Kiel New Year's Eve Run celebrates 50 years with colorful costumes and winners!

Kiel New Year's Eve Run celebrates 50 years with colorful costumes and winners!

On December 31, 2025, the 50th Kiel New Year's Eve Run took place in Ellerbek near Kiel. Around 330 runners gathered in a cool 5 degrees and a light drizzle, many of them in creative costumes. The event not only attracted ambitious athletes, but also numerous fun runners who wanted to end the year with a positive experience. Organizer Dettmar Stöckmann from LTV Kiel-Ost and his team of helpers ensured that the festive run ran smoothly. The route was 5.5 kilometers and led over a circular route whose start and finish points were at Klausdorfer Weg/Rohdehoffplatz.

A very special eye-catcher was the team of “Silvesterkrabbler” led by Marius Margraf, who ran as a connected caterpillar. The colorful costumes of Azmi Kapusuz's clown team also caught the eye; They collected money for the city hospital's clinical clowns. Ricarda Horns, a 14-year-old participant, shared that she enjoyed ending the year on such a positive note.

Placements and honors

The results of the New Year's Eve run were as pleasing as the overall atmosphere. Bjarne Westphal from the Braunschweig running club won the men's race with a time of 17:22 minutes. Julia Kümpers from LAC Kronshagen came second with a time of 18:22 minutes. The “New Year’s Eve crawlers” reached the finish in just over 41 minutes and clearly enjoyed their run. The award ceremony took place at around 2:30 p.m. in the Ellerbeker School gymnasium, where the first place winners were presented with trophies, certificates and gifts for the best costumes.

• Männer:
  • 1. Platz: Bjarne Westphal (17:22 Minuten)
• Frauen:
  • 1. Platz: Julia Kümpers (18:22 Minuten)

The participants who handed in their starting numbers after the run were able to take part in a prize draw. Each participant also received a reminder of the event and the opportunity to order a certificate when the start number was handed out.

An event for everyone

The Kiel New Year's Eve Run is not only a sporting highlight, but also an event that brings people with different motivations together. While some are ambitious about pushing their limits, for many the focus is on having fun and spending time together. There were classifications for men and women, although there were no age groups, which underlines the inclusive nature of the run. The costume competition, which included individual and team awards, also provided additional incentive to be creative and have fun.

If you are interested in taking part in other running events, you can register on platforms such as running.de Find out where events are listed that cooperate with the German Athletics Association and its regional associations.

Overall, the 50th Kiel New Year's Eve Run remains a completely successful end to the year, which was an unforgettable experience for many participants. The anticipation for next year is already noticeable and the run is very popular with people in the region.