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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Leiden Marathon
The Leiden Marathon is a flat course of 42.2 km with 30.1 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 4 m below sea level and its highest 3 m above it. Next race: Sunday 9 May 2027, starting at 08:30.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 08:308:30 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon · 10K · 5K · Walk
- Total climb
- 30.1 m99 ft
- Highest point 7 m23 ft above lowest
- Entry fee
- €75
- For the 2027 race
- Time limit
- 6 hours
The course
Drag along the profileThe organiser's marathon starts in Leiden's inner city on the Koninginnelaan, runs through the polder and the villages of the region, and finishes on the Vismarkt with crowds lining the singels.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi
Dashed: bridge
Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
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- From the Koninginnelaan through the polder to the VismarktKoninginnelaan start, polder villages, then the singels and the Vismarkt finish.
- Four metres below sea level to three above-4.0 to +2.9 m; 30 m of climbing in total.
- An 8:30 start and six hours to finish8:30 start on 9 May 2027; the finish closes six hours after the start.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryFrom the Koninginnelaan through the polder to the VismarktKoninginnelaan start, polder villages, then the singels and the Vismarkt finish.
The organiser’s text for the full marathon reads: “Je start in de Leidse binnenstad en gaat via de polder dwars door de mooie dorpen in de regio. Daarna wacht je een waar onthaal in de stad. Vanaf de singels staat het publiek rijendik.” The finish is on the Vismarkt.
The course page calls the route varied, flat, “typisch Hollands en verrassend groen”, with canals, monuments, windmills, polders and characteristic villages, and says the 42 and 21 km run through the green countryside around Leiden.
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2GradientFour metres below sea level to three above-4.0 to +2.9 m; 30 m of climbing in total.
The marathon starts at about 2 m above sea level and finishes at about 3 m. The lowest point is near km 29 at 4.0 m below sea level, and the highest is the finish itself at 2.9 m. Over the whole distance the climbing adds up to 30 m.
The organiser describes the route as flat.
Measured
Whole courseConditionsAn 8:30 start and six hours to finish8:30 start on 9 May 2027; the finish closes six hours after the start.
The programme lists the marathon start at 8:30, the half marathon at 10:00 and the 10 km at 13:00. The organiser says: “Exact 6 uur na de start (netto tijd) sluit de finish”, and a runner outside the schedule is asked to board the sweeper bus. The minimum age is 18 on race day.
Runners may leave their own drinks at any 10-kilometre point, handed in at the bag drop until 7:30 on Sunday.
Sourced
Race weekend
Sunday 9 May Race day
-
07:007:00 AM
Tent village opens, with help desk and bib collection Johnson & Johnson Park (Garenmarktplein) -
07:007:00 AM
Bag drop opens Doezastraat -
08:308:30 AM
Marathon start (De 42 KM van SWIS) Koninginnelaan -
11:1511:15 AM
Prize giving, men's marathon Vismarkt -
11:4511:45 AM
Prize giving, women's marathon Vismarkt -
16:004:00 PM
Leiden Marathon closes Vismarkt -
Time not published
Overall time limit Six hours after the start (net time) the finish closes; a time after that is not registered. A runner outside the schedule is asked to board the sweeper bus. 6:00 limit: 8:31/km for 42.195 km6:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 26.2 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Leiden time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Leiden time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Leiden, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Leiden stays within 7 m23 ft of height, so they go 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Questions about the Leiden Marathon
- Is the Leiden Marathon course flat?
- Yes. It has 30.1 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 7 m above the lowest.
- When is the Leiden Marathon 2027?
- Sunday 9 May 2027. The start is at 08:30.
- How do I enter the Leiden Marathon?
- Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €75 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
- What is the time limit at the Leiden Marathon?
- Runners have 6 hours to finish.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Leiden Marathon.
