Riga Marathon 2026

Having become a real institution 👆, the Riga Marathon has been an unmissable event in Baltic running circles 📍 since 1991. With over 22,000 participants, it's also the biggest competition in the region! 😮 Needless to say, the organizers are looking to keep that title in 2024! 👑 To do so, they’re pulling out all the stops with 5 races spread over the third weekend of May. Thus, it’s in spring 🌻 that you’ll need to head to Latvia’s capital 🇱🇻, Riga, to traverse the historic city over distances of 42.195 km, 21.095 km, 10 km, 5 km, or 1.609 km. Kids from Riga can also enjoy the "Children's Day" 👦 on Saturday, featuring several races organized for families and kids up to 12 years old.

It's like reuniting with an old friend! Since 1991, the year of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Latvia has been celebrating its regained independence, lost 40 years earlier, and its love for sports 🫶 through the most famous marathon of the Gulf of Riga. Over more than thirty years, the event has seen many ups and downs that challenged its longevity, without managing to bring it to an end 😉. Thanks to the determination of the organizers, today it's considered the most significant in the Baltic states ✨, with Riga being named "the global capital of road racing in 2023" as stated by Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics! 👏 It's also worth noting that the event holds the World Athletics Gold Label and World Athletics Road Races 🥇. The Rimi Riga Marathon is also among the 350 global marathons where you can qualify for the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships 👍. Created by Abbott World Marathon Majors, the label allows runners aged 40 and over to compete at the World Championships 🏆. In total, in 2022, 17,000 people from 76 different countries came to compete. That year, the slogan "Together!" was dedicated to Ukraine. Moreover, the revenues 💶 from the 5km distance were entirely donated to support the war-torn country 🤝.

Now that we've covered that, it's time ⌚️ to get to what you're most interested in: the logistics of the Rimi Riga Marathon! As you're already aware, 5 distances 🖐️ are offered in just one weekend. In spring, while temperatures will still be on the cooler side (average 15°C 😬), you'll be at the starting line of one of the races 🚩. Whether it's the sacred Riga marathon (42.195 km), the half-marathon (21.095 km), the 10 km, the 5 km, or the "DPD Mile" of 1.609 km..., it’s up to you to choose your challenge! 🙄 If you're looking to explore the city 👀 in its entirety, to cross its river 🌊, the Daugava, and weave through the historic streets of the biggest city in the Baltics, the marathon distance 👸 or the half-marathon is recommended (the marathon is a double loop of 21 km ➿). However, if you prefer beating your personal record ⏱️, running a shorter distance or reserving part of the weekend for sightseeing 🚶‍♀️, the other distances might suit you better. Of course, if you're a performer in quest of the best time, THE race for you is the "DPD Mile", designed specifically for the world's top long-distance runners 🌎. Like the other races, this one is particularly flat 📏. However, you'll find that none of the courses feature significant elevation changes 🙅, making this event perfect for achieving top times 🚀. Still, it remains to be seen if you'll be able to beat the current records: 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 51 seconds by Ethiopian Andualem Shiferaw (2019) and 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 18 seconds by Ethiopian Birke Debele (2019). Indeed, 2019 was a fantastic year! 😅🍾 2024 promises to be exceptional too, thanks to the festive atmosphere 🥳 that will fill the streets. The event aims to be joyful, welcoming, and family-friendly! ☺️ That’s why numerous festivities 🪇 are planned throughout the weekend, including a special "Children's Day".

Boasting an exceptional cultural 🎨, architectural and historical heritage, Riga offers much to runners/visitors 🥰. Its geographic location plays a large part in this. Crossed by the Daugava, leading to the Gulf of Riga and then to the Baltic Sea, it is a port city ⚓️ of great significance, marked by various influences over the centuries, including Swedish, German, and Russian. Some buildings from these periods have miraculously survived the wars of the 20th century, offering a surprising mix of old and modern! 🤌 The old town 👵, Vecrīga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its colorful facades, is sure to captivate you… 😍 Fun fact: the historical center is 810 years old 👴. No wonder this area is the tourist heart! ❤️ And that's without even seeing the Art Nouveau buildings that dot the city! You can see these wonderful structures in the Centrs neighborhood, the most spacious and lively, described as "an open-air museum". Also, if you love immersing yourself in local culture, you can't miss a visit to the Central Market, Europe's largest covered market! 🇪🇺 There, you'll likely find all the ingredients needed to prepare some culinary specialties 😋. And if you're a nature lover 🌳, you'll feel right at home in Mezaparks, the city's affluent neighborhood, where you'll find a forest, an amusement park 🎢, and some sandy beaches 🏖️.

We'll see you at the Rimi Riga Marathon to enjoy a weekend at the crossroads of sport, performance, sightseeing, and new experiences 🫢.