128 Kilometers of Ries – A Panorama in One Push
Some trails beg to be savored in stages. The Ries Panorama Trail is one of them: 128 kilometers circling the Nördlinger Ries, usually broken into seven neat sections of 20K each. But sometimes seven days feel like too much. Sometimes you want it all at once. My plan? Run the Ries nonstop. One shot. About 20 hours.
Three months of training went in. Long runs. Bike rides. Morning mobility rituals. At midnight, I stood at the start in Harburg, beneath the iconic castle. Headlamp on. Game on.
Into the Night
I had imagined something romantic: smooth running through the woods, headlamp set to auto, mind drifting while the miles ticked by.
The reality? Pitch-black trails. A beam of light that showed more shadows than ground. Branches and leaves everywhere from the last storm. I stumbled often, once hard on my knee. The only way forward was full focus—no autopilot, no daydreaming.
Relief hit hard at 4 a.m., rolling into the first aid stop. My buddy Ralla was there with his camper, hot coffee, and a grin. Fresh shoes, a few quick words, and I was gone. Thirty kilometers in the bank.
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Trail Facts: Ries Panorama Trail
• Distance: 128 km (loop)
• Elevation: ~2,800 m gain
• Official stages: 7 days
• Start/Finish: Harburg (Donau-Ries)
• Highlight: epic views into the Ries crater, blasted by a meteor 15 million years ago
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Sunrise Over the Crater
At Roßfeld near Oettingen, 45 kilometers in, the magic moment arrived. The horizon lit up. The headlamp finally came off. A light drizzle here and there carried me through the north side until Raustetten at km 60.
There, my dream team—Maresa and Franz—were waiting. They’d set up a breakfast spread that felt surreal on a trail run: table, massage gun, endless care. Fifteen minutes later, I felt reborn.
The Name Says It All
From Raustetten south, the Ries Panorama Trail showed its cards. Rolling terrain. Big views. Constantly shifting perspectives. The 20K to Kirchheim flew by. At noon, Daniel joined me. I was 80K in.
The sun came out. The climbs stiffened. We sweated, joked, kept moving. At Utzmemmingen (km 96) another oasis appeared: a perfect mini-buffet outside the Adler Inn. Shoes still felt fine. Mindset felt even better. In that moment, I knew I’d finish. At the start, I’d given myself maybe a coin flip.
Encounters That Carried Me
Heat rose. The terrain bit harder. Ups, downs, curses under my breath. But the beauty never let up.
At Hürnheim, Daniel peeled off after 25K by my side, thanks bud! I pushed on alone. It was 4 p.m., and I was ahead of schedule—even clicking off more kilometers at 6-minute pace. Then came the surprise boosts: a former coworker with his family on the sidelines. My cousin and her partner cheering from a rocky outcrop. Those moments lifted me more than any gel ever could.
At km 113 near Mönchsdeggingen, Peter joined. We tackled the final 15K and 2 hours together: climbing up to the Bock above Harburg, soaking in the views, then dropping fast toward the castle.
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My Run Stats
• Distance: ~ 130 km
• Elevation gain: ~2,800 m
• Steps: ~149,000
• Calories: ~9,500
• Total time: ~20 hours
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The Castle Finish
And then—the moment. Twenty hours in, I ran back into Harburg Castle. Friends and family waited. A small cheer squad. Me, at the end of the journey.
We toasted with soda, beer, and pizza. My legs were cooked but fine. My heart definetely full. Sunset painted the sky above us. The perfect finish.
Best part? The Ries Panorama Trail is practically home turf. Fifteen minutes later I was in the shower. Done. For now. The next adventure is already calling.