RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Locarno, Switzerland · 42.195 km road marathon

Ascona-Locarno Marathon 2027

Sunday 7 March 2027

A single flat loop from Piazza Grande in Locarno, east across the Magadino plain and west over the Maggia to Ascona, with one early rise in Minusio.

Ascona-Locarno Marathon at a glance

Start: 09:00, single start, Piazza Grande, Locarno
Finish: Piazza Grande, Locarno
Course: One loop, flat apart from a rise of about 25 to 30 m by km 2, on roads, lakeside paths and a riverside track
Elevation: Between 195 and 227 m above sea level
Time limit: 6 hours from your own start-line crossing; the programme lists 15:00 as the limit
Cut-offs: None published
Entry: Open on Datasport; CHF 89 now, rising to CHF 99 from 500 entries and up to CHF 119
Bib pickup: PalExpo, Locarno: Friday 16:00 to 22:00 or Saturday 10:00 to 20:00; no race-day pickup
Getting to the start: Locarno station is a few minutes on foot from Piazza Grande
Aid stations: Refreshments roughly every 5 km

Checked against the organizer's pages on 24 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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Ascona-Locarno Marathon course map and elevation

One loop, flat apart from a rise of about 25 to 30 m by km 2, on roads, lakeside paths and a riverside track. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Flat (<5%)

Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

Climb through Muralto and Minusio on Via Rinaldo Simen to about 230 m around km 2
Around the airfield near Magadino between km 11 and 16, back to the Centro Sportivo Tenero near km 20
Lakeside promenade from Minusio to the Locarno lakefront at km 26
Riverside track of about 1.5 km beside the Maggia, then over the main road bridge at km 30
Ascona old-town lanes and a turn on Via Moscia near km 35.8

The map follows the organizer's published course file for the first edition in 2027, which it still labels a draft, so the route may change before certification.

Read the full course description

A single loop from Piazza Grande in Locarno that visits both ends of the Locarnese: first east onto the Magadino plain, then west over the Maggia to Ascona. The field passes Muralto station and climbs through Minusio on Via Rinaldo Simen, the one real rise, about 25 to 30 m to roughly 230 m around km 2, then drops to Tenero by km 5. Local roads cross the plain through Gordola to Riazzino and Gerra Piano at km 10, loop round the airfield near Magadino between km 11 and 16 and return to the Centro Sportivo Tenero near km 20. The lakeside promenade leads back through Minusio and Muralto to the Locarno lakefront at km 26, with a short inland loop by Piazza Pedrazzini. Past the Lido, a riverside track of about 1.5 km, mapped as gravel and dirt, follows the Maggia to the main road bridge at km 30, crossed again at km 39.7 on the way back. In Ascona the route loops round the delta, threads the old-town lanes near km 35 and turns on Via Moscia near km 35.8. After km 4 the organizer's profile stays between about 195 and 215 m. Refreshments come roughly every 5 km, and Swiss Athletics certification is still pending.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.9 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Three decisions to make before race day

Have your bib in hand by Saturday evening

No race-day pickup: collect at PalExpo on Friday 16:00 to 22:00 or Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, or send someone with your QR code and an ID copy.

More detail
There is no race-day pickup: bibs come only from the Expo at PalExpo on Friday 5 March, 16:00 to 22:00, or Saturday 6 March, 10:00 to 20:00, hours the organizer may still change. Reach Locarno by Saturday evening, or send someone with your Datasport QR code and a copy of your ID. PalExpo is about 800 m from Piazza Grande, and the station is a short walk from the start.
Near the limit, treat 15:00 as the deadline

The rules count 6 hours from your own crossing, but the programme puts the limit at 15:00, six hours after the 09:00 start. Near the limit, start close to the line.

More detail
The rules give 6 hours from your own crossing of the start line, but the provisional programme puts the marathon limit at 15:00, six hours after the single 09:00 start, and no waves are published. Six-hour pace is about 8:32 per km with nothing in hand, so a runner near the limit should start close to the line and plan to finish by 15:00 rather than count on net time.
Run the first 4 km by effort, not by pace

The only climb, about 25 to 30 m to roughly 230 m, comes by km 2. Run it by effort; the rest stays within 20 m.

More detail
The only real climb comes straight after the gun: about 25 to 30 m up through Muralto and Minusio to roughly 230 m around km 2, then down to Tenero. After km 4 the organizer's profile moves by less than 20 m, so seconds lost early are easy to recover. Keep something for the riverside track near km 29 and the Ascona turn near km 35.8.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Locarno.

Target finish time, including stops

HoursMinutes

Total stopped minutes Your start time (local)

The initial value is the first published start, not your assigned wave. Europe/Zurich.

Time limit: 6 hours from your own start-line crossing; the programme lists 15:00 as the limit

How this sheet applies the limit

The rules allow 6 hours counted from your own crossing of the start line, while the provisional programme lists 15:00 as the marathon time limit, exactly 6 hours after the single 09:00 start. A runner who crosses the line a few minutes late may therefore have slightly less than 6 hours if that clock holds. No waves, intermediate cut-offs or sweep schedule are published, and the organizer says programme times may still change.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

13:00:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

120 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
Distance	Elapsed	Local clock
5 km	00:28:26	09:28:26
10 km	00:56:53	09:56:53
15 km	01:25:19	10:25:19
20 km	01:53:45	10:53:45
Halfway	02:00:00	11:00:00
25 km	02:22:12	11:22:12
30 km	02:50:38	11:50:38
35 km	03:19:05	12:19:05
40 km	03:47:31	12:47:31
Finish	04:00:00	13:00:00

Training plan for Ascona-Locarno Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Open on Datasport; CHF 89 now, rising to CHF 99 from 500 entries and up to CHF 119
Bib pickup:: PalExpo, Locarno: Friday 16:00 to 22:00 or Saturday 10:00 to 20:00; no race-day pickup

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry for this first edition opened on Datasport on 10 June 2026, with no ballot. The fee rises with the number of entries: CHF 89 at first, CHF 99 from 500 registrations, CHF 109 from 1,000 and CHF 119 from 1,500, and Datasport still listed CHF 89 on the check date. No field cap is published, but the organizer may close entries early. Runners must be 18 (born 2009 or earlier). Refunds, changes, distance switches and transfers exist only under the optional Datasport cancellation cover bought at entry. Bibs are collected in person at the Expo in PalExpo, Via alla Peschiera 9, Locarno, on Friday 5 March 16:00 to 22:00 or Saturday 6 March 10:00 to 20:00, with the Datasport QR code and identification; there is no race-day pickup.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-06. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms

2027 marathon page: Sunday 7 March 2027, the 09:00 start and finish on Piazza Grande, the 6-hour limit from the timing mat, the four price bands, the bib-pickup place, days, hours and proxy rule with no race-day pickup, and the links to the course PDF and GPX.
Official rules (Italian version binding): First edition on 5 to 7 March 2027, the 42.195 km marathon on 7 March, 6 hours from crossing the start line, minimum age 18, Datasport entry, cancellation cover as the only route to refunds or transfers, early closure, refreshments about every 5 km, no private pacemakers, bag drop details to follow and certification to Swiss Athletics guidelines still under way. The Italian text at /it/regolamento reads the same.
Weekend programme: The 15:00 marathon time limit, the first finisher expected at 11:05, Expo hours with marathon pickup on Friday and Saturday, and the note that programme times are not final.
Organizer course map and profile (PDF): The loop east to Gerra Piano and the Magadino plain and west to Ascona, kilometre markers every 5 km, the drink and first-aid points, and the profile rising to about 230 m in Minusio and otherwise near 200 m. The PDF was created in May 2026; the linked GPX, used for the map line, is marked as a draft.
Participant FAQ: No race-day pickup, proxy collection with the QR code and an ID copy, supervised bag drop, showers in Locarno school gyms, refreshments about every 5 km and transfers only under the Datasport cover.
Datasport entry page: Entry open with the marathon at CHF 89 and a 09:00 start on 7 March on the check date; the organizer news item of 10 June 2026 announced the opening of registration.