Rennsteig - Stage Run - 3rd Stage Neustadt am Rennsteig - Oberhof

The stage runs are running events where, besides runners, also strong walkers can start if they meet the minimum average speed requirement of at least 6 km/h on the starting profiled route with ascents and descents totaling about 6500 meters of elevation. Preparation for the high endurance load in the stage run roughly requires marathon training over several months. Therefore, we recommend a sports medical examination, preferably with a stress ECG.

Coming from the A71, take exit 15 (Ilmenau Ost) and continue south on the B88 towards Gehren. There, turn right onto the L1047 towards Möhrenbach / Großbreitenbach. At Hohe Tanne, continue west on the L1143 towards Neustadt am Rennsteig.

Neustadt am Rennsteig lies at an altitude of 805 meters above sea level in the middle of the Rennsteig, which in the 18th century marked the border between the principalities of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (northward) and Sachsen-Meiningen (southward).
The Großer Dreiherrenstein marked from 1596 the border between the duchies of Sachsen-Hildburghausen, Henneberg-Schleusingen, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. West of the Dreiherrenstein lies near the center of the 168.3 km long Rennsteig.
At Rennsteig station, the railway line from Erfurt to Schleusingen, opened in 1904 and closed in 2001, reached its highest point at 747 meters above sea level.
At the Alte Tränke, cattle from the downslope village of Schmiedefeld were once pastured and watered.
The name Mordfleck derives from the term Moorfleck. From here, looking north, there is a view of the Großer Finsterberg (944 m above sea level), and to the south, the Hotel Ringberghaus can be seen.
Below the Großer Beerberg, with 982 m the highest mountain of the Thuringian Forest, lies at 973 m Plänckners Aussicht, the highest point of the Rennsteig.
At Suhler Ausspanne the formerly Suhl to Crawinkel running road reached its highest point. Up to there, horsedrawn conveyances received support uphill by additional teams of horses.
At the Rondell is an obelisk honoring the construction of the connecting road from Gotha to Suhl, built under Julius von Plänckner's leadership from 1830 to 1882. There is also the Rennsteiggarten, where over 4000 alpine plants from around the world have found a home.
The Dietzel-Geba Stone reminds that in 1734 Hesse, Saxony, and Sachsen-Gotha shared a common border here. The stone is named after a highway robber who was executed here in 1498.