Cluj-Napoca, Romania · 42.195 km road marathon
Cluj-Napoca Marathon 2027
Sunday 11 April 2027
A flat two-lap city marathon from Cluj Arena through the old town and along the Someș, with a 3 h cut-off at halfway and a 6 h limit.
Cluj-Napoca Marathon at a glance
- Start
- 08:30 at Cluj Arena, entry through grandstand 2 from the playground side
- Finish
- Cluj Arena
- Course
- Two laps of about 21.1 km through the old town and along the Someș, with five turnarounds per lap
- Elevation
- Between 337 and 353 m above sea level
- Time limit
- 6 h; the rules do not say whether from the gun or from your own start
- Cut-offs
- 3 h for the first 21.1 km
- Entry
- Open until 14 March 2027 or 8,000 runners; 225 lei to 31 October 2026, rising to 300 lei
- Bib pickup
- 2027 not yet published; in 2026 at BT Arena on Friday and Saturday, and race morning from 07:30
- Aid stations
- Water and isotonic drink at km 3.2, 7.5, 11, 16, 18.8 and 21.3, and again on lap two; fruit from km 11
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.
Cluj-Napoca Marathon course map and elevation
Two laps of about 21.1 km through the old town and along the Someș, with five turnarounds per lap. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.
› running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.
What to expect on the course
- Piața Unirii around km 5, then turns at the Prefecture on Bulevardul 21 Decembrie 1989 near km 6.5 and on Barițiu near km 8
- Out and back on the Central Park alley around km 9, then a turn by the Hungarian Opera near km 12
- Over the Someș on the Napoca bridge to a turn at the MOL roundabout on 1 Decembrie 1918 near km 13
- Riverside pedestrian paths west to the White Bridge at about km 15, back through the Rozelor and Iuliu Hațieganu parks
- Over the Garibaldi and Napoca bridges and back to Cluj Arena to start lap two or finish
The map follows the organizer's 2026 lap file, run twice, which the 2027 marathon page still links; the finish approach inside the Cluj Arena grounds is approximate.
Read the full course description
Two laps of the same 21.1 km loop from Cluj Arena; the marathon page refers to a World Athletics measurement certificate. Each lap leaves the stadium by Splaiul Independentei, Uzinei Electrice and Aleea Stadionului, runs into the centre by Motilor and the university streets and passes Bulevardul Eroilor and Piata Unirii around km 5. Five turnarounds follow: at the Prefecture on Bulevardul 21 Decembrie 1989 near km 6.5, on Baritiu near km 8, at the end of the Central Park alley around km 9, by the Hungarian Opera near km 12 and at the MOL roundabout on 1 Decembrie 1918, reached over the Napoca bridge, near km 13. Pedestrian paths on the Grigorescu bank lead west to the White Bridge at about km 15, and the return runs through the Rozelor and Iuliu Hatieganu parks and Pandurilor, over the Garibaldi and Napoca bridges and back to Cluj Arena. The organizer publishes no climb figure; the course line stays between about 337 and 353 m, highest in the old town near km 3 and lowest by the river near km 12. Aid stations with water and isotonic drink are at km 3.2, 7.5, 11, 16, 18.8 and 21.3, then 25, 28.6, 32, 38 and 39.9, with fruit from km 11. The half marathon joins the loop at 10:30.
Source, licence and file
TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (43.1 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
Reach halfway inside 3 hours, and expect company after 10:30
Halfway closes after 3 hours and the finish after 6, so a runner near the limit needs about 8:32 per km from the start. The half marathon starts on the same loop at 10:30.
More detail
The rules remove any marathoner who takes more than 3 hours over the first 21.1 km, and the limit is 6 hours, so a runner near the limit needs about 8:32 per km from the start, banking nothing for lap two. The half marathon starts on the same loop at 10:30, so anyone reaching halfway more than 2 hours after the 08:30 gun runs lap two among the half field.
Collect your kit on Friday or Saturday, in person
Pickup for 2027 is unpublished. In 2026 it ran at BT Arena on Friday and Saturday, with a race-morning desk from 07:30, an hour before the start. Only the entrant can collect.
More detail
The 2027 pickup is not yet published. In 2026 kits were issued at BT Arena on Friday 14:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, with a race-morning desk from 07:30, only an hour before the 08:30 marathon start. The rules say the kit is handed only to the registered participant, so travel plans should put you in Cluj-Napoca before the Saturday closing.
Enter before 1 November, and be sure by 31 January
The fee is 225 lei until 31 October 2026 and climbs to 300 lei from 15 February 2027. Refunds, transfers and race switches end on 31 January 2027.
More detail
The marathon fee is 225 lei until 31 October 2026 and rises by 25 lei at each step to 300 lei from 15 February 2027, with entries closing on 14 March or at 8,000 runners. Refunds, less 30 lei, transfers to another runner and switches between races end on 31 January 2027, and the start list is frozen from 1 February.
Your race-day sheet
Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Cluj-Napoca.
ESTIMATED FINISH
12:30:00
MOVING PACE BUDGET
5:34/ km
ELAPSED PACE
5:41/ km
120 min below the modelled finish limit
| Distance | Elapsed | Local clock |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:28:26 | 08:58:26 |
| 10 km | 00:56:53 | 09:26:53 |
| 15 km | 01:25:19 | 09:55:19 |
| 20 km | 01:53:45 | 10:23:45 |
| Halfway | 02:00:00 | 10:30:00 |
| 25 km | 02:22:12 | 10:52:12 |
| 30 km | 02:50:38 | 11:20:38 |
| 35 km | 03:19:05 | 11:49:05 |
| 40 km | 03:47:31 | 12:17:31 |
| Finish | 04:00:00 | 12:30:00 |
Training plan for Cluj-Napoca 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.
View my training planNo account required. Keep a fixed copy, download the calendar or get a subscription URL for Google or Apple Calendar.
Entry, bib pickup and rules
- Entry:
- Open until 14 March 2027 or 8,000 runners; 225 lei to 31 October 2026, rising to 300 lei
- Bib pickup:
- 2027 not yet published; in 2026 at BT Arena on Friday and Saturday, and race morning from 07:30
Read the full entry and pickup rules
Entry is open online until 14 March 2027, or earlier if the event cap of 8,000 paid runners is reached; unpaid entries lapse after five working days. The marathon fee is 225 lei from 1 August to 31 October 2026, the band on the check date, then 250 lei to 31 December, 275 lei to 14 February 2027 and 300 lei to 14 March 2027. Refunds less 30 lei, transfers to another runner and switches between races close on 31 January 2027, and the start list is frozen from 1 February. Runners must be 16 on race day. The 2027 kit pickup is not yet published; in 2026 it ran at BT Arena on Friday 14:00 to 20:00, Saturday 10:00 to 20:00 and race morning 07:30 to 10:30.
Sources
Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-02. 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: The 11 April 2027 date, the 08:30 start from Cluj Arena through grandstand 2, the 6 h limit with 3 h for the first 21.1 km, the two-lap statement and street list, the aid stations, the five fee bands, the 14 March 2027 entry deadline, the 31 January 2027 refund, transfer and switch deadline, the measurement-certificate reference and the downloadable lap file dated March 2026.
- 2027 rules (regulament): Edition 16 on 10 and 11 April 2027, the start times of every race including the 10:30 half marathon on the same loop, the limits and disqualification rule, gun-time open ranking and net-time age groups, the 8,000-runner cap counted on paid entries, payment within five working days, the minimum age of 16 and the kit handed only to the participant.
- Kit pickup and event schedule: The 2026 kit pickup at BT Arena on 27 to 29 March 2026 with its hours, and the 2026 race-day programme with the 08:30 marathon start. 2026 facts, not 2027 confirmations.