Budapest Marathon

Course & Elevation

The SPAR Budapest Marathon is the Hungarian capital's marathon, held on a Sunday in early or mid-October as the main event of a two-day running festival. The festival offers 14 distances, including a half marathon, a 30 km and shorter races, and is organised by Budapest Sportiroda (BSI). The marathon starts at 09:00 on Pázmány Péter sétány, beside the Danube close to the Petőfi Bridge. The route follows the Danube embankments, passing the Várkert embankment and Ybl Miklós Square, the Chain Bridge and Széchenyi István Square, the Liberty Bridge and Gellért Square, and a section on the southern side of the Árpád Bridge. The organisers set a net time limit of 5 hours 30 minutes, based on the last starter's start time. The first marathon open to amateurs was held on 14 April 1984, as two loops of 21 km; 625 men and 25 women finished. In 2026 more than 10,000 runners entered the individual marathon for the first time, and the festival drew 39,910 entries in total. The 2027 marathon is set for 10 October.