If You Run Just One Marathon Abroad, Make It Vienna—Not Osaka or Paris

Osaka, Japan

1Osaka: From the prefectural office through Dotonbori to Osaka Castle

The course starts in front of the Osaka Prefectural Government offices, passes through Dotonbori and finishes inside Osaka Castle Park. It runs from the city's busiest streets into the castle grounds, and the February 28, 2027, edition will be the 15th. The field is capped at 34,000: 31,970 marathon spots, 2,030 spots in the 720 Naniwa Run and 30 wheelchair spots.

If applications exceed the cap, spots are assigned by lottery. Registration for 2027 ran from July 28 through August 28, 2026, and is closed. Results are scheduled for September 28.

International runners applied through JTB Sports Station. The entry fee is ¥16,000, or $145 for overseas entrants. Changing rooms close at 8:30 a.

m., and layers discarded at the start or on the course won't be returned. The time limit is 7 hours from crossing the start line (9:15 a.

m. to 4:15 p.m.)

, and the 2026 edition had 10 cutoff points. Bibs must be collected in person, with ID, at the INTEX Osaka expo; there's no proxy pickup and no race-day pickup. Late-February weather in Osaka varies widely.

The normal high is 12.1°C and the normal low 4.4°C, but the temperature reached 21.4°C on race day in 2026.

Osaka Marathon 2027Sun, February 28, 2027 · D-136 · Osaka, JapanSee race details

Osaka Marathon 2027 · Read the story

Paris, France

2Paris: A lottery from 2027 and a €169 entry fee

The 2026 course starts on the Champs-Élysées, drops toward Place de la Concorde and turns onto Rue de Rivoli. It passes the Louvre, loops around Place de la Bastille and makes a long circuit of the Bois de Vincennes before returning toward the city center. The second half follows the Seine past Île de la Cité and through a succession of tunnels below Pont Neuf.

At Trocadéro, facing the Eiffel Tower across the river, runners pass a large aid station before crossing the Bois de Boulogne and entering the final 200 meters on Avenue Foch. The race settled into its current 42.195-kilometer format in 1976, and 53,899 runners finished in 2024. It's France's largest running event.

The 50th edition is on Sunday, April 4, 2027. Starting with this edition, entry is no longer first come, first served; spots are allocated by lottery. Applications run from 2 p.

m. on September 8, 2026, to 11:59 p.m.

on September 30, and there's no payment at the application stage. Runners selected in the October 1 drawing must pay the flat €169 fee within 72 hours. With a new organizer in charge, the 2027 course will be announced in early 2027.

The way around the lottery is a charity bib. Your spot is confirmed once you pay the €85 registration fee and raise at least €420 for a partner organization. Teams of two to six can apply together; if one member is selected, the whole team lines up at the same start.

ASICS Paris MarathonSun, April 4, 2027 · D-171 · Paris, FranceSee race details

ASICS Paris Marathon · Read the story

Kyoto, Japan

3Kyoto: Along the Kamo River embankment to Heian Shrine

The race starts at Takebishi Stadium Kyoto (Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium), loops through the city's northwest, skirts the Kyoto Botanical Gardens and follows the Kamo River's right-bank embankment to the finish in front of Heian Shrine. It took over the name of the original Kyoto Marathon, held from 1969 to 1982, when it relaunched in 2012, and it's held every year on the third Sunday in February. The field includes 16,000 marathoners, 250 Pair Ekiden teams and 20 wheelchair athletes.

In the Pair Ekiden, two runners split the course into legs of 27.6 and 14.6 kilometers, with the Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Gardens as the exchange point. Wheelchair athletes start at 8:55 a.m.

and the marathon and Ekiden at 9 a.m. The time limit is 6 hours.

The 2027 race is on February 21. Runner check-in takes place only at Miyako Messe in Okazaki on the two days before the race; there's no race-day check-in. You need to enter an emergency contact, accept the waiver and get a barcode in advance, then bring an original ID such as your passport.

At check-in, you receive your bib along with a garden admission ticket for Ninna-ji. The entry fee depends on where you live: ¥18,500 for Kyoto residents, ¥19,500 for other residents of Japan and ¥35,000 for overseas residents. For the same 42.195 kilometers, an overseas entrant pays ¥16,500 more than a Kyoto resident.

Kyoto MarathonSun, February 21, 2027 · D-129 · Kyoto, JapanSee race details

Stockholm, Sweden

4Stockholm: A noon start and an Olympic Stadium finish

The race starts at Östermalms IP and finishes at Stockholm Olympic Stadium, site of the 1912 Olympics. It's Sweden's signature marathon. The course is officially measured to Swedish Athletics Federation and World Athletics standards, with split boards at the 5, 10, 15, 20, 21.1, 25, 30, 35 and 40K marks.

There are 13 water stations and 10 energy stations. The overall time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes. On top of that, there are cutoff times at four points on the course, and runners must pass each one in time to be counted as official finishers.

The 2027 race is on May 29. Entry is first come, first served rather than by lottery; when registration reopened at 9 a.m.

on August 24, 2026, 4,000 spots remained. Only runners born before 2009 may enter, and the entry fee is 1,295 Swedish kronor. Bibs are collected at Lejonhallen inside Östermalms IP; pick up early, on Thursday or Friday, and you get a pasta-party ticket.

The start is split into two waves, at noon and 12:10 p.m. Unlike most races that set off before dawn or early in the morning, this one runs through a city that is already awake.

In late May, Stockholm's long daylight hours keep the course bright even for runners finishing late in the afternoon.

Stockholm MarathonSat, May 29, 2027 · D-226 · Stockholm, SwedenSee race details

Rotterdam, Netherlands

5Rotterdam: A flat course that crosses the Erasmus Bridge twice

The race starts near the Erasmus Bridge on the Schiedamsedijk, crosses the bridge and heads south past De Kuip stadium and Ahoy before crossing the Erasmus Bridge again and returning to the city center. The final section loops around Kralingse Plas, passes the Cube Houses and Markthal, and finishes on the Coolsingel. It's a flat, fast course that has produced several world records.

Entry isn't first come, first served. Invitations go out with equal odds to preregistered runners, and those selected pay a €155 entry fee. Preregistration for the 2027 marathon has closed.

The race, on April 11, will be the 45th edition, with a 10 a.m. start.

Race weekend also includes a 10K and a 4.2K City Run, a kids' run and a marathon walk. Bibs are collected at the World Trade Center Rotterdam expo on showing a physical passport or ID card; copies and photos aren't accepted. Someone else can collect your bib if they bring your physical ID.

Race-morning pickup is also available from 7 a.m. to 10 a.

m. The clock comes into play twice. Within the 5-hour-30-minute time limit, runners must pass 21.1K within 2 hours 45 minutes and 28K within 3 hours 40 minutes.

A flat course doesn't mean you can count on making up time late.

NN Rotterdam MarathonSun, April 11, 2027 · D-178 · Rotterdam, NetherlandsSee race details

Gold Coast, Australia

6Gold Coast: An out-and-back coastal course in the Southern Hemisphere winter

Both the start and finish are at Broadwater Parklands in Southport. The marathon course heads past The Spit and Main Beach and follows the Surfers Paradise beachfront promenade south to Kurrawa, then continues through Mermaid Beach and along Miami's Marine Parade before turning back. It then heads north again through Labrador and Biggera Waters and makes another U-turn at Runaway Bay.

With so many out-and-back sections, runners meet the leaders coming the other way around each turnaround, and those stretches are natural cheering spots. The race began in 1979 in Evandale with 691 runners. The men's course record is Naoki Koyama's 2:07:40, set in 2023; the women's record is Lindsey Flanagan's 2:24:43, from 2022.

The 2027 race starts at 6:15 a.m. on July 4.

The time limit is 7 hours from the gun and 6 hours 40 minutes from the final wave. Full details for 2027 haven't been posted yet; the 2026 marathon entry fee was 235 Australian dollars. Entry is first come, first served with no lottery, and the 2026 race sold out.

The first Sunday in July falls in the Southern Hemisphere's winter, bringing mild temperatures and little rain, though humidity remains a factor. At each aid station, spaced every 5K, a flag shows the current wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), with the color changing hourly.

Gold Coast MarathonSun, July 4, 2027 · D-262 · Gold Coast, AustraliaSee race details

Manchester, United Kingdom

7Manchester: A long, flat, straight run from Old Trafford to Oxford Road

The point-to-point course starts at the Trafford Arch near Old Trafford, passes through Stretford, Sale, Altrincham and Chorlton, then heads into Manchester city center to finish on Oxford Road outside the University of Manchester. The official website describes a flat profile of long, gentle straights and bills it as the UK's second-largest marathon and the flattest course among the country's major marathons. Organizers said about two-thirds of participants set a personal best at the 2025 race.

The 2027 race is on April 18, with a record field of 52,000. General entry sold out after more than 40,000 people registered in 10 days, leaving official charity spots as the only way in. The 2027 entry fee, start time and time limit haven't been posted on the official website yet.

The previous edition offers a guide to race day. The elite wave set off at 8:55 a.m.

, followed by the other waves. There were eight water stations, plus separate High5 gel stations. Roads close across Greater Manchester, so take the Metrolink tram to the Trafford Bar, Exchange Quay or Pomona stops, and plan to arrive at least 45 minutes before the start.

Manchester MarathonSun, April 18, 2027 · D-185 · Manchester, United KingdomSee race details

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

8Comrades: The 100th-anniversary Down Run to Durban, with a 12-hour cutoff

The race was founded in 1921 by World War I veteran Vic Clapham to honor fallen comrades. It covers roughly 88 to 90 kilometers between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, and the direction changes each year. Starting in Durban and climbing is the Up Run; running down to Durban is the Down Run.

More than 300,000 runners have finished since the race began. The time limit is 12 hours, and runners who miss a cutoff along the way are disqualified. Your finish time determines your medal, from gold down to bronze.

June is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so the predawn start is chilly before temperatures rise during the day. Bring layers you can shed. Race day is June 13.

The entry fee depends on where you live: in 2026, it was 1,200 rand for South Africans, 2,000 rand for the rest of Africa and 4,500 rand for international entrants. The 2027 amount hasn't been set. The 2027 race marks the centenary and is a Down Run.

It starts outside Pietermaritzburg City Hall, about 655 meters above sea level, and descends to Durban, roughly 8 meters above sea level, finishing at Kings Park Stadium. Although the overall direction is downhill, the course alternates constantly between climbs and descents. The toughest stretch comes midrace with the so-called Big Five: Cowies Hill, Fields Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga and Polly Shortts.

Comrades MarathonSun, June 13, 2027 · D-241 · Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaSee race details

Vienna, Austria

9Vienna: A spring race that crosses the Danube twice and loops out to Schönbrunn Palace

The course starts on Wagramer Strasse near Vienna's UN complex and crosses the Danube on the Reichsbrücke. It follows the long, tree-lined Hauptallee through the Prater, then the Ringstrasse past the Vienna State Opera, Parliament and the Burgtheater before heading west to Schönbrunn Palace and turning back. In the second half, runners cross the Danube again on the Friedensbrücke, return via the Reichsbrücke, pass through the Prater once more and finish in front of the Burgtheater in the city center.

Mid-April mornings in Vienna average around 10°C and can be chilly. The 2027 race starts at 9 a.m.

on April 18. Registration opened on April 19, 2026, on a first-come, first-served basis and closes when the field fills, with no lottery. The marathon entry fee is a flat €155, and every finisher receives a medal.

The time limit hasn't been announced. The Prater's Hauptallee is also where Eliud Kipchoge broke the 2-hour marathon barrier in an unofficial 2019 attempt. A single course takes in the river twice, a palace and the buildings along the Ringstrasse, which makes it hard to beat for runners who want to combine racing with sightseeing.

Vienna City MarathonSun, April 18, 2027 · D-185 · Vienna, AustriaSee race details

Santiago, Chile

10Santiago: A city course from La Moneda Palace with 670 meters of total elevation change

The marathon, half marathon and 10K all start outside La Moneda, the presidential palace in central Santiago, and finish at the same spot. It's Chile's flagship marathon, on a course certified by World Athletics and AIMS. Starts are staggered by distance: the 42K at 7:40 a.

m., the 10K at 8 a.m.

and 8:10 a.m., and the 21K in three groups at 8:10, 8:25 and 8:40 a.

m. There are 10 aid stations on the 42K course, three on the 21K and one on the 10K. On race day, Santiago Metro lines 1, 2, 3 and 5 open early, at 6 a.

m., and roads close in Santiago, Ñuñoa, Macul, Peñalolén, La Reina, Las Condes, Vitacura and Providencia. The 2027 race is on May 16.

Registration is online only, through the official website, with prices rising in stages after the early-bird rate; the 10K and 21K often sell out early. The entry fee starts at 53,000 Chilean pesos, and the time limit hasn't been announced. This isn't a flat course.

Elevation gain is about 670 meters for the 42K, 630 meters for the 21K and 600 meters for the 10K. Rather than a course built for fast times, it's a route that crosses several comunas of a city set against the Andes.

Maratón de SantiagoSun, May 16, 2027 · D-213 · Santiago, ChileSee race details