My marathons

Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata

05:345:34 AM Kolkata
Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial. Photograph by Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 25K starts and finishes on Indira Gandhi Sarani Road, known as Red Road, with a 5:34 am start on 20 December 2026.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Start and finish on Red Road, at 5:34 in the morningA 25 km race from and back to Red Road, organised by Procam International.
  • Start waves set by a timing certificateWave B is 2:00:01 to 2:30:00, wave C 2:30:01 to 3:00:00, wave D slower and charity places.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 0 to 25GeometryStart and finish on Red Road, at 5:34 in the morningA 25 km race from and back to Red Road, organised by Procam International.

The organiser gives one start and finish point for the 25K, Indira Gandhi Sarani Road (Red Road), and a start time of 5:34 am on Sunday 20 December 2026. The elite World 25K category also starts and ends on Red Road.

Sourced

km 0 to 25TacticsStart waves set by a timing certificateWave B is 2:00:01 to 2:30:00, wave C 2:30:01 to 3:00:00, wave D slower and charity places.

Entry to the 25K is against a timing certificate, except for a limited number of charity places, and the certificate decides the wave for 2026. The organiser also gives wave limits for runners who send a marathon, half marathon or 10 km time. The application fee is ₹2,500 for applicants in India and USD 50 for applicants overseas. Bibs are collected in person at the expo from 17 to 19 December.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

3 gels for Kolkata, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.1mile 4.4
  2. km 14.3mile 8.9
  3. km 21.4mile 13.3

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.

Order by 29 November to test them on two long runs first.

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.

Get it on Amazon

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.

Get it on Amazon

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.

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
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
25.0 km15.5 mi

Race week

Timetable

Thursday 17 December 3 days before

  1. Time not published

    Expo and bib collection, 17 to 19 December PLAYSCAPE expo. Runners collect their own bib in person from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 December, in a time slot chosen beforehand, first come, first served.

Sunday 20 December Race day

  1. 05:345:34 AM

    25K start Indira Gandhi Sarani Rd / Red Road. The 25 km starts and finishes on Red Road. Start waves A to D are set by the finish time on the runner's timing certificate.

Times as published by the organiser, in Kolkata time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Kolkata time

Trip

Getting a place

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.

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