.

The competition heroes

In the men's category, Chris-Marvin Scheffler was able to successfully defend his title: He won the 33rd Tollenseseelauf in a time of 2:45.10 hours. Despite his fighting performance, he had to take breaks from walking due to the heat, but once again showed his strength. Last year he set a course record of 2:32.48 hours. Stefan Lange from SV Turbine came second with 2:56.38 hours, followed by Jona-Jean Kuchinke from the Harz Mountain Running Club, who crossed the finish line in 2:57.14 hours.

In the women's category, Friederike Preuß from Pasewalk was crowned winner. With a time of 3:43.10 hours, she not only had a hard time against her fellow competitors, but also against the heat, after finishing third in the previous two years. Jeannette Kiesow from HSV Neubrandenburg and Isa Koopmann from Kalkhorst took second and third place with times of 3:50.80 and 3:51.50 hours.

Versatile competitions

The Tollenseseelauf not only offers the classic marathon distance. It was also an exciting race in the half marathon: Franziska Küster from RFC Löwenberg won the women's race with a time of 1:38.12 hours, while Janek Holtz from Templin ran the fastest time among the men with 1:20.13 hours. Jette Gonschorek from SCN was happy about the 10-kilometer run with 40:55 minutes, while Jan-Henrik Lange from HSG Uni Greifswald won the men's championship in 36:38 minutes. Both also won the newly introduced mountains classification.

The participation of 123 walkers was particularly pleasing – a new record! In the walkers, Beate Warkentin from SV Turbine took first place among the women with a time of 1:37.50 hours. Hartmut Wolff from “Die Wolffgang” secured victory in the men’s race with a time of 1:26.26 hours.

A celebration for the whole family

The Tollenseseelauf is not just a competition, but also a big celebration for the whole family. As part of the event, the three clubs with the highest number of participants in the Sparkasse Run were also honored, each receiving a check for 500 euros. The winners are the Neubrandenburger Pharma Tauchklub, VfL Burg Stargard and IGS Neubrandenburg.

The next event has already been decided: the Tollenseseelauf 2026 will take place on June 13th. If you want to experience the unique atmosphere of the running event around Lake Tollense, you should mark the date in your calendar!

You can find all further information on the Tollenseseelauf website, while Statista presents interesting statistics on the development of participation in running events in Germany (Statista).

A comprehensive overview of the event is also provided by Nordkurier, which captures the highlights and the exciting atmosphere with drone footage.