The story
Madrid Marathon in Madrid
A spring marathon through central Madrid since the mid-1970s, passing the Bernabeu stadium, the Prado, Retiro Park and Gran Via. Its hillier, higher-altitude course than Spain's flatter coastal marathons and its April date, ahead of the busier autumn racing calendar, have made it a distinct fixture for club and charity runners alike.
Madrid's marathon route runs a loop through some of the Spanish capital's most recognisable ground, starting and finishing near the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and passing the Puerta de Alcala, the Prado museum, Retiro Park and Gran Via along the way, a course designed to double as a guided tour of the city for the roughly forty thousand runners who take part each spring.