My marathons

Freshworks Chennai Marathon

Chennai
Marina Beach
Marina Beach. Photograph by PlaneMad, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the race as starting at Napier Bridge, tracing the Marina and heading south along the East Coast Road.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Napier Bridge, the Marina, then the East Coast RoadFrom Napier Bridge along the Marina, then south on the East Coast Road.
  • An Abbott age group qualifierAge-group qualifying times here earn direct entry to the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championships.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryNapier Bridge, the Marina, then the East Coast RoadFrom Napier Bridge along the Marina, then south on the East Coast Road.

In its description of the 2026 edition the organiser says the race begins at the Napier Bridge, traces the Marina and its sea breeze, and then heads south along the East Coast Road (ECR). The races on the card are 10K, 21K, 32K and the full marathon, and the 15th edition is on Sunday 3 January 2027. The organiser points to January as Chennai’s most pleasant running weather.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowdAn Abbott age group qualifierAge-group qualifying times here earn direct entry to the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championships.

The organiser’s 2026 edition text says recognition by the Abbott World Marathon Majors lets athletes who run the automatic qualifying time for their age group earn direct entry to the 2027 AbbottWMM Age Group World Championships. It also says the race earned the SheRACES accreditation in 2024, and that it is run by the volunteers of Chennai Runners with the support of the Greater Chennai Police and the Chennai Corporation.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Chennai, 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.

Order by 13 December 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

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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