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.
Race week. Only the gel you trained with: nothing new on Sunday. Your race-morning kit Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Grand Rapids Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Next race
- Date not out yet
- Last run Sun 18 Oct
- Start
- 07:007:00 AM
- Waves until 08:008:00 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon
The course
The organiser calls it a flat, fast Boston qualifying course: nearly 20 percent of marathon runners qualified last year, after a tour of downtown and the trails of Millennium Park.
- A flat, fast course and a Boston qualifierFlat and fast; a Boston qualifier through downtown and Millennium Park.
- A 7:00 early start for runners slower than six hours7:00 early start for paces over six hours; no awards.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GradientA flat, fast course and a Boston qualifierFlat and fast; a Boston qualifier through downtown and Millennium Park.
The marathon gives runners a tour of downtown Grand Rapids, then heads out of the city into the trails of Millennium Park in the fall. The organiser says nearly 20 percent of the marathon field qualified for Boston in the previous year.
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2TacticsA 7:00 early start for runners slower than six hours7:00 early start for paces over six hours; no awards.
The organiser sets no time limit for the marathon or half marathon. Early course support and aid stations are not ready for faster runners, so those who finish ahead of the winners after taking the early start risk disqualification. The finish line is listed open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sourced
Race weekend
Saturday 17 October Expo
-
08:008:00 AM
Easy shakeout run North end of the DeVos Lot. Run with Society Track Club. -
09:009:00 AM–17:305:30 PM
Expo and packet pickup David D. Hunting YMCA. All events are held at the David D. Hunting YMCA, 475 Lake Michigan Drive.
Sunday 18 October Race day
-
06:006:00 AM
Packet pickup on race morning David D. Hunting YMCA. From 6:00 a.m. until race time. -
07:007:00 AM
Early start for the velocity challenged For marathon and half marathon runners at a pace slower than six hours for the marathon; early starters are eligible only for the finisher medal. -
07:557:55 AM
Wheelchair and hand cycle division start Wheelchair and hand cycle division. -
08:008:00 AM
Marathon start David D. Hunting YMCA. Official start of the marathon, half marathon and all relay teams. -
10:0010:00 AM–15:003:00 PM
Finish line open Runners cross the finish from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Times as published by the organiser, in Grand Rapids time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Grand Rapids time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Grand Rapids, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
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. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Only the gel you trained with. 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.
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, 8 ml
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
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
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
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.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Grand Rapids Marathon.
