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Milan Marathon

Milan
A frame from the Milan Marathon course film Watch the course 3:52

Imagery: Google Earth and its imagery providers

The course

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A slow rise of 13 m from km 11 to km 17, flat from km 17 to km 31, then another slow rise of 18 m home from km 37.

StartFinish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Dega180, CC0
  2. Photo: Worsethanahurricane, CC BY 4.0
  3. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, CC0
  4. Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
  5. Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0
  6. Photo: Luca Galli from Torino, Italy, CC BY 2.0
  7. Photo: Carlodell, CC0
  8. Photo: Flickr user johnseb, CC BY 2.0
  9. Photo: Goldmund100, CC BY 3.0
  10. Photo: Meri Valenti (TCI), CC BY 4.0
  11. Photo: LibrePhoton, CC0
  12. Photo: Dimitris Kamaras from Athens, Greece, CC BY 2.0
  13. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, CC0

km 3mile 1.8

Cimitero Monumentale

The Monumental Cemetery, which the course skirts on Via Luigi Nono and Via Ceresio at km 3.

Photo: Worsethanahurricane, CC BY 4.0

Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: GEDTM30.

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 118 and 140 metres, a range of 23 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.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

  • slow rise to 17
  • flat 17 to 31
  • slow rise home

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
  • From Corso Sempione to the Duomo, one wayOne way across the city, from Corso Sempione to the cathedral square.
  • Flat, then a gentle rise to the DuomoA 23.1 m spread in all, with the highest ground just before the line.
  • Live music at eleven points on the courseBands at km 4, 13.3, 17, 22.7, 25.5, 28, 31.6, 33.2, 34, 38 and 41.
Course notes 4 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryFrom Corso Sempione to the Duomo, one wayOne way across the city, from Corso Sempione to the cathedral square.

Nothing repeats and nothing doubles back: the race leaves Corso Sempione, crosses the city and ends in front of the Duomo, the same start and finish in 2026 and for 2027. The course is the 2026 one, run in April 2026; the 2027 race is on Sunday 4 April.

On the 2026 course the Università Bocconi stands at km 10.0.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2GradientFlat, then a gentle rise to the DuomoA 23.1 m spread in all, with the highest ground just before the line.

From Corso Sempione at 125.5 m the road sinks to 117.3 m at km 9.8, rises to about 127 m by half way, stays between 123 and 134 m from km 14 to km 37 and is at 124.8 m at km 38.

The only sustained rise is the last 4 km. From 124.8 m at km 38 the road climbs to 140.1 m at the finish in Piazza del Duomo, and the high point of the whole course, 140.4 m, comes at km 42.1, just before the line. In total the race climbs 87.8 m.

Measured

km 4 to 41CrowdLive music at eleven points on the courseBands at km 4, 13.3, 17, 22.7, 25.5, 28, 31.6, 33.2, 34, 38 and 41.

In 2026 the Street Music Festival had an act at km 4, 13.3, 17, 22.7, 25.5, 28, 31.6, 33.2, 34, 38 and 41. Between them stand the cheering points of the charities the runners raise money for, from km 4.4 to km 40.5, with the thickest run of them in the last 5 km.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2TacticsSix and a half hours, ten refreshment pointsA 6:30 limit works out at about 9:15 per km; 10 refreshment points.

The limit for the 2027 race is 6 hours 30 minutes, an average of about 9 minutes 15 seconds per kilometre. Water and food are at one point every 5 km, plus two additional ones, ten in all, and the finish has a last refreshment.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Milan, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Milan stays within 23 m75 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

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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
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
87.8 m288 ft
cut-off
6:30 h
finishers
6,623
first held
2003

The 2026 course: from Corso Sempione past the Cimitero Monumentale and Porta Venezia, round the south of the old centre by Porta Romana and the Darsena, out west to San Siro and the Parco di Trenno, and back past the Castello Sforzesco to a finish in Piazza del Duomo.

The Milan Marathon is a point-to-point course of 42.2 km with 87.8 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 118 m and its highest 140 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 4 April 2027.

Race week

Timetable

Before race week 3 key dates

  1. 31 Jan 2027

    Full refund of the entry fee, if the cancellation insurance was bought Refund requests up to this date get 100% of the fee back; from 1 February to 23 March the refund is 75%. The insurance costs 10 euros and is bought while registering.

  2. 23 Mar 2027

    Last day for a 75% refund Applies to entrants who bought the cancellation insurance while registering.

  3. 31 Mar 2027 · 23:5911:59 PM

    Registration closes There is no registration on race day.

Thursday 1 April Bib pickup

  1. Time not published

    Milano Running Festival: bib pickup The festival runs on 1, 2 and 3 April. A federation licence or RUNCARD and medical certificate not yet uploaded must be sent in before the bib is collected.

Friday 2 April Bib pickup

  1. Time not published

    Milano Running Festival: bib pickup

Saturday 3 April Last bib day

  1. Time not published

    Milano Running Festival: bib pickup

Sunday 4 April Race day

  1. Time not published

    Marathon start Corso Sempione

  2. Time not published

    Marathon finish Piazza del Duomo

  3. Time not published

    Time limit Maximum time for the marathon: 6 hours 30 minutes. 6:30 limit: 9:14/km for 42.195 km6:30 limit: 14:52/mi for 26.2 mi

Times as published by RCS Sports & Events, in Milan time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Milan time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

RCS Sports & Events, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Make your postcard

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Questions about the Milan Marathon

Is the Milan Marathon course flat?

Not entirely. It has 87.8 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 23 m above the lowest. It finishes 15 m higher than it starts.

When is the Milan Marathon 2027?

Sunday 4 April 2027.

How do I enter the Milan Marathon?

Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €109 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site

4 more questions
What is the time limit at the Milan Marathon?

Runners have 6 h 30 min to finish.

Where does the Milan Marathon finish?

Finish: Piazza del Duomo.

How many runners finish the Milan Marathon?

6,623 runners finished in 2025.

Is there a video of the Milan Marathon course?

Yes. A 3D flyover film of the whole course, start to finish (3:52), plays at the top of this page.

Sources and licence

Last checked.

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from GEDTM30, Global Ensemble Digital Terrain Model at 30 m (v1.2): Elevation: GEDTM30 (Ho & Hengl, OpenGeoHub), CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

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 3.11% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Date and entry information from RCS Sports & Events.

Film built from Google Earth imagery, credited on screen.

Rendered from GEDTM30, Global Ensemble Digital Terrain Model at 30 m (v1.2) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)), OpenStreetMap (Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL)).

Every source and licence behind them →

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