Next race
Sunday, 24 October 2027
9:40 am start
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Historic urban road
Elevation
Flat · 40 m gain
40 m climbing
Race profile
The Venice Marathon draws approximately 2,000 finishers on a historic urban road in Venice, Italy. The course starts in Stra on the mainland and finishes on the Riva dei Sette Martiri waterfront. Flat on the mainland; the pontoon bridge and narrow Venetian streets are the main course challenges.
Venice Marathon is a certified 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon — the standard World Athletics marathon distance.
Approximately 2,000 finishers
Course & terrain
The Venice Marathon is a point-to-point course from Stra on the mainland to a finish on the Riva dei Sette Martiri, crossing the lagoon on a pontoon bridge in the final kilometres and passing near Piazza San Marco. The mainland miles are the easiest because they stay mostly flat and wide, while the pontoon bridge and narrow final approach are the toughest late-race features. Spectators gather most densely along the closing lagoon crossing and the waterfront finish area.
The Venice Marathon course is flat over 42.195 km (26.2 miles). Runners cover 40 metres of climbing and 40 metres of descent, with minimal net elevation change from start to finish.
Registration
The Venice Marathon uses open online registration on the organiser website with tiered pricing through the year and no ballot. The full marathon is entered separately from the companion 10K event on the same weekend.
On the day
Getting there
Venezia (VE) (VCE)
Venice Marco Polo Airport
8 km / 5 mi
Race footage
Common questions
Official resources
If you see something that looks out of date, please send us a note. Last reviewed 11 November 2026.
Close to this race
Other races closest to Venice.
The Maratona di Ferrara draws approximately 1,500 finishers each March on a UNESCO-framed loop in Emilia-Romagna. Runners start and finish at Castello Estense, pass Palazzo dei Diamanti and the Renaissance walls at Porta degli Angeli, run the Montagnola embankments and Giorgio Bassani urban park, and return through Piazza Ariostea on a flat Po-plain profile suited to personal-best attempts.
Next race: Sunday, 7 March 2027
The Maratona di Ravenna runs through the former Byzantine capital of Italy, with a route that touches all eight UNESCO-listed early Christian and Byzantine monuments. About 1,100 finishers each November run a very flat loop from Pala De André to Museo del MAR (Via di Roma 13), through Parco Teodorico, the historic centre, and Punta Ravenna. It is one of Italy's most culturally distinctive regional marathons.
The Maratona di Trieste draws approximately 1,500 finishers each May through Italy's most cosmopolitan Adriatic port. The course passes Piazza Unità d'Italia — Europe's largest sea-facing square — the Miramare Castle, and the Karst plateau roads with views across the Gulf of Trieste. Mild Adriatic spring weather and the Habsburg-era architecture make it a unique borderland marathon.
Next race: Sunday, 2 May 2027
The Lake Garda Marathon attracts approximately 1,800 finishers each April along Italy's largest lake beneath the Dolomite foothills. The course passes Riva del Garda's medieval harbour, the lemon groves of Limone, and the lakeside SS45bis road with alpine panorama views. April's spring weather on the Riviera of the Alps makes it one of Italy's most scenic lake marathons.
Next race: Sunday, 25 April 2027
The Bologna Marathon attracts about 5,500 marathon runners each March through Emilia-Romagna's UNESCO portico city. The sixth-edition loop starts and finishes in Piazza Maggiore beside the Basilica di San Petronio, passes the Due Torri, runs beneath kilometres of portico arcades, and stays on the flat Po plain with cool March mornings that suit steady negative splits.
Next race: Sunday, 7 March 2027
Planning guides
Practical guides to help you plan, train for, and run this race.
When a flat course helps your time, when hills are worth the view, and how to pick terrain that fits your training and goals.
How temperature, humidity, wind, and rain affect marathon performance — and how to use typical race-day weather when choosing a start line.
Pick a race that fits your goal — a PB, a city weekend, atmosphere, or a major — using course data and honest expectations.
