Half Marathon

Lima Half Marathon

Media Maratón de Lima

18/100 Easy

Difficulty

Marathon Index Score

2026 edition held Aug 23, 2026

Next edition expected

Usually August

2027 date not yet confirmed

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Course & Elevation

The Media Maratón de Lima is an annual half marathon, run alongside a 10K, through the centre of Peru's capital, and the organisers present it as the oldest half marathon in the world. The first edition was held in 1909, when runners lined up beneath the San Martín monument and ran to Plaza Independencia in Callao; World Athletics gave the race a Heritage Plaque in 2024. Peru Runners and the Municipality of Lima have co-organised it since 2008. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions were all held on a Sunday in late August. In 2026 the 10K started at 06:00 and the half marathon at 07:00 from the Plaza de Armas in Lima's historic centre, and both distances finished at the Circuito Mágico del Agua in the Parque de la Reserva. The 21K continued along Avenida Arequipa as far as calle 2 de Mayo before turning back towards the park, passing through districts such as Lince and San Isidro. Entrants must be 18 or older for the half marathon, and the time limit is four hours. The organisers published the exact route shortly before each race, and it may change at the request of the authorities, so the course should be checked against the current race guide.

Surface: road Profile: Flat

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

Temperature 17°C
Humidity 84%
Rain Chance 13%

August is winter in Lima: highs average about 19°C and lows about 15°C, with humidity around 84% and roughly four days with measurable rain.

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Lima Half Marathon race

The Race

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Lima

Race Lore

A Race for Independence Day

1909

The Lima Half Marathon was set up by the sports leader Nicanor Villavicencio, who encouraged athletes and local authorities to organise a race in celebration of Peru's Independence Day, Fiestas Patrias. The first edition in 1909 drew 70 runners, and Julio Calderón won it and the next one. By 1918 the race had its first international participant.

The Oldest Half Marathon

2024

In 2024 World Athletics awarded the race a Heritage Plaque after research by Peru Runners in the National Library archives found newspaper notices or photographs for every year since 1909. The organisers say this confirms it as the oldest half marathon in the world and the fifth oldest road race of any distance.

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