Madrid Marathon

Madrid Marathon
Madrid Marathon 2016
Date	Late April
Location	Madrid, Spain
Event type	Road
Distance	Marathon
Established	1978
Official site	Maratón de Rock 'n' Roll Madrid

The Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon (Spanish: Maratón de Rock 'n' Roll Madrid) is an annual marathon race which takes place in Madrid, Spain, in late April. The event was first held in 1978 and has since gained IAAF Gold Label Road Race status and had over 15,000 runners participate in the 2017 edition. A 10 km road race was added in 2010 and a Half Marathon road race was added in 2012.

The race course begins near Paseo de Recoletos and heads north past the Biblioteca Nacional de España, then the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. After 8 kilometres the route turns southwards and heads back towards Nuevos Ministerios. Runners then follow a twisting south-westerly route. After passing Plaza Mayor, it goes north past the Royal Palace of Madrid and reaches the half marathon mark at Parque del Oeste.

After exiting the park, it traces a path south for a few kilometres and includes a six-kilometre loop within Casa de Campo. After a section which loops back south and north, the course heads east, uphill towards . It runs along the perimeter of Buen Retiro Park and finishes inside the park at Paseo del Duque de Fernán Nuñez. The combination of an undulating course, the last 10km approximately uphill, and the altitude of the city has made it difficult for runners to produce fast marathon times. The course is AIMS-certified and is eligible for record performances. The course records are 2:09:15 for the men's race (set by Ezekiel Kiptoo Chebii in 2014) and 2:32:04 for the women's race (set by Mehtap Doğan-Sızmaz in 2009).