My marathons

Miami Marathon

06:006:00 AM Miami
South Beach
© OpenStreetMap South Beach. Photograph by Phillip Pessar, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

The course

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Flat from start to finish: 6 m between the lowest and the highest point.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Photograph: Radomianin, Public domain
  2. Photo: Averette at English Wikipedia, Public domain
  3. Photo: D. Benjamin Miller, CC0
  4. Photo: M McBey, CC BY 2.0
  5. Photo: Phillip Pessar, CC BY 4.0
  6. Photo: Magnolia677, CC BY 4.0
  7. Photo: Marc Averette / Averette at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
  8. Photo: Phillip Pessar from Miami, USA, CC BY 2.0
  9. Photo: Averette, CC BY 3.0
  10. Photo: HalWhitewyrm at en.wikipedia, Public domain
  11. Photo: Daderot, Public domain

km 0.6mile 0.4

Adrienne Arsht Center

The performing arts centre beside Biscayne Boulevard where the course turns east onto the MacArthur Causeway.

Photo: D. Benjamin Miller, CC0

Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model.

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 1 and 6 metres, a range of 6 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: MacArthur Causeway, km 1 to 1.7; MacArthur Causeway, km 5.2 to 5.9; Venetian Way, km 13.6 to 13.8; Venetian Way, km 14.2 to 14.5; Venetian Way, km 14.7 to 14.9; Venetian Way, km 15.1 to 15.3; Venetian Way, km 15.5 to 15.7; Venetian Way, km 16.2 to 16.3; Venetian Way, km 17 to 17.6; South Miami Avenue, km 21 to 21.2; Rickenbacker Causeway, km 24.6 to 24.8; Rickenbacker Causeway, km 26.8 to 27; South Miami Avenue, km 40.8 to 41. 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.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

  • flat all the way

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
  • Sea level, with bridges for hillsNo real hills: a flat course where the only rises are bridges.
  • The Miami Avenue bridge, twiceOne short, gradual rise on South Miami Avenue, crossed at miles 13.2 and 25.5.
  • A loop that ends near where it startsA single loop: the start is on Biscayne Boulevard, the finish at Bayfront Park, 0.5 km south.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientSea level, with bridges for hillsNo real hills: a flat course where the only rises are bridges.

The course is USATF certified, flat and a Boston qualifier. Miami and Miami Beach are at sea level with no noticeable elevation changes, so what rises is a bridge. The largest comes a quarter mile in: the MacArthur Causeway, 9 m above sea level, on the way to Watson Island. A second, less gradual incline follows at the 2.5-mile mark, onto Miami Beach.

The bridges are held in the closed-to-vessel position for the whole race.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientThe Miami Avenue bridge, twiceOne short, gradual rise on South Miami Avenue, crossed at miles 13.2 and 25.5.

From mile 8 to mile 11 the course comes back to the mainland over the Venetian Causeway, which has a small incline on its last portion. Then, at about miles 13.2 and 25.5 (km 21.2 and km 41.0), runners meet a short, gradual rise over the South Miami Avenue bridge: once near the halfway mark, and once again with under a mile to go.

Over the whole 42.2 km the course climbs about 28 m.

Sourced

Whole courseGeometryA loop that ends near where it startsA single loop: the start is on Biscayne Boulevard, the finish at Bayfront Park, 0.5 km south.

The start is at 601 Biscayne Boulevard, in front of the arena, and runners head north. The 26.2 miles are a single loop that finishes in the same general area, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Boulevard, about 0.5 km south of the start.

On the way the roads closed for the race are Downtown and Brickell, the MacArthur Causeway, Miami Beach, the Venetian Causeway, the Rickenbacker Causeway and Coconut Grove. This is the 2026 course.

Measured

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Miami, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Miami stays within 6 m20 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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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
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
28.3 m93 ft
cut-off
7:00 h
first held
2003

A single loop from Biscayne Boulevard over the MacArthur Causeway to Miami Beach, back over the Venetian Causeway and out to the Rickenbacker Causeway, finishing at Bayfront Park on Biscayne Bay.

The Miami Marathon is a flat loop of 42.2 km (26.2 miles) with 28.3 m (93 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 1 m (3 ft) and its highest 6 m (20 ft) above sea level. Next race: Sunday 31 January 2027, starting at 6:00 AM.

Race week

Timetable

Friday 29 January Expo

  1. 12:0012:00 PM–19:007:00 PM

    Expo and race kit pickup Friday 12:00 to 19:00. The expo is the only place to pick up a registration packet; bring a photo ID.

Saturday 30 January Expo

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Expo and race kit pickup Saturday 10:00 to 18:00.

Sunday 31 January Race day

  1. 05:005:00 AM

    Corrals open Corrals open at 5:00. The start is at 601 Biscayne Blvd, in front of the arena, and runners head north.

  2. 06:006:00 AM

    Marathon start, corrals A to D The first corrals go at 6:00. Corrals E to G start at 6:15, H and I at 6:30, K and L at 6:45. No runner can start after 7:00.

  3. Time not published

    Time limit Seven hours to finish, counted from when the last corral starts. After that the aid stations, marshals, clocks and cross-street protection are no longer provided and runners follow the local pedestrian rules. 7:00 limit: 9:57/km for 42.195 km7:00 limit: 16:01/mi for 26.2 mi

Times as published by Life Time Fitness, Inc., in Miami time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Miami time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

Life Time Fitness, Inc., a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Make your postcard

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Questions about the Miami Marathon

Is the Miami Marathon course flat?

Yes. It has 28.3 m (93 ft) of climbing over 42.2 km (26.2 miles). The highest point is 6 m (20 ft) above the lowest.

When is the Miami Marathon 2027?

Sunday 31 January 2027. The start is at 6:00 AM.

How do I enter the Miami Marathon?

Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: US$225 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site

1 more question
What is the time limit at the Miami Marathon?

Runners have 7 hours to finish.

In the news

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Sources and licence

Last checked.

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model (bare earth).

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 2.24% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Date and entry information from Life Time Fitness, Inc..

Every source and licence behind them →

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