My marathons

Flattest marathons, ranked by measured climb

28 flat, 103 ranked: destination marathons by the climb measured along each course. Dubai, New Orleans and Tokyo are the flattest.

All 103 measured marathons, flattest first

Every destination marathon on this site whose course we have measured, ranked by total climb: the metres gained over the whole race, measured along the course line on a bare-earth elevation model and smoothed over 1 km. Highest and lowest are the ground under that line, and the course line is our measured line, a little longer than the certified distance because it follows the middle of the road.

Under 50 m we call a course flat: 28 of the 103 are. 21 climb 140 m or more.

# Race Total climb Highest Lowest Course line Next race Film
1 Dubai Marathon Dubai, United Arab Emirates 13.4 m44 ft 7.8 m26 ft 3.7 m12 ft 42.2 km26.2 mi
2 New Orleans Marathon New Orleans, United States 15 m49 ft 3.5 m12 ft 1.2 m4 ft 42.2 km26.2 mi
3 Tokyo Marathon World Major Tokyo, Japan 16.2 m53 ft 41 m134 ft 0.5 m2 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi Film
4 Eindhoven Marathon Eindhoven, Netherlands 16.5 m54 ft 21 m70 ft 15 m50 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi
5 Abu Dhabi Marathon Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 17.9 m59 ft 6.7 m22 ft 2.9 m10 ft 42.1 km26.2 mi
6 Lagos City Marathon Lagos, Nigeria 19.7 m65 ft 5.3 m17 ft 0.0 m0 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi February 2027
7 Chicago Marathon World Major Chicago, United States 20 m66 ft 188 m618 ft 179 m588 ft 43 km26.7 mi Film
8 Amsterdam Marathon Amsterdam, Netherlands 21.5 m71 ft 3.2 m10 ft -3.9 m-13 ft 42.9 km26.6 mi Film
9 Antwerp Marathon Antwerp, Belgium 22.4 m73 ft 11 m35 ft 5.0 m17 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi Film
10 Venice Marathon Venice, Italy 25.2 m83 ft 7.5 m25 ft 1.3 m4 ft 43 km26.7 mi
11 Zurich Marathon Zurich, Switzerland 26.7 m88 ft 413 m1354 ft 407 m1337 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi
12 Gold Coast Marathon Gold Coast, Australia 27.6 m91 ft 8.2 m27 ft 2.4 m8 ft 42.4 km26.3 mi
13 Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 27.9 m92 ft 5.6 m18 ft -4.9 m-16 ft 42.6 km26.5 mi Film
14 Miami Marathon Miami, United States 28.3 m93 ft 6.4 m21 ft 0.7 m2 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi
15 Shanghai Marathon Shanghai, China 29 m95 ft 8.0 m26 ft 2.6 m9 ft 42.4 km26.4 mi
16 Seville Marathon Seville, Spain 29.1 m95 ft 16 m52 ft 5.2 m17 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi
17 Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand 31.4 m103 ft 7.8 m26 ft 3.2 m11 ft 42.3 km26.3 mi
18 Kobe Marathon Kobe, Japan 32.6 m107 ft 9.5 m31 ft 0.7 m2 ft 42.6 km26.5 mi
19 Osaka Marathon Osaka, Japan 34.4 m113 ft 19 m63 ft -0.7 m-2 ft 43.4 km27 mi
20 Berlin Marathon World Major Berlin, Germany 35.9 m118 ft 51 m169 ft 33 m109 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi Film
21 Edinburgh Marathon Edinburgh, United Kingdom 38.8 m127 ft 91 m299 ft 3.1 m10 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi
22 Beijing Marathon Beijing, China 41.2 m135 ft 57 m185 ft 39 m127 ft 42.4 km26.3 mi
23 Valencia Marathon Valencia, Spain 41.8 m137 ft 25 m82 ft 1.9 m6 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi Film
24 London Marathon World Major London, United Kingdom 42.4 m139 ft 44 m146 ft 1.8 m6 ft 43 km26.7 mi Film
25 Frankfurt Marathon Frankfurt, Germany 44.1 m145 ft 113 m370 ft 93 m305 ft 42.9 km26.6 mi Film
26 Taipei Marathon Taipei, Taiwan 44.9 m147 ft 14 m45 ft 3.5 m12 ft 42.2 km26.3 mi
27 Manchester Marathon Manchester, United Kingdom 47.9 m157 ft 38 m125 ft 23 m75 ft 41.6 km25.9 mi
28 Christchurch Marathon Christchurch, New Zealand 48.5 m159 ft 14 m47 ft 3.8 m13 ft 43.7 km27.1 mi
29 Doha Marathon Doha, Qatar 50.5 m166 ft 18 m59 ft 1.6 m5 ft 43.9 km27.3 mi
30 Nagoya Women's Marathon Nagoya, Japan 51.9 m170 ft 18 m61 ft 0.9 m3 ft 42 km26.1 mi
31 Melbourne Marathon Melbourne, Australia 54.9 m180 ft 16 m54 ft 2.4 m8 ft 42.4 km26.3 mi October 2027
32 Krakow Marathon Krakow, Poland 54.9 m180 ft 216 m710 ft 200 m656 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi
33 Barcelona Marathon Barcelona, Spain 58.5 m192 ft 35 m114 ft 3.0 m10 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi
34 Seoul Marathon Seoul, South Korea 59 m194 ft 36 m118 ft 13 m42 ft 41.6 km25.8 mi
35 Munich Marathon Munich, Germany 59 m194 ft 533 m1747 ft 497 m1631 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi October 2027
36 Malaga Marathon Malaga, Spain 63.2 m207 ft 21 m67 ft 2.6 m9 ft 43 km26.7 mi
37 Riga Marathon Riga, Latvia 65.1 m214 ft 17 m56 ft 2.0 m6 ft 42.3 km26.3 mi
38 Warsaw Marathon Warsaw, Poland 66 m217 ft 113 m370 ft 81 m267 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi September 2027
39 Mexico City Marathon Mexico City, Mexico 68.1 m223 ft 2285 m7497 ft 2228 m7310 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi August 2027
40 Copenhagen Marathon Copenhagen, Denmark 69.3 m227 ft 16 m54 ft 2.2 m7 ft 43.2 km26.9 mi
41 Singapore Marathon Singapore 69.6 m228 ft 21 m69 ft -0.6 m-2 ft 44.2 km27.5 mi
42 Ljubljana Marathon Ljubljana, Slovenia 69.7 m229 ft 313 m1027 ft 286 m940 ft 42.9 km26.6 mi
43 Nice-Cannes Marathon Nice, France 71.4 m234 ft 29 m97 ft 1.8 m6 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi
44 Dresden Marathon Dresden, Germany 72.7 m239 ft 137 m450 ft 108 m355 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi
45 Xiamen Marathon Xiamen, China 75 m246 ft 25 m83 ft 3.2 m11 ft 42.4 km26.4 mi
46 Budapest Marathon Budapest, Hungary 75.3 m247 ft 120 m395 ft 99 m324 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi
47 Geneva Marathon Geneva, Switzerland 78.9 m259 ft 454 m1489 ft 374 m1226 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi
48 Salzburg Marathon Salzburg, Austria 79.3 m260 ft 438 m1436 ft 419 m1374 ft 42.4 km26.4 mi
49 Toronto Waterfront Marathon Toronto, Canada 79.9 m262 ft 120 m393 ft 75 m247 ft 42.3 km26.3 mi
50 Lisbon Marathon Lisbon, Portugal 81.1 m266 ft 33 m109 ft 2.6 m9 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi October 2027
51 Cologne Marathon Cologne, Germany 81.8 m268 ft 62 m203 ft 44 m146 ft 42.9 km26.6 mi October 2027
52 Milan Marathon Milan, Italy 85.1 m279 ft 141 m461 ft 118 m386 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi
53 Rome Marathon Rome, Italy 87 m285 ft 36 m120 ft 15 m48 ft 42.7 km26.6 mi
54 Florence Marathon Florence, Italy 87.3 m286 ft 65 m213 ft 41 m135 ft 41.8 km25.9 mi
55 Tel Aviv Marathon Tel Aviv, Israel 87.4 m287 ft 34 m110 ft 2.6 m9 ft 43.3 km26.9 mi
56 Honolulu Marathon Honolulu, United States 88.3 m290 ft 32 m106 ft 1.9 m6 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi Film
57 Maratón de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina 90.3 m296 ft 40 m130 ft 4.2 m14 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi September 2027
58 Belgrade Marathon Belgrade, Serbia 91.9 m302 ft 133 m438 ft 73 m238 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi
59 São Paulo International Marathon São Paulo, Brazil 93.5 m307 ft 782 m2566 ft 723 m2372 ft 42.6 km26.4 mi
60 Istanbul Marathon Istanbul, Turkey 95.9 m315 ft 87 m286 ft 2.0 m6 ft 42.4 km26.4 mi Film
61 Riyadh Marathon Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 97.3 m319 ft 673 m2209 ft 618 m2029 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi January 2027
62 Prague Marathon Prague, Czechia 97.5 m320 ft 209 m686 ft 185 m608 ft 44 km27.3 mi
63 Hamburg Marathon Hamburg, Germany 98 m322 ft 39 m128 ft 4.7 m15 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi
64 Ottawa Marathon Ottawa, Canada 99.3 m326 ft 75 m245 ft 51 m168 ft 42.6 km26.5 mi
65 Mumbai Marathon Mumbai, India 104.2 m342 ft 40 m133 ft 0.0 m0 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi Film
66 Zagreb Marathon Zagreb, Croatia 104.3 m342 ft 172 m563 ft 117 m385 ft 41 km25.5 mi October 2027
67 New York City Marathon World Major New York, United States 104.4 m343 ft 33 m108 ft 2.8 m9 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi Film
68 Lucerne Marathon Lucerne, Switzerland 105 m344 ft 461 m1514 ft 435 m1426 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi
69 Boston Marathon World Major Boston, United States 105.1 m345 ft 141 m461 ft 3.0 m10 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi Film
70 Philadelphia Marathon Philadelphia, United States 108 m354 ft 39 m129 ft 2.1 m7 ft 42.4 km26.3 mi
71 Havana Marathon Havana, Cuba 108.1 m355 ft 37 m122 ft 2.3 m7 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi Film
72 Vienna City Marathon Vienna, Austria 109.7 m360 ft 210 m690 ft 156 m513 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi
73 Maratona do Rio Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 110.4 m362 ft 39 m127 ft 2.4 m8 ft 42.4 km26.3 mi
74 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., United States 112.4 m369 ft 66 m216 ft 1.1 m4 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi Film
75 Vilnius Marathon Vilnius, Lithuania 115.8 m380 ft 113 m371 ft 90 m296 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi
76 Marrakech Marathon Marrakech, Morocco 116.1 m381 ft 494 m1621 ft 407 m1334 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi
77 Cape Town Marathon World Major Cape Town, South Africa 116.2 m381 ft 33 m109 ft 3.3 m11 ft 43.3 km26.9 mi
78 Casablanca Marathon Casablanca, Morocco 119.4 m392 ft 56 m183 ft 4.7 m15 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi
79 Queenstown Marathon Queenstown, New Zealand 127.7 m419 ft 429 m1407 ft 312 m1024 ft 42.9 km26.6 mi
80 Curitiba Marathon Curitiba, Brazil 128.4 m421 ft 936 m3070 ft 882 m2892 ft 42.6 km26.5 mi
81 Porto Marathon Porto, Portugal 133.3 m437 ft 33 m108 ft 3.2 m10 ft 42.7 km26.6 mi
82 Stockholm Marathon Stockholm, Sweden 138 m453 ft 36 m118 ft 3.4 m11 ft 43.6 km27.1 mi
83 Lima 42K Lima, Peru 140.3 m460 ft 144 m472 ft 70 m230 ft 42.3 km26.3 mi May 2027
84 Montreal Marathon Montreal, Canada 141.1 m463 ft 72 m237 ft 9.6 m31 ft 43 km26.7 mi
85 Dublin Marathon Dublin, Ireland 141.9 m466 ft 67 m219 ft 3.3 m11 ft 42.7 km26.5 mi Film
86 Kyoto Marathon Kyoto, Japan 143.5 m471 ft 93 m305 ft 24 m80 ft 43 km26.7 mi
87 Sofia Marathon Sofia, Bulgaria 145.6 m478 ft 572 m1878 ft 529 m1737 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi October 2027
88 Kuala Lumpur Marathon Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 147.4 m484 ft 85 m280 ft 34 m110 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi October 2027
89 Maratón de Montevideo Montevideo, Uruguay 149.3 m490 ft 52 m169 ft 2.7 m9 ft 42.6 km26.5 mi May 2027
90 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, United States 160 m525 ft 155 m508 ft 64 m209 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi
91 Hong Kong Marathon Hong Kong 160.6 m527 ft 95 m312 ft 3.2 m11 ft 43.7 km27.1 mi
92 Quebec City Marathon Quebec City, Canada 161.6 m530 ft 89 m292 ft 4.0 m13 ft 43.2 km26.8 mi October 2027
93 Maratón de Santiago Santiago, Chile 172.6 m566 ft 669 m2194 ft 530 m1738 ft 42.2 km26.2 mi
94 Sydney Marathon World Major Sydney, Australia 188.4 m618 ft 80 m262 ft 6.5 m21 ft 42.9 km26.7 mi
95 Maratón Medellín Medellín, Colombia 191.3 m628 ft 1592 m5224 ft 1468 m4815 ft 42.3 km26.3 mi September 2027
96 Vancouver Marathon Vancouver, Canada 198 m650 ft 97 m319 ft 2.4 m8 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi
97 Madrid Marathon Madrid, Spain 206 m676 ft 728 m2390 ft 578 m1897 ft 43.2 km26.9 mi
98 Nairobi Marathon Nairobi, Kenya 238 m781 ft 1873 m6144 ft 1641 m5383 ft 42.5 km26.4 mi
99 San Francisco Marathon San Francisco, United States 247.4 m812 ft 86 m282 ft 2.0 m7 ft 43.1 km26.8 mi
100 Victoria Falls Marathon Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 270.1 m886 ft 995 m3265 ft 876 m2873 ft 42.8 km26.6 mi
101 Athens Marathon Athens, Greece 281.2 m923 ft 237 m776 ft 4.7 m16 ft 42.4 km26.4 mi Film
102 Big Sur International Marathon Big Sur, United States 287.6 m944 ft 162 m530 ft 8.9 m29 ft 42.2 km26.2 mi
103 Jerusalem Marathon Jerusalem, Israel 336.6 m1104 ft 814 m2672 ft 727 m2385 ft 43.2 km26.9 mi

Questions

What is the flattest marathon on this list?
Dubai Marathon, with 13.4 m of climbing in the whole race and its highest point 4 m above its lowest. New Orleans Marathon (15 m) and Tokyo Marathon (16.2 m) follow.
What is the flattest World Marathon Major?
Tokyo Marathon, at 16.2 m of climbing. Then Chicago (20 m) and Berlin (35.9 m). The hilliest Major is Sydney, at 188.4 m.
Is Dubai really flat?
By the numbers, yes. Dubai Marathon climbs 13.4 m over 42.2 km, under the 50 m we count as flat, and the course never rises more than 4 m above its lowest point.
How many of these marathons are flat?
28 of the 103 climb less than 50 m in the whole race. 21 climb 140 m or more; the most is Jerusalem Marathon, at 336.6 m.

Ground heights: GEDTM30 (Ho & Hengl, OpenGeoHub), CC BY 4.0 (75 courses); USGS 3DEP (9 courses); 出典：国土地理院ウェブサイト (https://maps.gsi.go.jp/development/ichiran.html) を加工して作成 / Elevation derived from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan's digital elevation model (5 courses); MDT05 CC BY 4.0 scne.es / Instituto Geográfico Nacional (4 courses); Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (AHN4), CC0 (3 courses); Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right (2 courses); Geoportal Berlin / ATKIS DGM1 (1 course); HVBG Hessen, DGM1 (dl-de/zero-2-0) (1 course); Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung, DGM1 (CC BY 4.0) (1 course); Digitaal Hoogtemodel Vlaanderen II (Bron: Digitaal Vlaanderen) (1 course); Contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (1 course). Course lines © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The 28 flat ones, under 50 m of climbing, soonest first

28 races

This week

3 races Amsterdam, Antwerp, Beijing
  • Film available

    Antwerp, Belgium

    Antwerp Marathon

    Flat Laps

    Today 22 m72 ft climb

  • Film available

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Amsterdam Marathon

    Flat Loop

    Today 22 m72 ft climb

  • Beijing, China

    Beijing Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    Today 41 m135 ft climb

October 2026

2 races Frankfurt, Venice
  • Film available

    Frankfurt, Germany

    Frankfurt Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 7 days 44 m144 ft climb 12,327 finishers

  • Venice, Italy

    Venice Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 7 days 25 m82 ft climb

November 2026

3 races Kobe, Bangkok, New Orleans

  • New Orleans, United States

    New Orleans Marathon

    Flat Laps

    In 27 days 15 m49 ft climb

  • Kobe, Japan

    Kobe Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 28 days 33 m108 ft climb 19,448 finishers

Later in the year

December 2026

4 races Valencia, Taipei, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi

  • Shanghai, China

    Shanghai Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 7 weeks 29 m95 ft climb

  • Film available

    Valencia, Spain

    Valencia Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 7 weeks 42 m138 ft climb

  • Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Abu Dhabi Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 8 weeks 18 m59 ft climb

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    Taipei Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 9 weeks 45 m148 ft climb 12,614 finishers

January 2027

2 races Dubai, Miami

  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Dubai Marathon

    Flat Out and back

    In 3 months 13 m43 ft climb

  • Miami, United States

    Miami Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 3 months 28 m92 ft climb

February 2027

3 races Osaka, Seville, Lagos

  • Seville, Spain

    Seville Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 4 months 29 m95 ft climb 8,292 finishers

  • Osaka, Japan

    Osaka Marathon

    Flat Big field Loop

    In 4 months 34 m112 ft climb 31,594 finishers

  • Lagos, Nigeria

    Lagos City Marathon

    Flat Out and back

    Date not yet published 20 m66 ft climb

March 2027

1 race Tokyo
  • Film available

    Tokyo, Japan

    Tokyo Marathon

    World Major Flat Point to point

    In 5 months 16 m52 ft climb

April 2027

5 races London, Rotterdam, Manchester, Zurich
  • Film available

    Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Rotterdam Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 6 months 28 m92 ft climb 16,837 finishers

  • Zurich, Switzerland

    Zurich Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 6 months 27 m89 ft climb 5,181 finishers

  • Christchurch, New Zealand

    Christchurch Marathon

    Flat Laps

    In 6 months 49 m161 ft climb

  • Manchester, United Kingdom

    Manchester Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 6 months 48 m157 ft climb 21,887 finishers

  • Film available

    London, United Kingdom

    London Marathon

    World Major Flat Big field

    In 6 months 42 m138 ft climb 43,965 finishers

May 2027

1 race Edinburgh

  • Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Edinburgh Marathon

    Flat Point to point

    In 7 months 39 m128 ft climb 6,596 finishers

July 2027

1 race Gold Coast

  • Gold Coast, Australia

    Gold Coast Marathon

    Flat Out and back

    In 9 months 28 m92 ft climb 5,769 finishers

September 2027

1 race Berlin
  • Film available

    Berlin, Germany

    Berlin Marathon

    Ballot closes 12 Nov World Major Flat Loop

    In 11 months 36 m118 ft climb

October 2027

2 races Chicago, Eindhoven
  • Film available

    Chicago, United States

    Chicago Marathon

    Ballot closes 29 Oct World Major Flat Big field

    In 12 months 20 m66 ft climb 54,383 finishers

  • Eindhoven, Netherlands

    Eindhoven Marathon

    Flat Loop

    In 12 months 17 m56 ft climb

Map data and course lines © OpenStreetMap contributors

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