TuS Velmede Bestwig has been organising its popular fun run for 39 years. This was followed in 2019 - as the 40th run, so to speak - in cooperation with the other Bestwig sports clubs the spectacular A46 run before the opening of the motorway section between Bestwig and Olsberg with 2000 participants. The training academy for therapeutic professions was also involved back then. Then the coronavirus pandemic and the bark beetle forced the organising association to take a three-year break.

In 2023, TuS Velmede Bestwig and Bergkloster Bestwig opened a new chapter of the fun run. From the start at the newly designed „Am Bähnchen“ sports ground in Bestwig The 21-kilometre runners initially follow a flat route past the Valme in the direction of Heringhausen, then ascending over the heights at Andreasberg down into the idyllic Elpe valley. Here, runners are treated to a wonderful panorama with views as far as Olsberg, the Arnsberg Forest and towards Winterberg. The route leads downstream along the Elpe - including a trail section - to Ostwig, where the route in the direction of Mountain monastery branches off. A final small climb leads through the settlement to the finish line directly at the monastery. The route was highly praised by the participants of the first two mountain monastery runs.

The 10-kilometre route also runs through the charming Valme and Elpe valleys, including the short trail section along the Elpe, but without any major inclines. It is therefore also ideal for beginners.

This route is again planned for the 21 kilometre Bergklosterlauf (subject to minor changes):

The 10-kilometre Bergklosterlauf is expected to run along this route again:

Here are some impressions of the route

Photos: Winfried Gerold/Ulrich Bock

Registration is organised by TuS-Velmede Bestwig. It takes place via the portal recaresult. It will be activated in March 2026. The results will also be available on raceresult at a later date.

Further information can be found on the website of the TuS Velmede-Bestwig at the Bergklosterlauf. If you have any questions that are not answered there, please contact us: Info-running-meeting(at)TuS-Velmede-Bestwig.de

Free participation for SMMP employees, students and nurses

SMMP Holding gGmbH is offering to cover the costs for employees from the SMMP network of facilities and services (including Martinus Trägergesellschaft, Seniorenhilfe St. Josef, Bildungsakademie für Therapieberufe), all students from the SMMP schools (including educational academies and the SMMP Health Academy) and the nuns. The event is also intended to be an event for the large „SMMP family“.

Simply register with the secretariat of the SMMP Gesellschaft für zentrale Dienste at sekretariat-gzd(at)smmp.de and provide the following information: selected route, year of birth, name of SMMP organisation and personal e-mail address (for sending further information before the run)

The secretary's office will also be happy to answer any queries (exclusively in connection with SMMP registrations) on 02904 808-249.

At the Bergkloster there is the opportunity to store your luggage safely in the rooms of the Bergkloster Bestwig vocational college. Start numbers will also be issued here.

The footpath to the starting point on the citizens' sports field Am Bähnchen below the monastery for all races of 6 kilometres or more is around 600 metres long, leads past the monastery gate and is then signposted. The children's and bambini races start at the Bergkloster, also to avoid major differences in altitude on the short course.

During the run, there will be refreshment points with drinks along the 10 and 21-kilometre routes.

Free massages

After the run, trainees from the training academy for therapy professions offer free massages in their school below the monastery (300 metres on foot). There are also shower facilities at this school centre.

A generous cake buffet and hot and cold drinks await you in the school cafeteria. There will also be chips and fresh sausages from the barbecue for refreshment. The award ceremony will take place on the grounds of the Bergkloster.

Childcare

Trainee nursery school teachers from the Bergkloster vocational college in Bestwig will be offering childcare for the duration of the event. This means that parents can leave smaller children in safe hands during the run. The childcare programme also includes a face-painting session.

There will also be other activities and information on offer on the grounds of the Bergkloster. In 2023 and 2024, this included a typing campaign organised by the Stefan Morsch Foundation to register in the German bone marrow donor register. A saliva swab is now sufficient for this.

The Am Bähnchen civic sports ground and the Bestwig mountain monastery are just a few hundred metres' walk from Bestwig railway station (direct connections from Dortmund, Hagen, Schwerte, Warburg and Kassel).

Bestwig is easily accessible by car from Dortmund via the A46 motorway (Bestwig junction) and from Kassel via the A44 motorway (Büren junction, then follow the L776 towards Rüthen and Nuttlar). There are just under 200 parking spaces directly at the Bergkloster (address: Bergkloster 1, 59909 Bestwig), a further 300 in front of the ALDI and REWE supermarkets and at KiK and TEDI on the main road 300 to 500 metres away. Ground-level parking spaces for motorhomes are available at the school centre.

Here is an overview map:

You can find the data on Google Maps here.

Around 80 beds in reasonably priced single, twin and two six-bed rooms are available in the guest house of the Bergkloster Bestwig. Overnight stays can be booked with breakfast. To book a room at the Bergkloster here.

For further accommodation options in the surrounding area, the Tourist Information Meschede-Bestwig gladly provide information.

The organiser of the Bergklosterlauf is the TuS Velmede-Bestwig. The Bergkloster vocational college in Bestwig already co-operates with the association in offering its A-levels with a focus on sport and health promotion as part of a vocational grammar school.

The TuS has its own departments in the areas of badminton, football, swimming, teakwondo, gymnastics, rhönrad and running. The numerous courses also include programmes in the areas of senior sports, coronary sports and prevention.
The running department has been regularly organising fun runs since 1980, most recently for many years in the district of Föckinghausen as the „Ruhrtal-Volkslauf mit dem Hochsauerland-Waldmarathon“.

The necessary infrastructure is no longer available there due to the sale of the former holiday village. In addition, the road network has been severely damaged by the removal of dead wood following the bark beetle infestation. The forest has largely disappeared.

In 2022/23, the „Am Bähnchen“ sports ground in the Ruhr Valley was significantly upgraded with an artificial turf pitch and new fitness equipment. The starts of the 10 and 21-kilometre races now take place here. The network of paths in the direction of Heringhausen and Andreasberg is intact and well developed. However, the necessary infrastructure for such a run (rooms, sanitary facilities, car parks) is also lacking at the Bähnchen. The Bergkloster with the Bergkloster vocational college in Bestwig and the Bildungsakademie für Therapieberufe (training academy for therapy professions) were therefore ideal partners.

The spacious grounds with the monastery park and the rooms of the vocational college with its own school cafeteria provide ideal conditions for the finish. The event also gives the trainees of the Bildungsakademie and the Bergkloster Bestwig vocational college (in particular the prospective physiotherapists, educators and sports graduates) the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience.

The nuns also want to get involved on this day and present their work. Before the start, participants will have the opportunity to attend the church service at 9 a.m. in the Holy Trinity Church. Running will then be the theme.