Around 390 runners demonstrated team spirit at this year’s relay race.
Group photo just before the start: Around 390 MHH employees took to the course in 65 relay teams. Copyright: W. Mendler
Six teams at the starting line: representatives from cardiac, thoracic, transplant, and vascular surgery (HTTG). Copyright: W. Mendler
With ideal running weather and a great atmosphere along the route, thousands of runners took part in the Hannover Marathon on April 12, 2026. Right in the thick of the action: the Hannover Medical School (MHH) with around 390 participants in 65 relay teams.
In the marathon relay, up to six runners share the 42.195-kilometer marathon course. Participants of varying running abilities take the starting line together on legs ranging from 4.4 to 9.4 kilometers.
Teamwork across professional boundaries brings people together
This year’s relay race made it particularly clear what defines the MHH at its core: teamwork across professional groups. In many relay teams, employees from patient care, research, and administration ran together—a collaboration that is also crucial in everyday life at the MHH. “Our employees’ enthusiasm remains undiminished—for many, the marathon has long been a fixed team event on the annual calendar. In line with our application for the title of University of Excellence, our guiding principle this year—‘We develop knowledge through exchange with the best’—was printed on our T-shirts,” says MHH Vice President Martina Saurin, who competed on the “MHH-Worst Pace Scenario” team. Last year, 67 relay teams with around 350 employees took to the course.
MHH is impossible to miss
Whether on the individual legs or at the joint finish line in front of the New City Hall: in their bright green MHH shirts, MHH employees were visible from afar along the route. As in previous years, the running shirts were sponsored by the MHH plus Foundation.
The fastest team was “MHH-NeuroXPsych” with Berit Abraham, Jan Philip Jürß, Jovana Gjkovic, Rasmus Schülke, Sebastian Schröder, and Rhea Lumi. They crossed the finish line in three hours, 24 minutes, and 54 seconds, placing 32nd overall. Congratulations to all participants!
Text: Camilla Mosel