Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONNL / RACE GUIDE

Enschede Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Enschede
NL

Archangel12 · CC BY 2.0Wikimedia Commons · JrPol, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · JrPol, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · Kleuske, CC BY-SA 3.0

Race date in 147 days: Apr 11, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Enschede · 42.195km · 21.1km · 10km +1 more events
Entry fee: €75Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Apr 11, 2027 · Entry ~ Apr 11, 2027

2026

2026Date Apr 12, 2026

Official website ↗

Instagram

D-day as of Nov 15, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Held in Enschede, the Netherlands, and known for its fast course and well-stocked aid stations.

Events: full marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

#EnschedeMarathon#Enschede#April Marathon#Full marathon

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

RunningRonaldRan in 2024 · Finish time 3:53:51

“Even with the final few kilometers approaching, I still have enough energy left to pick up the pace.”

At the 2024 Enschede full marathon, they held a pace of about 5:30 per km through the countryside and the city, picked it up in the second half and finished in 3:53:51. Their one gripe was the crowding at the small paid lockers.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

De laatste kilometers komen er aan en ik heb nog genoeg energie om te versnellen.

Read the original on RunningRonald.nl

PattyRan in 2022 · Finish time 3:23:46

“I notice how much strength the music along the course gives me.”

They signed up for the 2022 Enschede full marathon at the last minute. Early nerves eased thanks to the runners around them and the music, and they finished in 3:23:46 with family cheering them on. They felt some of the outlying stretches and the aid station organization fell short.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

Ik merk dat de muziek onderweg me erg goed doet.

Read the original on Fierce to be

Marathons voor KiKaRan in 2019 · Finish time 3:40:53

“In the meantime, the 3:30 pacer group passed me, and there was no way I could keep up.”

Calf cramps forced them to stop several times from 33 km on, so they focused on finishing rather than their time. They had good things to say about the crowds in the city and their family's support.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

In de tussentijd liep de pacer-groep van 3:30 mij voorbij, ik kon ze met geen mogelijkheid bijhouden.

Read the original on Marathons voor KiKa

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Marathon van Enschede - Parcours 2026
Van Start tot Finish
View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

General entry

Entry cost €75

The 2027 Enschede Marathon allows runners to apply online for a standard entry through the official race website.

The marathon early-bird entry fee is 75 euros until January 1, 2027.

After that, entry fee increases depending on when you register.

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42.195km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2026 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 10:00

Time limit5 h 30 min

5 h 30 min.

Elektramat Marathon 42.195km: EUR 63 until 2026-05-09 · EUR 75 until 2027-01-01 · EUR 80.50 from 2027-01-02 to 03-14 · EUR 86 from 2027-03-15 to 04-09 · EUR 92 on race weekend

START

Boulevard 1945, Enschede

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

same as the start

loop course · Boulevard 1945

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
The 2027 Enschede Marathon cut-off point requires runners to pass 35.1km before 15:00 and 41km before 15:50, and finish closes at 16:00.

Original course map · goandrace.com

The Enschede Marathon was first held in 1947 and is the oldest marathon in the Netherlands and Western Europe.

In the first race, 51 runners started and 33 reached finish in G.J. van Heekpark.

It was initially held every other year and has been held annually since 1991. 950 volunteers and tens of thousands of spectators fill course,

and the 2027 race marks the 80th anniversary.

The start and finish are on Boulevard 1945 in the city centre.

The 2026 course map shows the route leaving the city centre eastwards towards Glanerbrug, looping through Stokhorst and Lonneker,

passing the Universiteit Twente campus and Hengelosestraat, circling the port area around the Twente Canal and returning to the city centre.

Sections of the F35 bicycle superhighway and H.J. van Heekpark are also included in course.

This is a fast course on traffic-free roads and is considered the fastest race in the Netherlands after Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Eindhoven.

The men's course record was set by Stephen Kiprotich in 2011, and the women's record by Maurine Chepkemoi in 2022.

Course is certified under the standards of the Dutch Athletics Federation and AIMS.

World Athletics Label: Elite Label
AIMS Certified: Member race of the AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races)
Typical race-season temperature: around 10°C (49°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Pacers

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

Hotels406m from the start · ★8.4

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Bib pickup

Apr 10 (Sat) 10:00~16:00, Apr 11 (Sun) 07:30

Connect-U registration office, Ariënsplein 1, 7511 JX Enschede

Google Maps Directions

Apr 9, 2026

Shakeout run

A relaxed group run to loosen up before race day. No pace pressure — everyone's welcome.
Based on the 2026 race. This year's schedule is usually announced 1–3 weeks before race day.

5K Shake-Out Run

The Event Planner × Blaze Runclub · 5 km

When: Thu, April 9, 2026 19:00
Where: Fire Monument on the Oude Markt, Enschede
How to join: Just show up — no sign-up

Sign-up & details Google Maps

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNS Enschede Centraal
Transit cardTap your contactless Visa/Mastercard on the OVpay reader for Keolis Twents buses when boarding and alighting — same national system as the rest of the Netherlands. Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 20, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

NS Enschede Centraal

Start/finish area at Boulevard 1945, near Van Heekplein. Extra direct trains added from Amsterdam and Rotterdam, plus an additional Keolis train on Zwolle-Enschede route and extra DB train from Munster (Germany).

Timetable published 10 days before race at ns.nl/reisinformatie. Alternative: park at NS station Drienerlo and take train to Enschede Centraal.

Enschede city center closed to cars 10:45-15:00 on race day. Residents inside the route advised to park outside route on south side before Sunday.

Real-time closures also shown via Waze and Flitsmeister apps.

Map

Getting to the finish

NS Enschede Centraal

Finish in same area as start, Boulevard 1945 near Van Heekplein -- reached via NS Enschede Centraal or free event shuttle bus.

Map

Start shuttle

Free shuttle buses run 07:30 until end of event, every 10-15 min, from Parking Diekmanstadion and P&R Zuiderval to bus stop at Van Heekplein.

Transit card

OV-chipkaart (being phased out, replaced by OV-pas)

N/A for tourists — use OVpay instead; disposable OV-chipkaart available at ticket machines if needed Works directly at the gates

Enschede's regional operator (Keolis Twents) has OVpay live network-wide, confirmed on all 'Blauwnet' routes (shared Arriva/Keolis routes including the Zwolle-Enschede corridor). Same rule applies: check in and out with the identical card/phone each time.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 20, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The marathon starts on April 11 (Sun) at 10:00, the time limit is 5.5 hours, and the finish closes at 16:00.

If you do not pass the designated cut-off point by 15:00, you must board the sweep bus,

and runners who have not passed the 41km mark by 15:50 will be guided to Van Heekplein instead of the finish.

The starting corral is determined by the expected finish time you entered when registering,

and if you register after March 14, you will start in the last orange corral.

Bib collection is available on April 10 (Sat) from 10:00 to 16:00, and on the 11th (Sun) from 07:30 at Connect-U (Ariënsplein 1),

and a running expo is also held on Saturday.

Instead of free bag storage, there are paid lockers (M and L sizes) that must be reserved in advance,

and changing and showers are in the basement of the Van Heek Parking Garage under H.J.

Van Heekplein.

There is aid station support throughout the course, with bananas and sports drink every 5km, and sponges at every aid station.

Personal drink bottles can be handed in at the Saturday registration desk, but only up to 24cm in height are accepted.

The pacer service covers target finish times from 3:00 to 5:00, and on race day there are special direct trains from Amsterdam and Rotterdam,

as well as special Deutsche Bahn trains from Münster.

Times are local to Enschede. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

U Parkhotel

Hotel · 3.9km

8.5/10(2020)

View on Booking.com

Enschede car rental (EconomyBookings)

Compare rates from various rental car companies, self-drive (check the price when booking) · Check price and book

View on EconomyBookings

Münster: Beer Tasting Rickshaw Tour

€64

Enschede Marathon

About Enschede Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run