Марафон «Белые ночи»
Difficulty
Marathon Index Score
2026 edition held Jul 4, 2026
Next edition expected
Usually July
2027 date not yet confirmed
Get Your Training Plan
Free, personalized for this race
The White Nights Marathon is a night marathon in Saint Petersburg, Russia, held in the white-night season around the turn of June and July. The 2026 race, the 35th SberPrime White Nights Marathon, took place on Saturday 4 July: the 10 km started at 20:00 and the marathon and relay at 22:00, so the field ran through the night under the white-night sky. The organisers say the evening format means marathon runners no longer have to run in July heat. The point-to-point course starts near Gazprom Arena on Krestovsky Island and finishes on Palace Square. The organisers promise views of the Kazan Cathedral, the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Rostral Columns. The marathon covers an additional 10 km on the Petrogradsky Side, along the embankments of the central district and near the Smolny, with the final stretch along the Griboyedov Canal and Nevsky Prospect. The time limit is six hours from the runner's personal start, and the finish closes at 04:40. The 10 km race goes straight to the finish on Palace Square and has a limit of one and a half hours. The first White Nights Marathon was held in June 1990, when Leningrad still carried that name.
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
July in Saint Petersburg is mild to warm: average highs are around 23°C and lows around 15°C, with relative humidity near 71% and rain on about 17 days of the month. With the marathon starting at 22:00, runners avoid the daytime peak, according to the organisers.
St. Petersburg
The first White Nights Marathon was held on 23 June 1990, on the night from Saturday to Sunday, when the city was still Leningrad. It drew 471 athletes from 83 Soviet cities and from the United Kingdom, the USA and West Germany, and was won by the local runner Leonid Tikhonov in 2:16:47.
The marathon was run at night only in its first years; later it moved to a Saturday evening start and then to Sunday morning. The Running Community joined the organisers in 2022, and the marathon was again run at night. In 2023 the course became point-to-point for the first time, with start and finish in different places.
🏅 Create Your White Nights Marathon Diploma
Finished this race? Get a free certificate with celebrity comparisons & race day weather
02:10:46
Sylas Chebii (2026)
Entry fee, registration dates and lottery rules are not confirmed here yet. Check the official registration page.
Register Now
Official Website →
Are you the race organizer?
Free · Get featured on our homepage · Edit your race details
Get alerts for White Nights Marathon
Registration openings, date changes, sell-out warnings.