Budapest Marathon

The marathon starts at river level on Pázmány Péter Promenade and runs the Buda lower quay north for the first three kilometres, where the road is at 101 to 103 m. Then the organiser’s route list turns it up: “Castle Garden Quay – Ybl Miklós Square – Apród Street – Attila Road”.

From about 102 m at km 3.2 the road climbs to 118 m at km 4.3, about 16 m in 1.1 km. It is the largest rise of the race in any kilometre. The organiser puts the first refreshment station at km 4.1 (“Attila út, at Dózsa György tér”), so the first drink comes right at the top of it.

After Attila Road the route goes by Alagút Street to Clark Ádám Square and the Chain Bridge, and the road eases back to about 110 m by km 5.1.

Measured

Across the whole marathon the road runs from a low of 98.6 m at km 19.0 to a high of 120.5 m at km 6.1, 21.9 m of relief, with about 75 m of climbing in all. All of the height is in the first 10 km: the climb at km 3 to 4, then a plateau of 115 to 120 m on the Pest side between km 6 and km 9.5, which falls about 16 m to the river by km 10.7.

From the Pest lower quay at km 10.7 the course is on the water for good. The organiser’s route list for the rest of the race reads “Pest Lower Quay – Közraktár Street – Fővám Square – Liberty Bridge”, then “University Quay” back to the start, and later “Buda Lower Quay”, “Árpád Bridge”, “Margitsziget”, “Népfürdő Street” and the Pest lower quay again. In all of that the road stays between 98.6 m and 108.2 m, and the last 10 km read between 99 and 108 m.

Measured

The organiser’s route list spells the turns out in capitals: “TURNAROUND (at Hajós Street)” on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Road, “TURNAROUND (in front of Oktogon)” on Andrássy Avenue, “TURNAROUND (before the entrance to Lágymányosi Bridge)” on Dombóvári Road, “TURNAROUND (after Cserhalom Street)” on Vizafogó Street, and a last “TURNAROUND” on the Pest lower quay. The first two are at about km 7.2 and km 8.8, the Dombóvári Road turn at about km 15.2.

The Liberty Bridge comes up twice in the same list, each time followed by “St. Gellért Square” and “University Quay”: about km 12.4 on the first pass and km 40.4 on the second. Between the two, the course passes Pázmány Péter Promenade, where it started, at about km 13.8 and again at the finish.

Measured

Past halfway the course leaves the Buda side by the Árpád fejedelem útja and Serfőző Street, then takes the bridge. The organiser’s route list reads “Árpád Bridge (south side, two traffic lanes) – Margitsziget Schulek Frigyes Promenade – Hajós Alfréd Promenade – Kertmozi Road – Margitsziget Schulek Frigyes Promenade – Árpád Bridge (south side, two traffic lanes)”.

That is the same bridge both ways, once out to the island at km 24.75 and once back at km 29.1, with the island leg between them, from about km 25.4 to km 29.1. The road lies between 104.6 and 107.4 m along it. The organiser puts a refreshment station on the island, at km 28.3 on Schulek Frigyes Promenade.

Measured