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 Gent? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
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Sofico Gent Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 09:009:00 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon, from the race name, not from a published programme
- Time limit
- 6 hours
The course
The start is on Zuiderlaan next to the Topsporthal and the marathon finishes inside the Topsporthal, after a last lap of honour on the track.
- A lap of honour on the track to finishStart beside the Topsporthal, finish inside it after one lap of the track.
- Past the three towers and through a football stadiumOld centre and canals, then through the KAA Gent stadium.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseFinishA lap of honour on the track to finishStart beside the Topsporthal, finish inside it after one lap of the track.
Every distance starts on the Zuiderlaan, close to the Topsporthal at Sport Vlaanderen Gent, and the organiser’s 2027 programme puts the finish there too. In 2026 the marathon ended inside the hall after a lap of honour on its track, and the organiser says both distances finish in the Topsporthal again in 2027. The first marathon wave leaves at 09:00.
Sourced
Whole courseLandmarkPast the three towers and through a football stadiumOld centre and canals, then through the KAA Gent stadium.
The 2026 course ran through the old city, along the water and through parks, and the organiser lists the Keizerspark, the Liedemeerspark and the Gentbrugse Meersen among them. The 2027 course is not final: it is being worked out with the city, to be measured again to World Athletics standards, with maps and GPX files promised once it is.
Sourced
Race weekend
Bib pickup at Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14Before race week 1 key date
-
8 Sept 2026
Registration opened for 2027 Opened at 11:00. Marathon fees run in four tiers by bib number: 90 EUR (1-1,000), 105 EUR (1,001-3,000), 110 EUR (3,001-6,000), 115 EUR (above 6,000). Online registration closes Saturday 20 March 2027 at 23:59 while places last; there are no entries on the day.
Friday 19 March Bib pickup
-
12:3012:30 PM–18:306:30 PM
Bib pickup Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14
Saturday 20 March Last bib day
-
10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM
Bib pickup Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14
Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.
Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link
Sunday 21 March Race day
-
07:307:30 AM–13:451:45 PM
Bib pickup, and the T-shirt if not yet collected Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14 -
09:009:00 AM
Marathon start Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14. The start is in waves. The organiser publishes the programme subject to change. -
13:301:30 PM
Half marathon start Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14 -
until 17:155:15 PM
Finish closes Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14. Marathon and half marathon finish at the Topsporthal. -
Time not published
Marathon time limit 6 hours. Roads reopen on police orders on a schedule based on that limit. 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 Gent time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Gent time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Gent, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, 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 Sofico Gent Marathon
- When is the Sofico Gent Marathon 2027?
- Sunday 21 March 2027. The start is at 09:00.
- What is the time limit at the Sofico Gent Marathon?
- Runners have 6 hours to finish.
- Where does the Sofico Gent Marathon start?
- Start: Sport Vlaanderen Gent (Topsporthal), Zuiderlaan 14.
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