My marathons

Košice Peace Marathon

Run on 4 October 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Košice
St. Elisabeth Cathedral
St. Elisabeth Cathedral. Photograph by Maros M r a z ( Maros ), CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The marathon is two laps of a city circuit based on the course made for the 1997 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, certified by World Athletics and AIMS.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Two laps of the 1997 half marathon world championships courseStart and finish on Hlavná ulica between the DoubleTree and Dargov.
  • 16 m between the lowest and highest point74 m of climbing over 42.195 km, by the organiser's count.
  • Europe's oldest marathon, run since 1924Start in the old town, past the Gothic St Elisabeth Cathedral.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryTwo laps of the 1997 half marathon world championships courseStart and finish on Hlavná ulica between the DoubleTree and Dargov.

The marathon is two laps of one city circuit, with the half marathon running a single lap. The circuit is fully asphalt, and the start and finish zone for every race sits on Hlavná ulica between the DoubleTree by Hilton and the Dargov department store. The organiser counts as many 90-degree or sharper turns over the two laps as Berlin has on its marathon, 21.

Sourced

Whole courseGradient16 m between the lowest and highest point74 m of climbing over 42.195 km, by the organiser's count.

The organiser gives the height difference of the city circuit as only 16.35 m, from 200.7 m to 217.05 m, and the sum of all climbs over the full marathon as 74 m. Aid stations with water, sports drink and fruit stand every 5 km, with water-only points between them, and every kilometre is marked with a vertical pylon.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkEurope's oldest marathon, run since 1924Start in the old town, past the Gothic St Elisabeth Cathedral.

The organiser calls it the oldest marathon on the continent, and says only Boston has been run for longer. It also points runners to the Statue of the Messenger of Victory, a bronze likeness of founder Vojtech Bukovský, and St Elisabeth Cathedral, a Gothic church begun around 1380. The 2026 race ran on Sunday 4 October, with the marathon starting at 09:00.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Košice, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

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