Flat all the way, 10.7 m of reliefLowest 3.8 m, highest 14.4 m, about 49 m of climbing over the four laps.
Four laps of about 10.5 kmFour laps of one circuit; Madras Street aid station at 3.5, 14, 24.6 and 35.1 km.
Start and finish in Hagley ParkStart, finish and prize giving at the Armagh Street gates of Hagley Park.
Course notes
3 short reads on the course
1km 0 to 42.2GradientFlat all the way, 10.7 m of reliefLowest 3.8 m, highest 14.4 m, about 49 m of climbing over the four laps.
The 2026 course is one flat circuit of the central city run four times. The lowest point sits at
3.8 m above sea level and the highest at 14.4 m, which is 10.7 m of relief across the whole
marathon, and the climbing adds up to 48.5 m over all four laps. There is no hill to save
energy for.
Measured
2km 0 to 42.2GeometryFour laps of about 10.5 kmFour laps of one circuit; Madras Street aid station at 3.5, 14, 24.6 and 35.1 km.
The 2026 course was four laps: the out-and-back on Kilmore Street came out, and Latimer Square and
Hereford Street went in. The aid stations on Madras Street fell at 3.5, 14, 24.6 and 35.1 km, and
those on Kilmore Street at 6.4, 17, 27.5 and 38 km, so every station came round again about
10.5 km later.
Sourced
3km 0 to 42.2FinishStart and finish in Hagley ParkStart, finish and prize giving at the Armagh Street gates of Hagley Park.
Each lap leaves Park Terrace, loops through the east end of the city and comes back north along
Park Terrace to Harper Avenue. From there it follows the cycle path anti-clockwise around the
outside of Hagley Park, then takes the central path past Victoria Lake. On the last lap the
runners are directed left through the trees onto the Village Green and into the finish chute.
Bag storage and the event HQ are at the same place.
Sourced
At a glance
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Multi-lap, asphalt
climb
48.5 m159 ft
Highest point 11 m above lowest
first held
1978
A flat course of laps through the rebuilt central city, starting and finishing in Hagley Park and passing the Avon River, the Christchurch Town Hall and Canterbury Museum.
The Christchurch Marathon is a flat multi-lap course of 42.2 km with 48.5 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 4 m and its highest 14 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 18 April 2027, starting at 07:30.
Race week
Timetable
Saturday 17 April Expo
Time not published
Event registration and expoThe day before the race.
Sunday 18 April Race day
07:007:00 AM
Pace leaders at the start lineStart line, Hagley Park. Pace leaders assemble beside the time zone for their goal time. Marathon pace teams run 2:50, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00 and 4:30.
07:307:30 AM
Marathon startHagley Park, Armagh Street gates. Start, finish and prize giving all sit at the event HQ in Hagley Park, at the Armagh Street gates entrance.
13:301:30 PM
Course controls and marshalling closeAnyone still on the course after this time is marshalled onto the footpaths and runs unofficially, without course controls.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Belgrade Fortress, by CrniBombarder!!!, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Main Square, by Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Manchester Town Hall, by Mark Andrew., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Doha, by Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Nagoya Castle, by Base64, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Taipei 101, by Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Questions about the Christchurch Marathon
Is the Christchurch Marathon course flat?
Yes. It has 48.5 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 11 m above the lowest.
