RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Kaunas, Lithuania · 42.195 km road marathon

Kaunas Marathon 2027

Sunday 25 April 2027

A single lap of Kaunas from the Akropolis centre through the old town and along the Neris and Nemunas, flat apart from a rolling loop in Panemunė, with a 5 h 30 limit.

Kaunas Marathon at a glance

Start: 08:30, marathon and half together, Karaliaus Mindaugo prospektas by Akropolis
Finish: Karaliaus Mindaugo prospektas beside Akropolis, next to the start
Course: One lap, flat by the rivers with a rolling Panemunė loop, 95 m of climb in all
Time limit: 5 h 30, gun or chip basis not stated
Cut-offs: None published
Entry: Open, 55 euro on the check date against a struck-through 80 euro, online until 23 April 2027
Bib pickup: Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, 11:00 to 19:00, Magnum centre; race morning 06:00 to 08:30
Aid stations: About every 5 km: water in cups, sports drink and fruit

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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Kaunas Marathon course map and elevation

One lap, flat by the rivers with a rolling Panemunė loop, 95 m of climb in all. 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

Past the confluence and Kaunas Castle near km 3, then north along the Neris to a turn at about km 6.5
Nemunas embankment from km 11, passing the start area near km 13
Short out-and-back turning near km 19.5, then a bridge over the Nemunas at about km 21.5
Pine-forest streets of Panemunė, the highest ground, from about km 24 to 33
Home up A. Juozapavičiaus prospektas from about km 38

The map follows the organizer's 2026 course file matched to the streets; the 2027 route is not yet published and may change, as it did between 2025 and 2026.

Read the full course description

A single lap, measured to World Athletics and AIMS rules according to the organizer, starting and finishing on Karaliaus Mindaugo prospektas beside Kaunas Akropolis; 2026 was the second year at this venue and the lap differed from 2025. The first 2 km head west into the old town, past the confluence and Kaunas Castle near km 3, then follows the Neris north on the riverside beside Jonavos gatve to a turn at about km 6.5 and returns to the old town by km 10. From km 11 it runs along the Nemunas embankment, passing the start area near km 13, to a short out-and-back turning near km 19.5, then crosses the Nemunas by bridge at about km 21.5. On the Panemune bank it follows A. Smetonos aleja and loops through its pine-forest streets from about km 24 to 33, the highest ground, roughly 25 m above the river. It recrosses the river near km 37 and comes home up A. Juozapaviciaus prospektas from about km 38. The organizer calls the course flat and fast, with short rises at the castle, the Smetona bridge and in Panemune and 95 m of climb in all, on asphalt, old-town paving and park paths. Water in cups, sports drink and fruit come about every 5 km; the FAQ mentions pacers but no times.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.4 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

Collect your bib on Friday 23 or Saturday 24 April

Collect the bib on 23 or 24 April, 11:00 to 19:00 at Magnum: race-morning pickup runs to 08:30, but start zones close at 08:20.

More detail
Early pickup runs 11:00 to 19:00 on both days at the Magnum business centre, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 38, beside the start. Race-morning pickup at the venue runs 06:00 to 08:30, but the programme page, still showing an older edition's dates, closes the marathon start zones at 08:20. Bring photo identification and the participant passport, printed or on a phone; a friend can collect with copies of both.
Settle any change or refund by 15 April 2027

Nothing can change after 15 April 2027: name or distance changes cost 15 euro, and only the 10 euro cover bought at entry brings a refund.

More detail
The fee is not refunded, deferred or transferable, and running on someone else's bib means disqualification. Until 15 April you can change the name or distance on an entry for 15 euro by email, or reclaim the fee less the 10 euro cover if you bought it at entry; after that date nothing can change. Online entry itself stays open until 23 April.
Keep something back for Panemune

Stay patient to km 23: the course then climbs roughly 25 m into Panemunė and rolls until about km 33, with aid only about every 5 km.

More detail
The first 23 km stay low beside the Neris and Nemunas, but after the bridge at about km 21.5 the course climbs roughly 25 m onto the pine-forest streets of Panemune and rolls there until about km 33 before dropping back to the river. The organizer puts total climb at 95 m, adds old-town paving and park paths, and supplies aid only about every 5 km.

Your race-day sheet

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

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/Vilnius.

Time limit: 5 h 30, gun or chip basis not stated

How this sheet applies the limit

The 2027 rules give the marathon 5 h 30 but do not say whether it runs from the gun or from your own crossing of the start line, and results are ranked on an official race time the rules do not define. No intermediate cut-offs are published. The event timing closes at 16:30, when streets reopen, but that clock serves the afternoon races, not the marathon. Even pacing to 5 h 30 means about 7:49 per km.

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

12:30:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

90 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
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 Kaunas 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 plan

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Open, 55 euro on the check date against a struck-through 80 euro, online until 23 April 2027
Bib pickup:: Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, 11:00 to 19:00, Magnum centre; race morning 06:00 to 08:30

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry is direct on the organizer's site, with no ballot. On the check date the marathon cost 55 euro against a struck-through 80 euro, with a counter showing 38 tickets left; the page does not say whether that counts the price or the field. Online entry closes on 23 April 2027, and race-morning entry at the information centre stops 30 minutes before the start. The minimum age is 18. Fees are not refunded, deferred or transferable: a name or distance change costs 15 euro by email until 15 April 2027, and optional 10 euro cover bought at entry refunds the rest of the fee until that date. Bibs are issued with photo identification and the participant passport.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-04. 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 rules (nuostatai): The 25 April 2027 date, 42.195 km, the Akropolis venue, the 08:30 marathon and half-marathon start, the 5 h 30 limit, the 16:30 timing close, age 18, fees not refundable or transferable, 15 euro changes until 15 April, 10 euro cover, online entry to 23 April, pickup on 23 and 24 April at Magnum and on race morning, aid about every 5 km, bag storage, and the measured course.
Course page: One lap for the marathon, the flat and fast description with rises at the castle, the Smetona bridge and Panemune, surfaces, 95 m of climb and 85 m of descent, the 2026 map and the 2026 GPX behind the map line; 2027 course information is marked as in preparation.
2026 course map: Start at the A. Mickeviciaus junction beside Akropolis, kilometre markers, the Jonavos gatve out-and-back, the km 20 spur, the A. Smetonos aleja and Panemune loop, A. Juozapaviciaus prospektas and the water stations.
FAQ (DUK): Participant passport and identification at pickup, collection for a friend, water in cups with fruit about every 5 km, no transfers, deferrals or refunds, and marathon pacers.
Distances and entry: The 55 euro marathon price against a struck-through 80 euro, the counter of 38 tickets left on the check date, and optional cover.
Event programme: Start zones opening at 07:50 and closing at 08:20 and race-morning registration for the marathon ending at 08:00; the page still carries an older edition's dates.
2026 race preview: The second year at the Akropolis venue in 2026, a course different from 2025, and one lap for both the marathon and the half.