Mdina to Sliema, Malta · 42.195 km road marathon
Malta Marathon 2027
Sunday 28 February 2027
A point-to-point road race from outside the bastions of Mdina down to the seafront at Sliema, with a strict five-hour limit on gun time.
Malta Marathon at a glance
- Start
- 06:45, one start for all, outside the bastions of Mdina
- Finish
- The Ferries, on the Sliema seafront
- Course
- Point to point on the 2026 route, net drop 185 to 190 m with 211 m of climb, roads not fully closed
- Time limit
- 5 h on gun time; the course closes at 11:45 and the finish gantry at 12:00
- Cut-offs
- Guideline clocks: km 15 by 08:30, km 21 by 09:15, km 32 by 10:30, km 35 by 11:00, km 38 by 11:15
- Entry
- Open, first come first served: 55 euro to 30 November 2026, then 60 euro to 15 January 2027
- Bib pickup
- Overseas runners: Barceló Fortina Hotel, Sliema, 25 to 27 February. No race-day pickup published
- Getting to the start
- Organizer bus from the Sliema finish area at 05:30, 5 euro
- Aid stations
- 8 water, 3 sponge and 3 Powerade stations, plus one fruit station
Checked against the organizer's pages on 23 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.
Malta Marathon course map and elevation
Point to point on the 2026 route, net drop 185 to 190 m with 211 m of climb, roads not fully closed. 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
- Down the main road of Rabat and off the Mdina ridge, about 90 m lower by km 6
- Two circuits of Ta' Qali past the National Stadium, with a loop through Mosta from km 13 to 21 in between
- A rise of about 25 m from Mosta back into Ta' Qali between km 17 and 23; the long descent starts after km 27
- Out and back beside the old aqueduct from Mriehel at km 30 to 31
- About 5 km along the Sa Maison, Pietà, Msida, Ta' Xbiex and Gżira waterfronts to finish
The map follows a 2025 course file matched to the streets, which traces the same loops as the organizer's 2026 map; the organizer expects to keep the 2026 route for 2027 but will only confirm it closer to race day.
Read the full course description
A point-to-point road course measured with a calibrated wheel and listed as World Athletics and AIMS certified, from outside the bastions of Mdina at about 190 m above sea level to the seafront at The Ferries in Sliema. The opening kilometres run down the main road of Rabat, through Nigret and along the Mtarfa bypass into Ta' Qali by km 5, followed by a small Ta' Qali loop past the National Stadium, the Pitkali produce market and the US embassy to km 10. From Attard at km 11 the route loops through Mosta and its outskirts between km 13 and km 21, comes back into Ta' Qali for a second circuit to km 25, then drops back to Attard and through the village centre from km 26 to 28. From km 30 to 31 it runs out beside the old aqueduct from Mriehel towards Birkirkara and back, then follows the Mriehel and Hamrun-Marsa bypasses to Marsa, Triq 13 Dicembru and Blata l-Bajda, and finishes with about 5 km along the Sa Maison, Pieta, Msida, Ta' Xbiex and Gzira waterfronts. The organizer quotes a net drop of 185 to 190 m and 211 m of climb; on the reference line the terrain model drops about 90 m off the Mdina ridge in the first 6 km, bottoms out near 80 m around Mosta at km 13 to 17, climbs back to about 105 m through Ta' Qali between km 18 and km 27, and only then descends steadily to reach sea level at km 39. Roads are not fully closed: traffic officers hold the key junctions, yellow arrows sprayed on the road mark the way and kilometre boards are only indicative. The organizer lists 8 water stations, 3 sponge stations, 3 Powerade stations and one fruit station, and the 2026 map places the orange station in Marsa at about km 36.
Source, licence and file
TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.6 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
Book the 05:30 bus from Sliema to the Mdina start
Buy the organizer's 5 euro bus when you enter or at bib collection: it leaves the Sliema finish area at 05:30 for the 06:45 start outside Mdina. Hand your clothes bag to the DHL van matching your bib and collect it about 150 m past the finish.
More detail
The finish is on the Sliema seafront and the start is inland outside Mdina, so you need a way up on race morning. The organizer runs transport for 5 euro that leaves the finish area in Sliema at 05:30 for the 06:45 marathon start; add it when you enter or buy it at bib collection, and bring the ticket you receive there. Put warm clothing in the clothes bag from registration, hand it to the DHL van matching your bib number at the start, and collect it in the underground car park about 150 m past the finish. Staying near The Ferries keeps both the bus and the finish on your doorstep.
Check your pace against the km 15 clock, not only the five hours
The guideline clocks run from the 06:45 gun: km 15 by 08:30 needs 7:00 per km, faster than the 7:07 the five-hour limit implies. The climb back into Ta' Qali from km 17 to 23 comes before the long descent, which starts after km 27.
More detail
Official times are gun times and the guideline cut-offs are clock times from the 06:45 gun: km 15 by 08:30 needs 7:00 per km, tighter than the 7:07 per km that the five-hour limit implies, and later checks at km 21 by 09:15, km 32 by 10:30, km 35 by 11:00 and km 38 by 11:15. After the quick drop off the Mdina ridge the course climbs back about 25 m from Mosta into Ta' Qali between km 17 and km 23, and the long descent to the sea only starts after km 27, so a runner near the limit cannot count on the downhill to recover time lost before km 21. No start waves are published, so everyone leaves on the 06:45 gun and the minutes spent reaching the start line count against these clocks.
Land in Malta by Saturday afternoon to collect your bib
Overseas runners collect only at the Barceló Fortina Hotel on 25 to 27 February, last on Saturday 13:30 to 22:00, with the ID or passport number used at entry. There is no published race-day pickup, so a Saturday evening arrival needs a proxy.
More detail
Overseas runners collect only at the Barcelo Fortina Hotel in Sliema on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February from 17:30 to 21:30 or Saturday 27 February from 13:30 to 22:00, and there is no published race-day pickup; bibs left uncollected are withdrawn. The bib, chip, bus ticket and baggage bag all come from that desk, and you need the ID or passport number you entered with. If your flight lands on Saturday evening, arrange for a friend to collect with that number or agree an arrangement with the organizer in advance.
Your race-day sheet
Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Mdina to Sliema.
ESTIMATED FINISH
10:45:00
MOVING PACE BUDGET
5:34/ km
ELAPSED PACE
5:41/ km
60 min below the modelled finish limit
| Distance | Elapsed | Local clock |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:28:26 | 07:13:26 |
| 10 km | 00:56:53 | 07:41:53 |
| 15 km | 01:25:19 | 08:10:19 |
| 20 km | 01:53:45 | 08:38:45 |
| Halfway | 02:00:00 | 08:45:00 |
| 25 km | 02:22:12 | 09:07:12 |
| 30 km | 02:50:38 | 09:35:38 |
| 35 km | 03:19:05 | 10:04:05 |
| 40 km | 03:47:31 | 10:32:31 |
| Finish | 04:00:00 | 10:45:00 |
Training plan for Malta 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, first come first served: 55 euro to 30 November 2026, then 60 euro to 15 January 2027
- Bib pickup:
- Overseas runners: Barceló Fortina Hotel, Sliema, 25 to 27 February. No race-day pickup published
Read the full entry and pickup rules
Applications opened on 15 April 2026 and are open, first come first served, with no ballot; a place is confirmed only once the fee is paid, and the official closing date is 15 January 2027 or earlier if the field fills. The marathon costs 55 euro if paid by 30 November 2026, 60 euro from 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027 and 70 euro afterwards if places remain; fees are non-refundable and cannot be moved to another event, and the minimum age is 18 on race day. A paid place can be passed to another person before bib collection: the original entrant emails consent, the new runner applies online quoting the name they replace, and the two settle payment between themselves. Bibs are collected in person with the ID or passport number used at entry, or by a proxy who quotes that number: overseas runners at the Barcelo Fortina Hotel in Sliema, about 100 m beyond the finish, on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February 2027 from 17:30 to 21:30 and Saturday 27 February from 13:30 to 22:00, and Malta residents at Eurosport in Birkirkara on Sunday 21 February (11:00 to 18:00) and Tuesday 23 February (17:30 to 21:30). No race-day pickup is published, and bibs not collected in those windows are withdrawn unless arranged with the organizer.
Sources
Checked 23 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-01. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.
- 2027 race and route information
- Bib collection and Sliema map
- Route description and map
- Official home page
- Transfer of applications
What each source confirms
- 2027 race and route information: The Sunday 28 February 2027 date, 42.195 km, the minimum age of 18, the five-hour limit and gun-time basis, the guideline cut-offs at km 15, 21, 32, 35 and 38, the 12:00 finish closure, the 06:45 Mdina start, the fee bands and 15 January 2027 closing date, the 5 euro transport leaving Sliema at 05:30, DHL baggage, aid stations, the 185 m drop and 211 m climb, and the note that the 2026 routes may be kept for 2027.
- Bib collection and Sliema map: Bib collection days and hours for overseas runners at the Barcelo Fortina Hotel and residents at Eurosport Birkirkara, proxy collection with the ID or passport number, withdrawal of uncollected bibs, and transport tickets on sale at registration.
- Route description and map: The kilometre-by-kilometre route from Mdina to Sliema, the Ta' Qali and Mosta loops, the aqueduct stretch at km 30 to 31, the 190 m drop, wheel measurement, traffic officers at junctions, the 2026 route map download, and the statement that the 2027 route will most probably repeat 2026, subject to road works.
- Official home page: The 28 February 2027 edition listed as open for applications, and the World Athletics and AIMS certification of the routes.
- Transfer of applications: Transfers of paid places to another person before registration, by emailed consent and a new online application naming the runner replaced.