See you running

The 58-year-old will then be standing at the starting line in front of the town hall of Lower Saxony’s capital for the 25th time, making her probably the world’s longest-serving active race director.

Stephanie Eichel sends out 30,000 participants in the various disciplines onto one of Germany’s fastest courses. She freely admits it will be an emotional occasion with a tear or two in her eyes. As managing director of the event agency “eichels,” she runs a company with just under 20 employees that “gets the city moving”.

In addition to the marathon the company is also responsible for two major triathlons and countless other running events every year. In addition to the New Year’s Eve Run in Hanover, one of the largest in Germany, Eichel’s portfolio also includes the “Sparkassen Laufpass der Region”. This is a running series that has been unique in Germany for over 20 years, combining nearly 40 individual events into a series that continues to grow every year.

But the centrepiece remains the ADAC Marathon, which has worked its way into Germany’s top five with annually growing participation numbers. It has already made a name for itself far beyond the country’s borders under the titles TUI Marathon and HAJ Marathon.

Stefanie Eichel is proud to be hosting the national championships as part of the ADAC Marathon for the third time in a row but, above all, to have won the hearts of the people of Hannover and the 250,000 spectators who line the route.

“Every year, we celebrate a 42.195-kilometer street party in front of a fantastic backdrop and with enthusiastic visitors who cheer on our athletes over all distances and literally carry them along the route,” says the race director. She is particularly proud of one project within the marathon: “In 2025, we brought our ‘first-timers’ to the starting line for the first time and put together a very special package that puts all debutants running the marathon distance in the spotlight. The response to this has been overwhelming and will be continued in 2026.“

Stefanie will not miss the opportunity to welcome all participants ”smiling at the finish line“ on 12 April 2026, her 25th anniversary as race director, true to her motto: ”See you running!”