Madrid Half Marathon 2027

The Movistar Madrid Half Marathon is two weeks later in 2027. The 26th edition is on Sunday 4 April, instead of the late-March slot it had in 2026 (22 March). It’s a half-only race, organised by AD Marathon, capped at 30,000 runners. Madrid has a second big half three weeks later, inside the Rock ’n’ Roll Madrid weekend, and the two routes share several streets. The real choice between them is date, price and atmosphere.

The course: the climb comes first

Start and finish are both on Paseo de Recoletos, in front of the National Library. This is the 2026 route, which is the latest the organisers have published:

• The first 5 km go uphill. You run north along the central lanes of the Castellana, past Gregorio Marañón and the Bernabéu, to Plaza de Castilla. On the official profile the road rises from roughly 650 m to about 735 m. It’s never steep, but it doesn’t let up.
• Then you turn back south and east. Bravo Murillo takes you down to Cuatro Caminos, then Raimundo Fernández Villaverde (with the flyover above the Castellana), Joaquín Costa and Francisco Silvela. You go through the Avenida de América tunnel, along Doctor Esquerdo and O’Donnell, and around the Puerta de Alcalá.
• The last third is the postcard part. Serrano, Almagro and Alonso Martínez lead to Glorieta de Bilbao and Gran Vía. From there it’s Montera, Puerta del Sol, Carrera de San Jerónimo, around the Neptune fountain, and up the Paseo del Prado past Cibeles to the finish.

The trend after km 5 is downhill, with a couple of short rises in the second half. Run the Castellana by effort, not by your watch. If you’re a few seconds per kilometre down at Plaza de Castilla, you’ll get them back later without forcing it.

Pens and pacing

You choose your pen by declaring an expected time when you enter. Faster pens need proof of a recent result, so have a certificate or results link ready if you’re aiming under 1:30. With 11 pace groups between 1:20 and 2:10, most runners will find a pacer within five minutes of their target.

My race in 2026

This was my first ever half marathon, and I filmed it (the video is further down this page). Overall the organisation was good, and it felt like a proper big-city race. Two things are worth knowing:

• There weren’t enough toilets for the size of the field. Go before you head to your pen, and give yourself more time than you think you need.
• The runner’s bag was a bit disappointing: an apple, water, a juice, some leaflets and, I think, a snack bar. Pack your own recovery food in your cloakroom bag.

The medal was nice, though.

Getting to the start

The start is right in the centre, so leave the car at home. Colón (line 4) and Banco de España (line 2) are the nearest metro stations. The free cloakroom is in Plaza de Colón, a few minutes’ walk from the start line.