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.
Running Reykjavík? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Reykjavík Marathon
The Reykjavík Marathon is a course of 42.2 km with 94.4 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 2 m and its highest 26 m above sea level. Next race: Saturday 21 August 2027.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon · 10K · Kids' race
- Total climb
- 94.4 m310 ft
- Highest point 24 m79 ft above lowest
- Time limit
- 6 h 30 min
The course
Pick a place, or drag along the profileThe marathon is one lap that starts on Sæmundargata outside the University of Iceland and finishes on Geirsgata by the Reykjavík Art Museum.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0
- Photo: Rob Young from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
km 0mile 0
University of Iceland
The start is on Sæmundargata, outside the University of Iceland.
Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0
km 11.4mile 7.1
Sun Voyager (Sólfar)
The Sun Voyager steel sculpture stands on the Sæbraut shore, about 60 m from the line.
km 12.2mile 7.6
Höfði House
Runners pass Höfði House, where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986, the organiser says.
Photo: Rob Young from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
km 17mile 10.6
Laugardalur
The organiser's route description names Laugardalur twice, on the way out along Sæbraut and on the way back.
km 22.4mile 13.9
Öskjuhlíð
Öskjuhlíð is named in the organiser's route description; the hill lies about 370 m from the line.
km 41.1mile 25.6
Harpa
The course follows Sæbraut towards Harpa, then Austurbakki and Miðbakki to the finish on Geirsgata.
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
- One lap from the university to GeirsgataOne lap: the seaside, the harbour, the Elliðaárdalur valley and back along Sæbraut to Harpa.
- Between 2 and 26 metres above the seaLow ground all the way: the highest point is only 24 m above the lowest.
- The highest ground comes at 34 kmNothing to climb in the last 6 km: the finish is the lowest stretch of the course.
Course notes 4 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryOne lap from the university to GeirsgataOne lap: the seaside, the harbour, the Elliðaárdalur valley and back along Sæbraut to Harpa.
The organiser describes the marathon as one lap, mostly on city streets, with the seaside and the salmon river sections run on tracks. From Sæmundargata the runners go through Ægisíða, Seltjarnarnes, Grandi and the city centre, then east along Sæbraut into Laugardalur. From there the course continues through Laugarnes, the Tún district, Öskjuhlíð, Fossvogur, Elliðaárdalur, Sævarhöfði and the Bryggjuhverfi neighbourhood, returns through Elliðaárdalur, Smáíbúðahverfi, Vogahverfi and Laugardalur, and follows Sæbraut towards Harpa before Austurbakki, Miðbakki and the finish on Geirsgata. Runners pass Höfði House, where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986.
The course map the organiser has published is the 2026 one. Its marathon page says work is under way on a new route, with a description and map to follow, so the 2027 course may differ.
Sourced
km 0 to 42.2GradientBetween 2 and 26 metres above the seaLow ground all the way: the highest point is only 24 m above the lowest.
Measured along the line, the course starts at 6.1 m and finishes at 2.5 m. About 71% of it lies at or below 15 m, and the first 14 km along the seaside and Grandi never rise above 16 m. The lowest point is 2.0 m at km 41.6 and the highest 26.3 m at km 34.3, a relief of 24.4 m for the whole race.
The organiser’s race map page says: “Total climb in the full marathon is 174 m.” The 94.4 m here counts only the sustained rises over a 1 km window, so a watch that adds every short rise will read higher; neither figure is a correction of the other.
Measured
km 34 to 42.2GradientThe highest ground comes at 34 kmNothing to climb in the last 6 km: the finish is the lowest stretch of the course.
On the elevation model the middle of the course is its highest part: between km 14 and 36 the road averages about 14 m, against about 5.5 m over the first 14 km. After the high point at km 34.3 the profile drops, and from km 36 to the finish it loses about 24 m with no rise worth counting over a 1 km window. The finish area on Geirsgata, by the harbour, sits near 3 m.
Measured
Whole courseConditionsRace day is Culture NightA city-wide festival on race day, with fireworks at 11 pm.
Culture Night (Menningarnótt) is held in Reykjavik on the Saturday nearest the city’s anniversary, 18 August, and the marathon is held the same day. The organiser describes it as the city’s greatest celebration, with exhibitions, concerts and theatre all day and fireworks at 11 pm. It puts the average August temperature at about 14.5°C, and says around 1,500 runners enter the marathon and about 5,000 the half marathon.
Sourced
Race weekend
Saturday 21 August Race day
-
Time not published
Marathon start Sæmundargata, outside the University of Iceland. The registration page, updated 24 September 2026, says the race will start between 20:00 and 21:00 depending on the distance, and that exact start times will be announced later. The race programme on the organiser's own site still lists morning starts and is marked as being updated. -
Time not published
Overall time limit 6 hours 30 minutes for the marathon. Stated on the marathon page without a year: the organiser also says a new route is being worked on. 6:30 limit: 9:14/km for 42.195 km6:30 limit: 14:52/mi for 26.2 mi
Other races (2)
-
11:3011:30 AM
Fun Run warm-up Warm-up for the Fun Run, as listed on the registration page. -
12:0012:00 PM
Fun Run start The family Fun Run. A race number from a longer distance also covers it.
Times as published by the organiser, in Reykjavík time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Saturday
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 Reykjavík time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Reykjavík, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Reykjavík stays within 24 m79 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.
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.
Questions about the Reykjavík Marathon
- Is the Reykjavík Marathon course flat?
- Not entirely. It has 94.4 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 24 m above the lowest.
- When is the Reykjavík Marathon 2027?
- Saturday 21 August 2027.
- What is the time limit at the Reykjavík Marathon?
- Runners have 6 h 30 min to finish.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Reykjavík Marathon.
