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Running Portland? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
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Maine Marathon
The Maine Marathon is a hilly course of 42.2 km (26.2 miles) with 145.6 m (478 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 3 m (10 ft) and its highest 45 m (148 ft) above sea level.
At a glance
- Next race
- Date not out yet
- Last run Sun 4 Oct
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon · Relay
- Total climb
- 145.6 m478 ft
- Highest point 42 m138 ft above lowest
The course
Pick a place, or drag along the profileThe marathon climbs 145.6 m in total, starting at 2.6 m at Back Cove and reaching its high point of 44.7 m near 27.3 km, on the way back.
Start, finish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: Daderot, Public domain
- Photo: Paul VanDerWerf from Brunswick, Maine, USA, CC BY 2.0
km 2.7mile 1.7
Payson Park
The organiser's directions have runners enter Payson Park near the end, turn left and bear right at the fork onto Inlet Street.
Photo: Daderot, Public domain
km 5.6mile 3.5
Martin's Point Bridge
The organiser's directions send runners across Martin's Point Bridge on Route 1 North on the way out, and back across it on the return.
Photo: Paul VanDerWerf from Brunswick, Maine, USA, CC BY 2.0
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
Get them on AmazonAmazon partner link
- Out and back from the water, 146 m of climbing145.6 m of climbing, highest at 44.7 m near 27 km.
- Around Back Cove, over Martin's Point Bridge and backBaxter Boulevard start, Back Cove, Martin's Point Bridge, same way home.
- USATF certified, a Boston qualifier, early start for walkersUSATF certified, Boston qualifier; 2026 start 7:45, walkers 6:30.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientOut and back from the water, 146 m of climbing145.6 m of climbing, highest at 44.7 m near 27 km.
The organiser describes the out-and-back course as moderately hilly, with views of the water, the Portland skyline and fall foliage.
Measured
Whole courseLandmarkAround Back Cove, over Martin's Point Bridge and backBaxter Boulevard start, Back Cove, Martin's Point Bridge, same way home.
The organiser’s directions run through Veranda Street and Route 1 North, then Route 88 with Gilman Road and Prince’s Point Road, before the return on Gilman Road to Route 88. The finish comes by way of Payson Park and Inlet Street, back on Baxter Boulevard.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsUSATF certified, a Boston qualifier, early start for walkersUSATF certified, Boston qualifier; 2026 start 7:45, walkers 6:30.
The 2026 edition on Sunday 4 October was the 35th, run by the Maine Track Club. Early starters were not eligible for awards, and early starters who finished in under 5:30 were disqualified.
Sourced
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Portland, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, 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.
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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.
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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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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 Maine Marathon.
