2026 Lisbon Marathon - Oct 10

2026 Lisbon Marathon - Oct 10 Countdown

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Race Information

Race2026 Lisbon Marathon - Oct 10
CityLisbon
Date2026-10-10 at 08:00
Field Size~15,000 runners
Time Limit6 hours
Cutoff pace8:32/km
Course speed
Fast course Speed index 0.94 — median of the last 5 winners' times against the global same-year median. Winner times track elite fields and prize money, so this reads the course as a proxy, not a pure measurement.
TimezoneEurope/Lisbon
Official SiteMaratona Clube de Portugal

Race Day Weather

Average Temperature19.1°C / 66°F
Humidity83%
Wind23.3 km/h
Rain Chance25%
Typical ConditionsMild Atlantic autumn, typically 17-21°C for the date, with an onshore breeze

What to Prepare: The 08:00 gun puts your first two hours in the coolest part of the day, which matters more than the headline temperature: the seafront Estrada Marginal has almost no shade, and a six-hour finisher is still out there at 14:00. Cool stations are set at km 20, km 25 and km 32 for the marathon only, and only when it is not raining, so plan to use them rather than count on them. The out-and-back shape also decides how the wind feels: whatever you push into on the westward leg comes back behind you between km 11.6 and km 23, so do not spend the first hour fighting it.

Based on historical averages for race week. Use our Weather Score Calculator and What to Wear Guide for personalized advice.

Wind Impact on Race Day

Wind at 23.3 km/h can affect your marathon pace by 5-15 seconds per kilometer. Headwinds slow you down exponentially — a 20 km/h wind costs more than twice a 10 km/h wind.

Calculate your wind-adjusted pace →

Race-Week Climate

Based on 20 years of race-week weather (2005-2024), MERRA-2 reanalysis

Cooler Typical Warmer
Temperature 17.6°C 19°C 20.7°C
Dew point 12.4°C 15.8°C 18.3°C
Wet-day chance: 25% Runnability: 66/100

Recent actuals: 2023 20.9°C / 2024 20.4°C / 2025 19.3°C (morning avg)

Data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), NASA Langley Research Center

Course Profile

Course TypePoint-to-point
TerrainRoad
Profile

Flat, entirely coastal, and shaped very differently from how it is usually described. The start is on the N6-7 in Carcavelos, in front of NOVA School of Business and Economics, and the first 11.6 km run west, away from Lisbon: Parede at km 3.3, São Pedro do Estoril at km 4.9, Estoril at km 7.5, Cascais town centre at km 9.9, and a turnaround just west of Cascais at km 11.6.

The course then retraces the same seafront eastbound, passing Estoril a second time at km 16.5, and at about km 23 it goes back past its own start line. Only then does it head into the city: Oeiras at km 25.6, Algés at km 33.5, the Belém Tower at km 34.8, the Jerónimos Monastery at km 35.7, and the finish on the riverfront at Praça do Comércio. Elevation is genuinely minor: a third-party trace of the official course map keeps the whole route inside roughly a 5-35 m band, with everything after km 22 inside 13 m. The organiser itself publishes no elevation figure.

Boston QualifierYes — Check your BQ time

Finisher Trend

Year Finishers vs prev.
2023 4,602 —
2024 5,692 +23.7%
2025 9,170 +61.1%

Runners who crossed the line, not the registered field size.

Course Analysis

Course Overview

The EDP Maratona de Lisboa is organised by Maratona Clube de Portugal and runs on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 08:00, point-to-point from Carcavelos to Praça do Comércio in central Lisbon. The route crosses three municipalities, Cascais, Oeiras and Lisboa, and the organiser's own regulation (Article 1.1) describes the race as a World Athletics Elite Label event; World Athletics itself lists Lisbon in its Label road race calendar.

The Saturday date is recent. The marathon ran on Sundays from 2021 through 2024 and moved to Saturday with the 2025 edition, and 2026 falls 15 days earlier in the month than 2025 did. Book travel around the Saturday race, not a Sunday one: bib collection is Thursday and Friday, and the half marathon and 8K keep the city busy through Sunday.

Field size is one of several places where the organiser publishes two different numbers. The regulation (Article 6.2) caps the marathon at 15,000 runners; the official site's stats block says 18,000. Actual turnout is well below either figure but climbing fast: published results show 4,602 finishers in 2023, 5,692 in 2024 and 9,170 in 2025, a 61% jump in one year and very nearly a doubling in two.

That 2025 field finished with a median time of 4:08:51 (men 4:01:02, women 4:27:12) and only 2.54% under three hours, so this is a mass-participation race with a quick front end rather than a uniformly fast field. The 2025 edition was won in 2:07:11 (Zablon Chumba); the standing course record is 2:05:45, set by Andualem Shiferaw in 2022. Lisbon is also a founding race of the new European Marathon Classics circuit, alongside Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Rome, Vienna and Warsaw.

Start to Halfway: the Course Runs West First

The start is on the N6-7 in Carcavelos, in front of NOVA School of Business and Economics. It is natural to assume the course sets off east along the coast toward Lisbon. It does the opposite. Plotted against the official course map, the first 11.6 km run west, away from the city: Parede at km 3.3, São Pedro do Estoril at km 4.9, Estoril at km 7.5, Cascais town centre at km 9.9, and a turnaround just west of Cascais at km 11.6.

From there the course retraces the same seafront eastbound: Cascais again at km 14.3, Estoril a second time at km 16.5, São Pedro at km 19.2, Parede at km 20.8. At about km 23 you pass within roughly 350 m of your own start line. Nothing has gone wrong when that happens; you are exactly on course.

What to do with that: an out-and-back first half makes the wind symmetrical. Whatever you fight on the way out to Cascais sits behind you on the way back, so there is no reason to burn energy chasing pace into a headwind before km 11.6. Our Wind Effect Calculator puts a number on what a headwind is actually costing you.

The only sustained rise on the whole course is also in this half, roughly km 5 to km 12, topping out near 35 m. That is a third-party elevation trace of the official map, not an organiser figure, because the organiser publishes no elevation data. Runners are seeded into seven start blocks by predicted time (VIP, sub-3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00 and slower than 5:00), and official pacers stop at 5:00 even though the cutoff is six hours.

Km 23 to the Finish: East into Lisbon

Only after running back past the start does the race head for the city. Oeiras arrives at km 25.6, then a long, exposed stretch along the Tagus through Algés at km 33.5, the Belém Tower at km 34.8 and the Jerónimos Monastery at km 35.7, before the finish on the riverfront at Praça do Comércio.

This is the flattest part of an already flat course: an elevation trace of the official map puts everything from km 22 to the finish inside a 13 m band. There is no hill to blame in the closing 20 km, which is worth knowing in advance: whatever happens there comes down to pacing, wind and heat rather than terrain.

Aid stations come every 5 km (regulation Article 5.1), with cool stations at km 20, km 25 and km 32 for the marathon only, and only when it is not raining. Five-kilometre spacing is wider than many big-city marathons run, so if you normally drink more often than that, carry a soft flask rather than re-planning your race around the stations. Our Sweat Rate and Hydration Calculator turns your sweat rate into an actual bottle count.

Race Strategy: Cutoffs, Getting There, and the Organiser's Two Answers

The six-hour limit is not what stops people; the km 30 cutoff is. Six hours over 42.195 km works out to 8:32/km. The regulation (Article 2.3) sets a cut-off at km 30 at 12:10; the official FAQ (Q29) sets the same cut-off at 12:40. Both are the organiser's own documents, so prepare for the stricter one.

Do the arithmetic before race week. From an 08:00 gun, 12:10 leaves 4h10 for 30 km, which is 8:20/km; a runner holding an even six-hour pace reaches km 30 at 12:15:57, about six minutes late. Clear that gate and the remaining 12.195 km allow 9:01/km to 14:00. In other words the course is tightest early and loosens late, the reverse of how most six-hour plans are built. Set the band with our Pace Calculator and treat 8:20/km through km 30 as the real target.

The finish limit also has two official answers. The regulation (Article 2.2) runs the six hours from the gun and ends the race at 14:00; the FAQ (Q27) runs them from the last starter and reopens the roads at 14:30. Plan against 14:00 and treat any extra half hour as luck rather than entitlement, remembering that pacers only go as slow as 5:00, so the back of the field runs its final hour unsupported.

Getting to the start: trains leave Cais do Sodré from 05:00, every 30 minutes, the ride is about 30 minutes, and the organiser's stated plan is to have runners at the start by 07:00. Budget more than the timetable suggests, because Carcavelos station is still about 1 km from the start line. Your bib is a free pass on Metro, Carris and CP until 17:00 on race day. Bag drop uses the official bag issued at the Expo, handed in at the start and returned at the finish, but there are no showers at the finish and no shuttle back to Carcavelos, so pack dry clothes and plan a metro or taxi ride out of Praça do Comércio.

Bib pickup, and the contradiction to settle before you fly: the Sport Expo is at Pavilion 1, FIL, Parque das Nações, and marathon bibs are issued on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October only, 10:00-20:00, with Saturday serving the half marathon and 8K. On collection by someone else the organiser contradicts itself: the FAQ (Q21) says no, the runner must collect in person, while the official race page says a third party may collect with proof of registration. The safe read is to collect it yourself. If you truly cannot, carry the registration proof plus a copy of the entrant's ID and email the organiser for written confirmation before you travel.

Prepare for 2026 Lisbon Marathon - Oct 10

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Lisbon Marathon Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 EDP Lisbon Marathon, and what else runs that weekend?

The marathon is Saturday, October 10, 2026, starting at 08:00 in Carcavelos. The rest of the weekend belongs to different races: the Hyundai Half Marathon and the EDP 8K both run on Sunday, October 11, starting at 09:20 on the deck of the Vasco da Gama Bridge. The Saturday slot is new — 2021 through 2024 were Sunday races, and the first Saturday edition was October 25, 2025, which makes 2026 fifteen days earlier in the month.

Is the 2026 marathon still open, and how much does it cost?

Yes, but at its most expensive tier. Entry is priced by how many places have gone: the first 2,000 entries were EUR 70, entries 2,001 to 5,000 were EUR 95, and from 5,001 onwards it is EUR 130, plus a EUR 4 transaction fee. As of August 1, 2026 both official platforms display EUR 134.00, which means the two cheaper tiers are gone and more than 5,000 marathon places are already sold. Registration closes on October 9 at 19:59, or earlier if the cap is reached. The Sunday half marathon is already sold out and its page has switched to a waiting-list form; the 8K is still open at EUR 32.

What route does the marathon actually take?

Not the one most summaries imply. From Carcavelos the course runs west first for 11.6 km — Parede, São Pedro do Estoril, Estoril at km 7.5, Cascais — turns around just west of Cascais, and comes back along the same seafront, passing Estoril a second time at km 16.5. At about km 23 it goes back past its own start line, and only then heads east into Lisbon: Oeiras at km 25.6, the Belém Tower at km 34.8, the Jerónimos Monastery at km 35.7, and the finish at Praça do Comércio. The whole route is coastal and crosses no bridge. One caveat: the course map currently published for 2026 is still titled as the 2025 route, so treat the kilometre markers as indicative until the organiser publishes a new one.

Which Lisbon race crosses which bridge?

Maratona Clube de Portugal runs three road races in Lisbon and they are constantly mixed up. This October marathon crosses no bridge at all — it is a coastal point-to-point. The Hyundai Half Marathon on Sunday, October 11 starts on the deck of the Vasco da Gama Bridge and finishes at Praça do Comércio. A separate half marathon, the EDP Meia Maratona de Lisboa in March (next on March 7, 2027), starts on the 25 de Abril Bridge and finishes at the Jerónimos Monastery instead. That March race is where Jacob Kiplimo set the half marathon world record of 57:20 in 2026, so searches about a Lisbon half marathon record are almost always about the spring event, not this one.

Is the course flat enough for a personal best?

On terrain, yes. A third-party elevation trace of the official course map keeps the whole route inside roughly a 5-35 m band, with everything from km 22 to the finish inside 13 m; the only sustained rise is km 5-12 on the westward leg. Those numbers are derived, not official — the organiser publishes no elevation figure. The real limiters are weather and support rather than hills: October mornings on this coast typically sit around 17-21°C with an onshore breeze, there is very little shade on the Estrada Marginal, and pacers stop at 5:00. Set a target with our Marathon Predictor, then sanity-check it against the conditions.

What are the cutoff times?

Six hours overall, which is 8:32/km — but there is also a cut-off at km 30, and the organiser gives two different times for it: the regulation (Article 2.3) says 12:10, the official FAQ says 12:40. Prepare for 12:10. That is 4h10 from the 08:00 gun, or 8:20/km to km 30, tighter than the overall limit; a runner on even six-hour pace arrives at 12:15:57, about six minutes late. Clear it and the remaining 12.195 km allow 9:01/km. The finish limit splits the same way: the regulation ends the race at 14:00 measured from the gun, while the FAQ measures from the last starter and reopens roads at 14:30. Note that official pacers only go down to 5:00.

How do I get to the Carcavelos start?

By train on the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré. The organiser says trains run from 05:00, every 30 minutes, the ride takes about 30 minutes, and the plan is to have runners on site by 07:00 for the 08:00 gun. Add margin, because Carcavelos station is about 1 km from the start line. Your bib is a free pass on Metro, Carris and CP until 17:00 on race day. Reseller sites quote different first-train times (05:30, or 06:15 with 20-minute intervals) that conflict with the organiser's own FAQ, so plan on the official timings. Afterwards there is no shuttle back to the start and no showers at the finish.

Where do I collect my bib, and can I transfer my entry?

At the Sport Expo in Pavilion 1 of FIL, Parque das Nações. Marathon bibs are issued on Thursday October 8 and Friday October 9 only, 10:00-20:00; the Saturday session serves the half marathon and 8K. Reseller pages that list the Lisbon Congress Centre are quoting the March race's venue. On collection by a third party the organiser contradicts itself: the FAQ says no, bibs must be collected by the runner, while the official race page says a third party may collect with proof of registration — so collect it yourself if you possibly can. Entries are personal and non-transferable, with documented exceptions: injury or illness can move your entry to the following year, and pregnancy for up to two years. Changing your registration details within a month of the race costs EUR 15.

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