Rio de Janeiro Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Maratona do Rio is the 42 km race of Rio de Janeiro's running festival, held on the Sunday that ends a long weekend in late May or early June. The festival has one race a day, a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and the marathon, plus a two-day Desafio that combines the half and the full distance. It is organised by Dream Factory and Spiridon and holds a World Athletics Elite Label. The marathon starts at 05:30 on Praia da Reserva in Barra da Tijuca, before sunrise, and finishes at Aterro do Flamengo near the Marina da Glória. The route follows the seafront through Barra da Tijuca, the Elevado do Joá, São Conrado and Avenida Niemeyer, then Leblon, Ipanema, Copacabana and Botafogo. The race has been held since 1979 except in 2001 and 2002, and the classic point-to-point route returned in 2026 after editions run on a closed circuit. In 2026 the festival had a record 70,000 bibs across its four days. The course records were both set in 2026: 2:10:22 by Tsegaye Getachew and 2:25:47 by Gadise Mulu Demissie.