Marathon News , 7 October 2026

Cologne, Germany

Koech won the Cologne Marathon on 4 October in 2:06:10, 44 seconds under the course record Kipkoech set a year earlier, and Chepngeno won the women's race in 2:21:34, four minutes under Kirop's 2:25:34 from 2012. Birlew was second in 2:06:30 and Shugi, last year's winner, second in 2:24:26. The organiser counted 41,453 entries across the weekend's races, 13,721 of them for the marathon, about 25% more than last year. The times are the organiser's, ranked on gun time.

Warsaw, Poland

Reported Vindics-Tóth won the Warsaw Marathon on 27 September in 2:24:48, a Hungarian record and 3:47 under the old course record of 2:28:35, and Kibor won the men's race in a personal best of 2:09:19, according to the Polish press. The organiser says close to 11,000 people started the marathon, the biggest in Poland's history, and Biegowe.pl counts 11,180 starters and 10,830 finishers.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kemboi won the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon on 4 October in 2:21:19, eight seconds ahead of the defending champion Mwangangi, with Kipsang third for a Kenyan sweep. Lema won the women's race in 2:39:29, 30 seconds ahead of Ndambuki. The race was back at Dataran Merdeka for its 18th edition, with more than 9,800 runners in the Saturday 10 km and 5 km alone.

Quebec City, Canada

Reported Tedeschi won the Québec City Marathon on 4 October in 2:21:36 by the Carrefour de Québec account, 2:21:34 by Le Soleil's, under the race record of 2:23:05 from 2001, and the runner-up Ruel was under it too in 2:22:28. Pomerleau won the women's race in 2:42:48, a record on the current course, more than eight minutes clear. More than 20,000 runners and walkers took part over the weekend, a record.

Sydney, Australia

The ballot for the 2027 Sydney Marathon, on Sunday 29 August 2027, closes on Monday 19 October 2026 at 10:00 Sydney time, which is 01:00 in Central Europe and 19:00 on Sunday 18 October on the US East Coast. Entering costs nothing: only runners who are drawn pay, A$285 for residents of Australia and New Zealand and A$340 for everyone else, plus a carbon levy. Results and charges follow in early November 2026.

Istanbul, Turkey

Reported Registration for the 48th Istanbul Marathon, on Sunday 1 November 2026, is due to close on 13 October, Turkish press reported. The fee in this last period is 1,400 TL for both the marathon and the 15.5 km race. The marathon is capped at 7,500 runners, so it can close sooner if it fills.

Honolulu, United States

Entry to the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday 13 December 2026 rises on 13 October: from $310 to $320 for runners living outside the US and Canada, and from $235 to $255 for US and Canadian residents. That price holds until 3 December, and entering at the race expo after that costs $460.

Big Sur, United States

Anyone with a place in the Boston Marathon on Monday 19 April 2027 can enter the Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge from 14 October 2026 at 08:00 Pacific time, which is 17:00 in Central Europe, first come, first served. Big Sur is six days after Boston, on Sunday 25 April 2027. Its random drawing has closed, so the challenge and the guaranteed routes (VIP, charity and Marathon Tours packages) are the only ways left into the marathon.

London, United Kingdom

UK residents with a qualifying time run between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 can apply for a Good For Age place in the 2027 London Marathon until 29 October at 16:00 UK time. There are 6,000 places, 3,000 for men and 3,000 for women, given fastest first relative to age, and the standard for ages 18 to 39 is under 2:52 for men and under 3:38 for women. The 2027 race runs over two days: men's Good For Age places are on Saturday 24 April and women's on Sunday 25 April, while the mass fields on both days are mixed.

Chicago, United States

Last day to cancel your entry: Wednesday 7 October 2026. Entries can be cancelled through Wednesday 7 October via the Participant Account. Selling or transferring an entry or bib is prohibited. The ballot for the 2027 Chicago Marathon opens on Thursday 8 October 2026 at 08:00 Chicago time and closes on Thursday 29 October 2026 at 14:00 Chicago time. Results are due on Tuesday 8 December 2026. One window for guaranteed and non-guaranteed applications, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central on the first and last days. The race is on Sunday 11 October 2026.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2nd round Public Ballot results announced, payment opens: Wednesday 7 October 2026, 14:00 Hong Kong time. 2nd round Public Ballot payment closes: Saturday 10 October 2026, 23:59 Hong Kong time. The race is on Sunday 17 January 2027.

Porto, Portugal

Deadline to transfer an entry, switch race or cancel: Thursday 8 October 2026. Transfers to another runner (by email to geral@runporto.com from the login address), changes of race and cancellations are accepted until 8 October 2026. The race is on Sunday 8 November 2026.

Xiamen, China

The ballot for the 2027 Xiamen Marathon opened on Wednesday 23 September 2026 at 10:00 Xiamen time and closes on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 18:00 Xiamen time. A draw decides places only if applications exceed the field. The 2027 race is on Sunday 10 January 2027.

Frankfurt, Germany

Online registration closes: Sunday 18 October 2026. The organiser announced on 30 August 2026 that the marathon is sold out, and its FAQ says no on-site late entries remain for the marathon. The race is on Sunday 25 October 2026.

Chicago, United States

The 48th Chicago Marathon starts in Grant Park at 07:30 with the professional field, then Wave 1 at 07:35, Wave 2 at 08:00 and Wave 3 at 08:35, and the corrals close at 07:20, 07:45 and 08:10. Grant Park opens to runners at 05:30 and to spectators at 09:30. Packet pick-up for every marathon runner is at the free Abbott Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place, North Building, Hall B1: Thursday 10:00 to 18:00, Friday and Saturday 9:00 to 18:00. Koga, Masai, Panning, Richtman and Sprout are among the professional runners who have withdrawn.

Melbourne, Australia

Kipchoge runs the Melbourne Marathon on 11 October as part of his tour of marathons on all seven continents, starting with the field at 06:15 on Batman Avenue and finishing inside the MCG. The 2026 course runs in the opposite direction, with 30% fewer turns, the climb from Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road at 36 km taken out and up to 20% less elevation gain, according to the organiser. The general allocation is gone, and the cut-off is 7 hours 45 minutes on gun time.

Lisbon, Portugal

The Lisbon Marathon starts at 08:00 on Saturday 10 October in Carcavelos, in front of Nova SBE, and finishes at Praça do Comércio, beside the sea and the river all the way; the half marathon is on the Sunday at 09:20. Race kits are handed out at the Sport Expo at FIL, pavilion 3, on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October, 10:00 to 20:00. The time limit is six hours, and the organiser says runners ride the Cascais line trains free with their bib.

Eindhoven, Netherlands

The Eindhoven Marathon starts on 11 October on Veldmaarschalk Montgomerylaan and finishes on the Vestdijk in the city centre, on a flat course. The organiser's dated 2026 programme starts it in two waves, at 09:30 and 09:45, while its entry page still prints 10:00, so go by the start in your race information. The race is sold out, and this year it also hosts the Belgian marathon championship for licensed Belgian athletes. The weekend, from Saturday 10 October, draws more than 38,000 runners across its distances.

Budapest, Hungary

The race is run in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday 11 October 2026. The first wave of the marathon starts at 09:00 local time. The course is a loop, starting and finishing in the same place.

Montreal, Canada

The race is run in Montreal, Canada, on Sunday 11 October 2026. The marathon starts at 07:45 local time. The course is point to point.

Munich, Germany

The race is run in Munich, Germany, on Sunday 11 October 2026. The first wave of the marathon starts at 09:00 local time. The course is a loop, starting and finishing in the same place.

Sofia, Bulgaria

The race is run in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday 11 October 2026. The course is run over several laps.

Zagreb, Croatia

The race is run in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday 11 October 2026. The marathon starts at 09:00 local time. The course is run over several laps.

Boston, United States

To get into the 131st Boston Marathon, on Monday 19 April 2027, a qualifier had to be 5 minutes 17 seconds faster than the standard for their age and gender, the B.A.A. said on 29 September 2026. Of 33,649 qualifier applications, 25,630 were accepted and 8,019 were turned away by the 30,000-runner field limit. The charities in the Official Charity Program open their applications later this autumn, and the qualifying window for 2028 has been open since 19 September 2026.

Berlin, Germany

Generali Deutschland took over as the Berlin Marathon's title sponsor on 1 October 2026, ending BMW's 16 years in the role, and the race on Sunday 26 September 2027 runs under the new name with a new website. Its lottery is open until Thursday 12 November 2026, results come on Thursday 3 December, and only runners who are drawn pay the €215 fee. Men born between 1983 and 2009 with a marathon under 2:45 from 2025 or 2026, and women born in the same years with one under 3:10, can enter on time instead.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Reported Kipchumba returns to the Amsterdam Marathon on 18 October to defend the 2:03:30 course record he set last year, the fastest marathon ever run in the Netherlands. The elite start list also has Alew (2:03:31), Getachew, second last year in 2:04:18, Berhanu and Teferi, and Desta (2:17:37) heads the women's list. Start and finish are in the Olympic Stadium.

Beijing, China

The race is run in Beijing, China, on Sunday 18 October 2026. The marathon starts at 07:30 local time. The course is point to point.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

The race is run in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sunday 18 October 2026. The marathon starts at 09:00 local time. The course is point to point.

Toronto, Canada

The race is run in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday 18 October 2026. The first wave of the marathon starts at 07:00 local time. The course is point to point.

Hamburg, Germany

All 20,000 places in the 41st Hamburg Marathon, on Sunday 25 April 2027, are taken, the organiser said on 2 October 2026. The 10,000 half marathon places went within ten days and the 1,500 relay places within three hours.

Paris, France

Reported The first free lottery for the Paris Marathon, its 50th edition on Sunday 4 April 2027, drew 166,000 applications, and results have gone out by email since Thursday 1 October 2026, French press reported. Anyone drawn has 72 hours to confirm and pay €169, and places left unpaid go to later draws, so a first no is not final. An official resale platform opens on 1 December 2026.

Vienna, Austria

Marathon entries for the Vienna City Marathon on Sunday 18 April 2027 closed on 20 September 2026, after the half marathon filled on 2 September, and the organiser says the races have never sold out this early. Waitlists are open for the marathon, the relay and the half, and places are offered if reserved ones are handed back. The 10 km run and the 5 km still have places.

World Athletics named ten nominees each for men's and women's World Athlete of the Year on 6 October, and two are marathon runners: Sawe, for the 1:59:30 world record in London, and Assefa, for Berlin's 2:11:04 and her 2:15:41 women-only world record in London. Fans, athletes, media and the World Athletics family each count for a quarter of the vote, which closes at midnight CEST on Saturday 17 October. The awards are in Monaco on 29 November.