48 YEARS THROUGH SPAIN'S CAPITAL: THE HISTORY OF THE MADRID MARATHON
Origins
Madrid Marathon history stretches back to 1978, when the Madrid Marathon first ran, making the 2026 edition the 48th. The race predates the Rock 'n' Roll branding by more than three decades; for most of its history it was the city marathon of Spain's capital. The local athletics organization Mapoma Club has been involved in organizing the event throughout its existence.
In April 2011, the race joined the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, a brand owned at the time by Competitor Group, Inc., a San Diego-based company that had been running branded marathons across the United States. The Madrid deal was Competitor Group's first event outside the United States. It came with a new name and a title sponsor: Zurich Insurance, which has remained a naming partner since. The Rock 'n' Roll brand subsequently changed hands multiple times but the local Mapoma partnership and the Zurich sponsorship have provided continuity.
The Early Decades: 1978–2010
The first edition in 1978 was a domestic affair by the standards of what the race would later become. Spanish runners dominated the opening years. Of the first thirteen editions between 1978 and 1990, Spanish athletes won eight of them — a proportion that would never be repeated once international prize money drew East African fields to the start line.
The race was not entirely closed to foreign competitors in its early years. By the mid-1980s the times had improved significantly as training methods and the global athletics circuit developed. Through the 1990s and 2000s, the race remained a significant fixture in the European marathon calendar without breaking into the top tier of world marathons. The prize money was modest compared to the major marathons in London, Berlin, or Chicago, which limited the depth of elite fields. Spanish runners continued to collect titles into the 1990s, though the margins over foreign competitors narrowed.
The organizational scale of those early editions was smaller. Participant numbers grew from a few hundred in the inaugural years to several thousand by the 2000s, but the race had not yet achieved the mass participation character it would develop after 2011. What it had was longevity and a course rooted in the city's geography — the same fundamental challenge of Madrid's terrain that runners still face today.
The Course
The course starts near Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid's main north-south boulevard, and heads north before looping through the city's major landmarks. Runners pass Santiago Bernabéu Stadium around kilometer 8, then turn south and thread back through the Salamanca neighborhood. The Cuatro Torres business district with its glass skyscrapers marks the furthest point from the finish.
The middle section covers Madrid's historic center. Runners pass through Puerta del Sol — the geographic center of Spain — and continue past the Royal Palace. Around kilometer 32, the course enters Casa de Campo, a large public park on the western edge of the city that contains a six-kilometer loop within its boundaries. The total elevation gain across the marathon distance is approximately 360 meters.
The final 10 kilometers are uphill. This is not a design choice but a structural reality: the terrain of central Madrid rises in the last section of the circuit, and the organizers cannot alter it. For elite runners, the final uphill section limits fast finishes. Madrid's altitude, sitting at around 667 meters above sea level, adds further resistance. The course is AIMS-certified, meaning the distance is accurate, but the elevation profile and altitude combine to make fast times harder than at sea-level flat courses.
The Elite Record
Reuben Kerio of Kenya set the men's course record of 2:08:18 in 2019. His finish came 57 seconds faster than the previous record, with Kipkemoi Kipsang second in 2:08:58 and Kiprotich Kirui third in 2:09:05. Three men finishing under 2:09 in the same race represented the highest concentration of fast men the race had seen in its history.
Siranesh Yirga of Ethiopia set the women's course record of 2:24:37 in 2022. Yirga was at the peak of her competitive form that year, winning multiple European road races across the same calendar period. Her Madrid record has not been approached since.
Kenya has recorded 17 men's victories at the race over its 48-year history. Ethiopia has five men's wins. Spain has 11, reflecting the strength of domestic running in the early decades when the international elite field was smaller. The women's division shows a similar pattern, with Spain recording 11 women's victories in the earlier editions.
The Altitude Factor
At 667 meters above sea level, Madrid sits well above the baseline for road racing. The effect is not as pronounced as at truly high-altitude venues — Mexico City's marathon is run at roughly 2,240 meters, more than three times Madrid's elevation — but it is not negligible either. At Madrid's altitude, air density is approximately 7–8 percent lower than at sea level, which means runners draw slightly less oxygen per breath across the full 42.195 kilometers.
The practical consequence is that world-class times achieved at Madrid carry more intrinsic difficulty than equivalent times at sea-level courses. Barcelona's marathon, by contrast, runs through a city that sits near the coast at elevations between 8 and 50 meters above sea level. The Zurich Marató Barcelona course record stands at 2:04:13 for men and 2:19:33 for women, times that reflect both the flat terrain and the oxygen-rich coastal air. Madrid's men's record of 2:08:18 and women's record of 2:24:37 represent faster running in absolute physiological terms than the raw numbers suggest.
For recreational runners the altitude effect is present but secondary to the course elevation profile. The 360 meters of total ascent spread across the circuit — with the concentration in the final 10 kilometers — is a more direct obstacle than the thin air. Most runners at Madrid pace for the uphill finish rather than for a personal best.
Madrid and Barcelona: Spain's Two City Marathons
The Zurich Marató Barcelona and the Zurich Rock 'n' Roll Running Series Madrid have both been running since 1978 and share a title sponsor. They are staged roughly five weeks apart in mid-March and late April respectively, and together they define the domestic marathon calendar in Spain. The similarities end with the terrain.
Barcelona's course accumulates just 134 meters of elevation gain across the full distance, making it one of the flattest major marathon courses in Europe. Madrid's course accumulates roughly 360 meters. Barcelona runs close to sea level; Madrid runs at 667 meters with a sustained uphill conclusion. The two marathons have developed distinct reputations accordingly: Barcelona attracts runners targeting personal bests and course records, while Madrid's field reflects a wider mix of competitive elite runners and participants drawn by the city's density of landmarks and the Rock 'n' Roll entertainment format.
The Rock 'n' Roll Format
The Rock 'n' Roll branding introduced live music at each kilometer of the course, a feature that distinguishes the series from traditional city marathons. Bands and performers are stationed along the route, and the finish line area includes post-race concerts. The entertainment layer has attracted recreational runners who might not otherwise choose a city marathon, contributing to participation growth across the 2010s.
The music branding also defines how the race markets itself internationally. The Madrid edition, as the original non-US Rock 'n' Roll event, held a particular position within the series. It was the experiment that demonstrated the format could work outside the American market. That success led to expansion into other European cities under the same brand.
World Athletics Gold Label
The race holds a World Athletics Gold Label, the highest certification level in road racing. The Gold Label designation requires meeting standards for elite athlete recruitment, anti-doping procedures, course measurement, and organizational quality. The certification matters for elite runners because it guarantees prize money at a level that attracts international fields, and it matters for the race's calendar position because Gold Label events receive preferential treatment in the scheduling of elite athletes across the global circuit.
Recent Editions
Mitku Tafa of Ethiopia won the 2024 men's race in 2:08:57, the closest time to Kerio's course record since 2019. Naom Jebet won the women's race in 2024 in 2:26:19.
Derara Hurisa of Ethiopia won the 2025 men's race in 2:09:11. Maritu Ketema won the women's title in 2025 in 2:25:55, the second-fastest women's finish in the race's history, behind only Yirga's course record.
The 2024 edition drew over 40,000 participants from 113 countries across all distances. The 2025 edition set a new participation record with 45,000 runners from 118 countries. The half marathon accompanying the full marathon has grown into a competitive race in its own right, with elite fields racing alongside the marathon entries.
Madrid as a Running City
The race takes place in late April, when Madrid's weather is typically mild. Temperatures at the start are usually around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, rising through the morning as the sun clears the city's buildings. Conditions are generally more favorable than Madrid's summer or winter, though the altitude and final uphill section remain constant variables.
The city's running infrastructure has expanded since 2011. The integration of the Rock 'n' Roll brand brought international participants and media attention that the earlier editions of the race, despite their 30-plus-year history, had not generated. The race now serves as Spain's largest running event by participation.
The course through the city's landmarks gives participants exposure to Madrid's geography that a tourist itinerary would not replicate. Running past the Bernabéu, through the Retiro park, and finishing near the Prado puts runners through the architectural and geographical spine of the Spanish capital in a single morning.
The 2026 Edition
The 2026 edition is the 48th Madrid Marathon and the 15th under the Rock 'n' Roll banner, scheduled for April 26. The men's course record of 2:08:18 has stood since 2019. The women's record of 2:24:37 has stood since 2022. The altitude and final uphill make both marks genuinely difficult to challenge.
The full arc of Madrid Marathon history shows a race that has grown from a domestic athletics event in 1978 into one that draws participants from over 100 countries annually. The course has not changed in its fundamental concept across 48 years: start near Castellana, loop through the city's landmarks on the Madrid Marathon course, and finish after 10 kilometers of gradual uphill. The record for doing it in the shortest time remains 2:08:18 for men and 2:24:37 for women.