Riga Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Rimi Riga Marathon is the main running event of the Baltics, held over a weekend in mid-May in the Latvian capital. In 2027 the weekend is 15–16 May, with the DPD Mile and the Kids' Day races on the Saturday and the marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km on the Sunday. The first Riga Marathon started near the Freedom Monument on 27 July 1991, days after the January barricades. After a period of weak sponsor interest in the early 2000s the event was revived in 2007 and has since grown into a World Athletics Gold Label race. In 2026 it set a record with 46,313 registered participants from 116 countries. The organiser says new courses are being prepared for the 2027 edition. In earlier editions the start and finish were on the 11 November Embankment next to Riga Castle, and the marathon crossed the Daugava over the Vanšu and Stone bridges and ran beside the Old Town. The organiser describes Riga as a capital of Art Nouveau architecture, a UNESCO-listed Old Town and views of the Daugava River.