Mexico
Mexico City Marathon 2027
Sunday 29 August 2027 · expected date
310 days to go
Key facts
- Race day
- Sunday 29 August 2027
- Expected date
- Start
- 06:00
- local time
- Course
- Mostly flat · Point to point
- Avenida Insurgentes by the Biblioteca Central and Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM) to Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución)
- Course record, men
- 2:08:23
- Héctor Garibay, 2023
- First held
- 1983
The organisers haven’t announced the 2027 date yet. It follows the usual pattern (a Sunday in late August); check the official website before you book travel.
The race
About the Mexico City Marathon
The Mexico City Marathon, first run in 1983, brings around 30,000 runners onto the streets of the capital. Its defining feature is altitude: the city sits at about 2,240 m, so oxygen is scarcer and even well-trained runners should expect to run slower than at sea level. The men's course record is 2:08:23, set by Bolivia's Héctor Garibay in 2023.
Waves leave from 5:45 at Ciudad Universitaria, the UNAM campus, and the race finishes in the Zócalo after Paseo de la Reforma and the historic centre. It is a big, lively city race. It suits runners who want a memorable marathon abroad and accept that the goal here is a strong effort rather than a personal best.
Course
The Mexico City Marathon course
In 2026 the race ran from Ciudad Universitaria, the UNAM campus in the south of the city, to the Zócalo. The start is on Avenida Insurgentes beside the Biblioteca Central and the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, and the course heads north on Insurgentes Sur through the southern and western districts.
Around halfway the route reaches the Bosque de Chapultepec, then continues to Polanco before turning back. The closing kilometres follow Paseo de la Reforma past its monuments and enter the historic centre for the finish in the Zócalo. Altitude, more than the terrain, is what makes this course hard. The direction of the course has changed between editions, so check the route each year.
Race-day weather
Usually cool at dawn, around 12-16°C at the start, in the rainy season so a wet morning is possible, and the thin air at about 2,240 m makes it feel harder than the temperature suggests.
Train
Training for the Mexico City Marathon 2027
44 weeks to go. A marathon plan runs 12 to 24 weeks and ends on race week. Here is when each one starts.
| Plan | Starts on |
|---|---|
| 24 weeks | Monday 15 March 2027 |
| 20 weeks | Monday 12 April 2027 |
| 16 weeks | Monday 10 May 2027 |
| 12 weeks | Monday 7 June 2027 |
For this course
Altitude shapes everything here. If you live near sea level, the best option is to arrive ten days to two weeks early to begin acclimatising; if you can only come for a few days, arrive as late as possible and run by effort, not pace. Expect your marathon pace to be noticeably slower and build a heart-rate or perceived-effort plan. Your build runs through June and July, so summer heat is the usual training issue. Mexico City is eight hours behind France in August.
See the marathon pace chart or a sample sub-4 plan.
Print a pace band for the Mexico City Marathon, with the race clock at every kilometre.
Entry
How to get a place
Entry is by online registration, which in 2026 closed on 26 August, four days before the race. The field is around 30,000 runners.
Every marathon lottery date for 2027 → Which marathons have no lottery? →Organised by Instituto del Deporte de la Ciudad de México
Questions
Frequently asked
When is the Mexico City Marathon 2027?
The Mexico City Marathon 2027 is expected on Sunday 29 August 2027: the race is usually held on a Sunday in late August. Check the official website before you book travel.
When should I start training for the Mexico City Marathon?
Count back from race day: a 16-week plan for the 2027 edition starts on 10 May 2027, a 20-week plan on 12 April 2027. Most runners need 16 to 20 weeks; 12 is the shortest block worth doing.
How much does altitude affect the Mexico City Marathon?
Significantly. At about 2,240 m, most runners from sea level run noticeably slower than their usual marathon pace, so plan by effort and arrive early to acclimatise if you can.
Where does the Mexico City Marathon start and finish?
In 2026 it started on Avenida Insurgentes at Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM) and finished in the Zócalo, the city's main square.
What time does the Mexico City Marathon start?
In 2026 the first wave left at 5:45, the elite men and the first block at 6:00, and the last block at 6:30.
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