RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Funchal, Madeira, Portugal · 42.195 km road marathon

Funchal Marathon 2027

Sunday 31 January 2027

A seafront road marathon in Funchal: four out-and-back legs to the west of the city, then flat laps by the harbour, with a 07:00 start and a 6 h limit.

Funchal Marathon at a glance

Start: 07:00, Rua do Gorgulho off Estrada Monumental, western Funchal
Finish: Avenida do Mar, in front of the Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira building
Course: Four out-and-back legs on Estrada Monumental, then two flat laps along the harbour
Elevation: Between 7 and 67 m above sea level
Time limit: 6 h; the basis is not stated, and results are ranked on gun time
Cut-offs: None published
Entry: Open; 70 euro until 31 October 2026, then 75 and 90 euro; entries close 1 January 2027
Bib pickup: Place and hours due in early January 2027; race-day pickup costs 2.50 euro extra
Getting to the start: Free Horários do Funchal buses to the start; bags carried to the finish
Aid stations: At most every 5 km, every 2.5 km in hot weather

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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Funchal Marathon course map and elevation

Four out-and-back legs on Estrada Monumental, then two flat laps along the harbour. 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

Hairpin turns at the Congress Centre by the Casino and at the Assicom roundabout, seven of them before km 30
A short rise on every western leg, between about 35 and 65 m, then a drop of about 35 m to the seafront by km 33
Through the old town by Avenida Arriaga and Rua do Aljube to Praça da Autonomia
Two final laps from the Almirante Reis garden and Ponte do Mercado to the harbour turn on Avenida Sá Carneiro

The map follows the 2025 course matched to the streets, which uses the same streets and turning points as the organizer's current description for 2027.

Read the full course description

Measured in January 2023 for a World Athletics and AIMS certificate valid to the end of 2027, the course is a set of out-and-back legs on the Funchal seafront roads. From Rua do Gorgulho it runs east on Estrada Monumental and Avenida do Infante to a first turn at the Madeira Congress Centre by the Casino at about km 1.3, then covers the road between that turn and the Assicom roundabout in the west four times, turning near km 5, 8.5, 12, 15.7, 19, 23 and 26.6. On the fifth pass of the Casino, near km 30, it drops down Avenida do Infante to the Infante roundabout and crosses the old town by Avenida Arriaga and Rua do Aljube to Praça da Autonomia, then turns on Avenida Sá Carneiro by the harbour near km 33. Two flat final laps link the Almirante Reis garden and Ponte do Mercado with Avenida Sá Carneiro before the finish on Avenida do Mar. The organizer's profile rolls between about 35 and 65 m, with a short rise on every western leg, until about km 31, then falls about 35 m to near sea level by km 33. Stations are at most 5 km apart, every 2.5 km in heat, with water, isotonic drink, fruit and bars; pacers run for 3:00, 3:30, 4:00 and 4:30.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.5 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

Plan a journey to Rua do Gorgulho in the dark

The 07:00 start is about an hour before sunrise; free Horários do Funchal buses run to the start and bags go to the finish, but bring your own bag.

More detail
The marathon starts at 07:00, about an hour before a late-January sunrise, on Rua do Gorgulho, roughly 2.4 km west of the Avenida do Mar finish. Entry includes free travel to the start on Horários do Funchal public buses and transport of your bag from the start to the finish area, but the organizer hands out no bags, so bring your own. Race-morning bus times are not yet published.
Hold back on the four western legs; the flat running comes after km 33

Run the four western legs, with seven hairpins and short rises, on effort; the last kilometres after km 33 are flat.

More detail
Until about km 30 the course repeats Estrada Monumental and Avenida do Infante between the Casino and the Assicom roundabout, with seven hairpin turns and a short rise on every leg between about 35 and 65 m. After the drop of about 35 m to the seafront by km 33 the running is flat, with seven more turns. Run the western legs on effort and push on the harbour laps.
Enter before 31 October, and expect pickup details only in January

The fee rises from 70 euro on 1 November; pickup details come only in early January, and race-day collection costs 2.50 euro extra.

More detail
The marathon fee rises from 70 euro to 75 euro on 1 November and to 90 euro on 1 December, and the platform closes entries on 1 January 2027. The race office place and hours are due only in early January, so plan to arrive by the Saturday; race-day collection is allowed but costs 2.50 euro extra, and identification is required. Transfers cost 10 euro until 31 December.

Your race-day sheet

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

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. Atlantic/Madeira.

Time limit: 6 h; the basis is not stated, and results are ranked on gun time

How this sheet applies the limit

The 2027 regulations give the marathon a 6 h limit without saying whether it counts from the gun, from your own crossing of the line or to a fixed clock. Results are ranked on official time from the start shot to the finish line, and there is a single 07:00 start, so gun and chip time differ little. No intermediate cut-offs are published.

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

11:00:00

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	07:28:26
10 km	00:56:53	07:56:53
15 km	01:25:19	08:25:19
20 km	01:53:45	08:53:45
Halfway	02:00:00	09:00:00
25 km	02:22:12	09:22:12
30 km	02:50:38	09:50:38
35 km	03:19:05	10:19:05
40 km	03:47:31	10:47:31
Finish	04:00:00	11:00:00

Training plan for Funchal 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; 70 euro until 31 October 2026, then 75 and 90 euro; entries close 1 January 2027
Bib pickup:: Place and hours due in early January 2027; race-day pickup costs 2.50 euro extra

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry is open on World's Marathons, the platform the organizer links, or in person at the Madeira Athletics Association office at the Câmara de Lobos stadium; no ballot or field cap is published. The marathon costs 70 euro until 31 October 2026, 75 euro in November and 90 euro in December, and entries close on 1 January 2027. The regulations admit runners born in 2007 or earlier; the platform states 20 and over. Transfers cost 10 euro until 31 December, distance changes are possible until then, and injury or illness brings a 50 percent refund with a medical certificate until 6 January. The race office place and hours will be announced in early January 2027; pickup needs identification, and race-day collection costs 2.50 euro extra.

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

Official home page: Sunday 31 January 2027 as the date, the Madeira Athletics Association as organizer, the 70, 75 and 90 euro marathon price bands by month and the link to online registration on World's Marathons.
Schedule: Sunday 31.01.2027 with the marathon start at 07:00, the mini marathon at 08:30 and the half marathon at 09:00.
Regulations (PDF): The 42.195 m distance, the 07:00 start, the 6 h limit, ranking on time from the start shot, age groups by birth year (under-23 from 2005 to 2007), fees, 10 euro transfers and distance changes until 31 December, the 50 percent medical refund until 6 January, the race office due in early January 2027 with a 2.50 euro race-day fee, pacers for 3:00 to 4:30, free Horários do Funchal buses to the start, bag transport, stations at most 5 km apart and first aid at the Casino and finish.
Courses page and marathon course map (PDF): The street-by-street route with 15 numbered turning points: four laps between the Congress Centre and the Assicom roundabout, the old-town transition to Praça da Autonomia, two final laps between Almirante Reis garden, Ponte do Mercado and Avenida Sá Carneiro, and the finish in front of Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira. The page still carries an old 15:00 start line that the schedule, regulations and entry platform all contradict.
Altimetry and World Athletics certificate: The organizer profile between about 35 and 65 m to km 31 and near sea level from km 33; the linked certificate POR/2023/014 gives 42,195 m measured on 6 January 2023, a drop of 0.9 m per km and validity to 31 December 2027.
Refreshment stations and information signs: Stations at most 5 km apart, every 2.5 km in hot weather, with water, isotonic drink, bananas, dried fruit and energy bars; the /information-signs page places a kilometre board at the Casino return point.
Entry platform (World's Marathons): The marathon at 07:00 on 31 January 2027 for 70 euro until 31 October 2026, entries closing on 1 January 2027, a stated minimum age of 20 and the start on Rua do Gorgulho.