My marathons

Florence Marathon

08:308:30 AM Piazza Duomo, Florence
Sold out
A frame from the Florence Marathon course film Watch the course 1:14

Imagery: Google Earth and its imagery providers

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

Downhill to km 10, a slow rise of 19 m to km 20, then flat home.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Kevin Poh, CC BY 2.0
  2. Photo: Peter Visser, CC BY 2.0
  3. Photo: CaterinaFis, CC0
  4. Photo: Photo2023, CC BY 4.0
  5. Photo: Jebulon, CC0
  6. Photo: Zairon, CC BY 4.0
  7. Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0
  8. Photo: Jebulon, CC0
  9. Photo: Verum3414, CC BY 4.0
  10. Photo: Jebulon, CC0
  11. Photo: Edanziger, CC BY 4.0

km 0.9mile 0.5

Piazza della Santissima Annunziata

The arcaded square with the equestrian statue of Ferdinando I, on the course at km 0.9.

Photo: Peter Visser, CC BY 2.0

Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: GEDTM30.

Cut-off, km 21.1mile 13.1
Cut-off, km 30mile 18.6
Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 41 and 65 metres, a range of 24 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: Ponte della Vittoria, km 17.3 to 17.4; Ponte Vecchio, km 19.8 to 19.9; Ponte alle Grazie, km 20.4 to 20.5; Ponte San Niccolò, km 21.5 to 21.7; Cavalcavia dell'Affrico, km 34.3 to 34.5. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span. Marked points: Cut-off at km 21.1; Cut-off at km 30.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

  • downhill to 10
  • slow rise to 20
  • flat home

Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes

  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

Get them on AmazonAmazon partner link

The course in short 3 lines
  • The biggest rise comes in the first half, along the Arno, and the finish is near the topDown to km 10, 19 m up toward the river crossings, then rolling to a finish near the high point.
  • Four Arno crossings in 4.5 km, with the half marathon mark between the last twoVittoria, Vecchio, Grazie, San Niccolò: four bridges in 4.3 km around halfway.
  • A 6 hour limit, checked at the half marathon and at 30 km3:00 at halfway, 4:15 at km 30, 6:00 at the line: each works out near 8:30 a km.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 9.9 to 42.2GradientThe biggest rise comes in the first half, along the Arno, and the finish is near the topDown to km 10, 19 m up toward the river crossings, then rolling to a finish near the high point.

Total climb is 87.3 m and the whole course lies within 23.6 m of one height, so this is a flat marathon with a shape. The start is at 60.9 m, and the road drops 19.6 m over the first 10 km, to the course low of 41.3 m at km 9.9.

The climb comes next. From km 10 the road rises to 51.0 m at km 12.7, dips to 44.6 m at km 17.0 and then goes up 16.1 m in 2.6 km to 60.7 m at km 19.6, just before the Ponte Vecchio. That is the largest single rise in the first half. After halfway the road is back at 50.5 m by km 22.0, then rolls up toward the finish, where the last 4.2 km add 15.3 m and the high point of the course, 64.9 m, is at km 41.4, close to the line in Piazza Duomo.

Measured

km 17 to 22LandmarkFour Arno crossings in 4.5 km, with the half marathon mark between the last twoVittoria, Vecchio, Grazie, San Niccolò: four bridges in 4.3 km around halfway.

The organiser’s street list takes the line over four bridges within about 4.3 km: the Ponte della Vittoria at km 17.4, the Ponte Vecchio at 19.9, the Ponte alle Grazie at 20.5 and the Ponte San Niccolò at 21.7. The organiser’s own timing point for the half marathon, 21.097 km, sits between the Ponte alle Grazie and the Ponte San Niccolò.

On the organiser’s description the course winds “through the monuments, passing through the most fascinating areas of the city, such as Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio” before reaching “the finish line in the solemn and majestic Piazza Duomo”.

Measured

km 21.1 to 42.2TacticsA 6 hour limit, checked at the half marathon and at 30 km3:00 at halfway, 4:15 at km 30, 6:00 at the line: each works out near 8:30 a km.

The regulation reads: “The time limit to finish the 42.195 km is fixed in 6 hours. The time limit for the passage to the half marathon (km 21,097) is fixed in 3 hours. The time limit of passage to the km 30 is fixed in 4h15.” It adds that “athletes who run more than 8′ 30″ per km will be required to observe the rules of the road code.”

The three limits agree with each other. Three hours for 21.097 km is 8:32 a kilometre, 4 hours 15 minutes for 30 km is 8:30, and six hours for 42.195 km is 8:32. The limits are one pace held from the start to the Piazza Duomo, not a cut that tightens late. The 2026 race starts at 8:30.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Florence, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Florence stays within 24 m79 ft of height, so they go 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.

Order by 8 November to test them on two long runs first.

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
climb
85.9 m282 ft
cut-off
6:00 h
finishers
5,792
first held
1984

A point-to-point course through Florence's historic centre, passing Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio before finishing at Piazza del Duomo.

The Florence Marathon is a point-to-point course of 42.2 km with 85.9 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 41 m and its highest 65 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 29 November 2026, starting at 08:30.

Race week

Bib pickup at Stazione Leopolda, Viale Fratelli Rosselli 5, Porta al Prato, Florence

Timetable

Before race week 3 key dates

  1. 30 Sept 2026

    Waiting list for sold-out marathon entries closes The 2026 marathon sold out on 27 August. A waiting list is open from 3 to 30 September for runners hoping to get a place; read the waiting-list rules on the organiser's site before joining.

  2. 31 Oct 2026

    Deadline to transfer your entry to another runner or to 2027 A runner who cannot start may, by 31 October, either pass the entry to another person or defer it to the 2027 edition, each for a 30 euro fee and only once. Entries cannot be moved to the 10K.

  3. 10 Nov 2026

    Deadline to update your personal best for start-grid placement New or changed marathon personal bests (last two years, full marathon only, with documentation) sent after 10 November are not considered for your start grid.

Friday 27 November Bib pickup

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–19:307:30 PM

    Firenze Marathon Expo opens: bib and race pack collection Stazione Leopolda, Viale Fratelli Rosselli 5, Porta al Prato, Florence. Bring an identity document, the confirmation letter (a phone or tablet is fine) and any card or medical certificate the letter asks for. The 10K page gives 10:30 to 19:30 for 10K bibs.

Saturday 28 November Last bib day

  1. 09:009:00 AM–19:307:30 PM

    Firenze Marathon Expo: last day of bib collection Stazione Leopolda, Viale Fratelli Rosselli 5, Porta al Prato, Florence. Bib collection runs on Friday and Saturday only. The 10K page gives 09:30 to 19:30 for 10K bibs.

  2. 10:3010:30 AM

    3x7K Charity Relay start Ippodromo del Visarno, Florence. Team relay; online registration on Endu until 25 November.

Sunday 29 November Race day

  1. 07:007:00 AM

    Bag storage opens Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Areas divided by bib number. Only the official bag with your bib sticker is accepted; staff place it in the area. Do not leave valuables. A plastic rain cape is provided.

  2. 07:007:00 AM–08:008:00 AM

    Start grids open Piazza Duomo. Enter the grid printed on your bib (yellow, red, blue, grey, green, fuchsia, by declared best time). Everyone must be inside by 08:00; latecomers start from the last grid. Once in, you cannot leave; starting from a grid further back is allowed.

  3. 08:308:30 AM

    Marathon start Piazza Duomo

  4. Time not published

    Marathon time limit Overall time limit 6 hours ("tempo limite"). Runners slower than 8'30" per km must follow the road traffic code. 6:00 limit: 8:31/km for 42.195 km6:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs and other races (3)

  1. 08:458:45 AM

    10K Firenze Marathon start Via Tornabuoni. Bag storage for the 10K is also in Piazza Santa Maria Novella from 07:00.

  2. Time not published

    Marathon cut-off at halfway Time limit to pass the half marathon point: 3 hours. 3:00 limit: 8:31/km for 21.097 km3:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 13.1 mi

  3. Time not published

    Marathon cut-off at km 30 Time limit to pass km 30: 4h15. 4:15 limit: 8:30/km for 30 km4:15 limit: 13:40/mi for 18.6 mi

Times as published by Maratona di Firenze SSDRL, in Florence time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Florence time

Trip

Getting a place

Sold out for the 2026 race As read 25 September 2026.

Next: entry closes, 2026 race, .

Past years and every way in
Every way in, year by year →
Entry details on the organiser’s site →

Maratona di Firenze SSDRL, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Make your postcard

Keep exploring

Same weekend

Same month, nearby

  • A frame from our Nice-Cannes Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth1:14Race week

    Nice-Cannes Marathon

    Nice, France

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km71 m

    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.
  • A frame from our Athens Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56Race week

    Athens Marathon

    Athens, Greece

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km281 m

    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.
  • A frame from our Malaga Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:50Race week

    Malaga Marathon

    Malaga, Spain

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km63 m

    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.

A course like this

  • A frame from our Rome Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56Entry open

    Rome Marathon

    Rome, Italy

    Sun 14 Mar 202742.2 km87 m

    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.
  • Jaffa, Tel Aviv

    Tel Aviv Marathon

    Tel Aviv, Israel

    Fri 26 Feb 202742.2 km87 m

    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: Jaffa, by Ariel Manor, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • A frame from our Milan Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:52

    Milan Marathon

    Milan, Italy

    Sun 4 Apr 202742.2 km88 m

    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.

Questions about the Florence Marathon

Is the Florence Marathon course flat?

Not entirely. It has 85.9 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 24 m above the lowest.

When is the Florence Marathon 2026?

Sunday 29 November 2026. The start is at 08:30.

How do I enter the Florence Marathon?

The 2026 race is sold out. Entry details on the organiser’s site

4 more questions
What is the time limit at the Florence Marathon?

Runners have 6 hours to finish.

Where does the Florence Marathon start?

Start: Piazza Duomo.

How many runners finish the Florence Marathon?

5,792 runners finished in 2019.

Is there a video of the Florence Marathon course?

Yes. A 3D flyover film of the whole course, start to finish (1:14), plays at the top of this page.

In the news

All race news →

Sources and licence

Last checked.

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from GEDTM30, Global Ensemble Digital Terrain Model at 30 m (v1.2): Elevation: GEDTM30 (Ho & Hengl, OpenGeoHub), CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Elevation gain computed by us from that line, smoothed over 1 kmsmoothed over 0.6 mi.

The line follows the road down its middle, so it measures 0.95% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Date and entry information from Maratona di Firenze SSDRL.

Film built from Google Earth imagery, credited on screen.

Rendered from GEDTM30, Global Ensemble Digital Terrain Model at 30 m (v1.2) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)), OpenStreetMap (Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL)).

Every source and licence behind them →

More races in Italy and in November