RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Madrid, Spain · 42.195 km road marathon

Madrid Marathon 2027

Sunday 25 April 2027

A point-to-point marathon through central Madrid from the Castellana to the Paseo de Recoletos, not flat, with clock-time cut-offs that close the finish at 16:34.

Madrid Marathon at a glance

Start
08:45 (2026 time; the entry site lists 09:00), Castellana at Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz
Finish
Paseo de Recoletos, between Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza de Colón
Course
Point to point on closed city roads, not flat: roughly 370 m of climbing on the 2026 course
Time limit
Headline limit not yet set; the cut-off table closes the finish at 16:34:45, so later waves have less
Cut-offs
Clock times: km 0 by 10:15, km 5 by 11:00, halfway by 13:24:52, km 30 by 14:45, km 40 by 16:15
Entry
Open to 11 April 2027 or until 17,000 bibs go; 120 or 150 euro band plus a 4 euro one-day licence
Bib pickup
IFEMA, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, 10:00 to 20:00, with the emailed QR and photo ID; none on race day
Aid stations
km 5, 10.5, 16, 20, 25, 29, 32, 35.8, 38, 40 and the finish

Checked against the organizer's pages on 16 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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Madrid Marathon course map and elevation

Point to point on closed city roads, not flat: roughly 370 m of climbing on the 2026 course. 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

600m625m650m675m700m725m750m010 km20 km30 km40 km737m579m
Flat (<5%)

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

What to expect on the course

  • About 45 m up the Castellana past the Bernabéu to Plaza de Castilla, the high point, at km 3 to 4
  • Puerta del Sol at about km 19, then halfway on Bailén by the Palacio Real
  • The Casa de Campo from km 26 to 33, rising about 40 m to a crest near km 30
  • The low point on Madrid Río by the Ermita del Santo near km 35
  • The last seven kilometres climb about 65 m via Atocha and the Paseo del Prado to the finish

The map follows the organizer's 2026 course file matched to the streets; the 2027 route is not yet confirmed.

Read the full course description

A point-to-point single loop through central Madrid on roads the organizer describes as completely urban and fully closed, certified by the RFEA with a World Athletics certificate, from the Castellana at Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz to the Paseo de Recoletos between Cibeles and Colon. It opens with a climb of about 45 m up the Castellana past the Bernabeu to Plaza de Castilla at km 3 to 4, the high point, then comes back down Bravo Murillo through Cuatro Caminos, turns east along Raimundo Fernandez Villaverde and Francisco Silvela to Manuel Becerra near km 10, works through O'Donnell beside the Retiro, Principe de Vergara and Almagro, and drops by Sagasta, San Bernardo and Callao to the Puerta del Sol at about km 19. Halfway falls on Bailen by the Palacio Real and the Almudena, after which the route passes Plaza de Espana and the Templo de Debod, descends through the Parque del Oeste and Avenida de Valladolid to the Manzanares around km 25, and spends km 26 to 33 inside the Casa de Campo, rising about 40 m to a crest near km 30 before falling back to the river. The lowest point, roughly 100 m below Plaza de Castilla, is on the Madrid Rio stretch by the Ermita del Santo near km 35, and from there the last seven kilometres climb about 65 m through Piramides, Acacias and Embajadores to Atocha at km 40 to 41 and up the Paseo del Prado past Neptuno and Cibeles to the finish. The organizer publishes no climb figure but warns that Madrid has ups, downs and flats and advises against an even pace; its 2026 course file shows roughly 370 m of ascent, and aid stations are at km 5, 10.5, 16, 20, 25, 29, 32, 35.8, 38, 40 and the finish.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (43.0 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

  1. Check your wave against the clock table, not against an elapsed allowance

    Every cut-off is a clock time, from km 0 by 10:15 to the finish by 16:34:45, so a later wave has less than the 7 h 49 of an 08:45 start. Once your wave is set, check it against km 30 by 14:45 and km 40 by 16:15.

    More detail

    Every cut-off is a fixed clock time at 9:00 min/km steps, from km 0 by 10:15 through halfway by 13:24:52 to the finish by 16:34:45, and the first-wave time is still unpublished. A runner in a later wave has less than the 7 h 49 shown for an 08:45 start, so once your wave is assigned work out where its start leaves you against km 30 by 14:45 and km 40 by 16:15. The sweep vehicle carries anyone caught to the finish, and the marathon bag drop closes at 17:00.

  2. Be at IFEMA on Friday 23 or Saturday 24 April

    Bibs are issued only at the Feria del Corredor at IFEMA, 10:00 to 20:00 on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, never on race day. Bring the QR emailed on 19 April and photo ID; someone else may collect with your documents.

    More detail

    Bibs are handed out only at the Feria del Corredor at IFEMA - Feria de Madrid, 10:00 to 20:00 on those two days, and the organizer states that no bibs are issued on race day. Bring the pickup QR emailed on 19 April, or the registration proof from the entry manager, plus photo identification; a third party may collect with the entrant's documents. The organizer suggests Friday morning or Saturday afternoon to avoid queues at the hall.

  3. Hold back on the two climbs and save legs for the last seven kilometres

    Not flat: 45 m up to Plaza de Castilla in the first four kilometres, 40 m in the Casa de Campo around km 26 to 30 and about 65 m from km 35 to the finish. The organizer advises against an even pace.

    More detail

    The course is not flat: 45 m up to Plaza de Castilla in the first four kilometres, a 40 m rise inside the Casa de Campo around km 26 to 30, and about 65 m of climbing from the Madrid Rio low point near km 35 to the finish on the Prado and Recoletos. The organizer itself advises against a uniform pace on this profile. Pacers for 3:00 to 5:00 start from the corral of their time and run net-time pace, and the gel point is at km 30.

Your race-day sheet

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

Target finish time, including stops

08:45 is the 2026 first-wave time; the organizer has not yet published the 2027 wave times and the entry platform lists 09:00. Replace it when your wave is announced. Europe/Madrid.

Time limit: Headline limit not yet set; the cut-off table closes the finish at 16:34:45, so later waves have less

How this sheet applies the limit

The organizer has not yet set the 2027 first-wave time or the headline finish limit: 08:45 is the 2026 first-wave time, the entry platform lists 09:00, and both are placeholders until your wave is published. What the rules do publish is a table of maximum passing times as fixed clock times in 9:00 min/km steps: km 0 by 10:15, km 5 by 11:00, halfway by 13:24:52, km 30 by 14:45, km 40 by 16:15 and the finish by 16:34:45, with the FAQ giving 16:35 as the end of the event. The 469 minutes here is simply the span from 08:45 to the 16:34 closure; a later wave has correspondingly less, and the rules do not say whether the 10:15 km-0 time is the last-wave start. No gun or chip basis is stated because every cut-off is a clock time.

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

12:45:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

229 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
DistanceElapsedLocal clock
5 km00:28:2609:13:26
10 km00:56:5309:41:53
15 km01:25:1910:10:19
20 km01:53:4510:38:45
Halfway02:00:0010:45:00
25 km02:22:1211:07:12
30 km02:50:3811:35:38
35 km03:19:0512:04:05
40 km03:47:3112:32:31
Finish04:00:0012:45:00

Training plan for Madrid 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 to 11 April 2027 or until 17,000 bibs go; 120 or 150 euro band plus a 4 euro one-day licence
Bib pickup:
IFEMA, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, 10:00 to 20:00, with the emailed QR and photo ID; none on race day
Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry is direct and phased through the organizer's RockTheSport platform with no lottery: a loyalty phase for 2026 participants on 6 to 10 May 2026, a preferential phase for the 2026 waiting list on 11 to 13 May, then general entry from 14 May 2026 until the 17,000 marathon bibs are gone, followed by a waiting list fed by cancellations. The fee is a 120 euro band and a 150 euro band plus a mandatory 4 euro RFEA one-day licence unless you hold an RFEA licence, the platform window runs to 11 April 2027, and on the check date both bands were still listed with no sold-out marker. Entries made after 00:00 on 18 March 2027 are not guaranteed the start corral matching the expected time declared at entry. Bibs are issued only at the Feria del Corredor at IFEMA - Feria de Madrid on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April 2027, 10:00 to 20:00, against the pickup QR emailed on 19 April plus photo identification; there is no race-day pickup.

Sources

Checked 16 September 2026; next review due 2026-10-31. 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 rules (reglamento): The 25 April 2027 date, 42.195 m on an RFEA and World Athletics certified urban course, waves ordered by declared expected time, the 18 March 2027 corral rule, the 08:30 wheelchair start, aid stations, the per-kilometre clock cut-off table, and the first start and finish closure marked as still to be determined.
  • Participant FAQ: Start and finish locations, the unpublished first-wave time, the Feria del Corredor at IFEMA on 23 and 24 April 2027 with no race-day pickup, the 19 April QR email, pacer times, the gel point, bag-drop hours and the 16:35 end of the event.
  • 42K course page: The organizer-linked GPX behind the map line and the course video; both are 2026 files, and the organizer has not yet confirmed the 2027 route or published a climb figure. The 08:45 first-wave time is the 2026 rule, not a 2027 confirmation.