Spinneys Beirut Marathon 2026

The Phoenicians invented the alphabet here. You're going to write history here 🤪.

The Beirut International Marathon takes over the streets of the Lebanese capital every November! 🇱🇧 For years now, the event has brought together runners of dozens of different nationalities around a start line that looks more like a party than a competition 🎉. In Beirut, even marathons tend to turn into celebrations, it's in the character of the city, and that will probably never change. It's the ideal time to run (between 18°C and 24°C), with golden light in the early morning and a crowd that cheers with a generosity that goes far beyond mere sporting enthusiasm 🌅.

This city is 5,000 years old and doesn't look it 🏛️. Its name comes from the Phoenician Bêrūt, "the well", and that's exactly what it is: an inexhaustible source of history, culture and fascinating contradictions. If you want to show off on a general knowledge TV quiz 📺, know that excavations in the downtown area have revealed layers of Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Ottoman remains stacked on top of one another 🧩. Needless to say, the past there has been as turbulent as a trail in the middle of a storm 🌪️. It's no coincidence that the people of Beirut look at everyday problems with a certain lightness ✌️. When you've survived that, a traffic jam on the Corniche puts things in perspective 😄.

Five distances have been designed to satisfy everyone 🏃. The marathon (42.195 km) for those who have read this article this far and decided to add a medal to their shelf 🏅. The half marathon (21.1 km) for well-balanced people. The 10 km for the pragmatic. The 6 km Fund Run, untimed, for those who understood that sport should remain a pleasure. And an entirely free Para-Athletes category, because Beirut has never needed anyone to explain what inclusion is 💛. A timed 2 km Youth Race also welcomes 8-15 year-olds, because the future marathon legends are training right now in the alleys of Lebanon 🧒.

The course runs along the Corniche 🌊, a seaside boulevard where regulars have been jogging, declaring their love 💍 and having family arguments for decades, often at the same time 🤪. This 2026 edition inaugurates a brand-new route, flatter than ever, with start and finish at Martyrs' Square 🆕. The route crosses the rebuilt downtown after the civil war (1975-1990), where Roman ruins stand alongside ultramodern glass buildings 🏙️. Because in Beirut, the past and the future have always found a way to shake hands 🤝. And somewhere between Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhaël, those neighborhoods where facades support trendy terraces and art galleries, you'll understand exactly why this city fascinates as much as it moves you deeply 🤲.

After the effort, Lebanon pulls out all the stops, well mostly for your stomach 🍽️. The mezze, that endless parade of small hot and cold dishes that arrives at the table before you've even had time to sit down properly, is a national institution 🥗. Beirut hummus has nothing to do with the plastic-tub version from the supermarket 🙂‍↔️: it's creamy, warm, drizzled with olive oil and served with pita bread straight out of the oven 🥙. Lebanese tabbouleh will also awaken your taste buds in the best possible way. And for the carnivores, kefta grilled over embers with its mild spices is worth the trip on its own 🌭. Beirut is also one of the world's fashion capitals, so it's the time to put on your best outfit to hit its streets 👗.

Let's go! 🏎️