My marathons

Calgary Marathon

06:456:45 AM Calgary
Calgary Tower
Calgary Tower. Photograph by DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The Calgary Marathon course is certified by Athletics Alberta and Athletics Canada, and finishes at Enmax Park.

The course in short 2 lines
  • A certified course that counts for BostonCertified, so a result here can be used as a Boston-qualifying time.
  • A 6:45 start with six and a half hoursEarly gun in late May, a start line that shuts at 7:05 and a 6:30 limit.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryA certified course that counts for BostonCertified, so a result here can be used as a Boston-qualifying time.

The organiser says the course is certified by Athletics Alberta and Athletics Canada, so a result run here can be used as a qualifier for the Abbott World Marathon Majors, Boston included, and for the AbbottWMM Time Trial World Rankings. The finish line is at Enmax Park. The organiser publishes a course map for 2026 and says the routes may change for 2027.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsA 6:45 start with six and a half hoursEarly gun in late May, a start line that shuts at 7:05 and a 6:30 limit.

The marathon and half marathon go off together at 6:45 AM, and the organiser does not let anyone begin once the start line closes at 7:05. Runners are placed in corrals from the finish time they gave when they registered. The marathon has a course time limit of 6 hours 30 minutes in total. Runners still out after the sweep cyclists pass are moved to the sidewalks and become pedestrians.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Calgary, 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

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

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
cut-off
6:30 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 30 May Race day

  1. 06:456:45 AM

    Marathon and half marathon start Marathon start time as published on the organiser's marathon page for Sunday 30 May 2027. The half marathon starts at the same time.

  2. 07:057:05 AM

    Start line closes Runners may not begin after the start line closes. Listed on the organiser's marathon page and race day page.

  3. Time not published

    Course time limit 6 hours 30 minutes in total for the marathon, as published for 2027. 6:30 limit: 9:14/km for 42.195 km6:30 limit: 14:52/mi for 26.2 mi

Times as published by the organiser, in Calgary time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Calgary time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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