The best marathons for your first marathon
25 road marathons that make a first 42.2 km easier: little climbing (250 m or less), a usual start between 4 and 16°C, open entry with no lottery, at least 2,000 finishers for company and crowds, and a cut-off of six hours or more where one is published. Ranked by flatness, how close the start is to an ideal 10°C, and field size.
- 1Rotterdam Marathon↑ 30 m · 10°C🇳🇱 Rotterdam, Netherlands · 11 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 30 m · start 10°C
- 2Frankfurt Marathon↑ 27 m · 10°C🇩🇪 Frankfurt am Main, Germany · 25 Oct 2026 · Marathon · ↑ 27 m · start 10°C
- 3Amsterdam Marathon↑ 30 m · 11°C🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands · 17 Oct 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 30 m · start 11°C
- 4Shizuoka Marathon↑ 40 m · 10°C🇯🇵 Shizuoka, Japan · 14 Mar 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 40 m · start 10°C
- 5Hannover Marathon↑ 19 m · 10°C🇩🇪 Hannover, Germany · 11 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 19 m · start 10°C
- 6Copenhagen Marathon↑ 50 m · 11°C🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark · 9 May 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 50 m · start 11°C
- 7Manchester Marathon↑ 55 m · 9°C🇬🇧 Manchester, United Kingdom · 18 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 55 m · start 9°C
- 8Kraków Marathon↑ 40 m · 9°C🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland · 18 Apr 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 40 m · start 9°C
- 9Poznań Marathon↑ 40 m · 11°C🇵🇱 Poznań, Poland · 3 Oct 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 40 m · start 11°C
- 10Houston Marathon↑ 40 m · 9°C🇺🇸 Houston, United States · 17 Jan 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 40 m · start 9°C
- 11Surf City Marathon↑ 30 m · 10°C🇺🇸 Huntington Beach, United States · 7 Feb 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 30 m · start 10°C
- 12Hamburg Marathon↑ 50 m · 7°C🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany · 25 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 50 m · start 7°C
- 13Cologne Marathon↑ 36 m · 13°C🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany · 3 Oct 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 36 m · start 13°C
- 14Toronto Waterfront Marathon↑ 50 m · 9°C🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada · 17 Oct 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 50 m · start 9°C
- 15Nantes Marathon↑ 60 m · 10°C🇫🇷 Nantes, France · 25 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 60 m · start 10°C
- 16Vancouver Marathon↑ 80 m · 10°C🇨🇦 Vancouver, Canada · 2 May 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 80 m · start 10°C
- 17Jersey City Marathon↑ 40 m · 8°C🇺🇸 Jersey City, United States · 18 Apr 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 40 m · start 8°C
- 18Shamrock Marathon↑ 82 m · 8°C🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, United States · 21 Mar 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 82 m · start 8°C
- 19Walt Disney World Marathon↑ 79 m · 13°C🇺🇸 Orlando, United States · 10 Jan 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 79 m · start 13°C
- 20Florence Marathon↑ 60 m · 6°C🇮🇹 Florence, Italy · 29 Nov 2026 · Marathon · ↑ 60 m · start 6°C
- 21Mesa Marathon↑ 87 m · 9°C🇺🇸 Mesa, United States · 13 Feb 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 87 m · start 9°C
- 22Indianapolis Monumental Marathon↑ 92 m · 7°C🇺🇸 Indianapolis, United States · 7 Nov 2026 · Marathon · ↑ 92 m · start 7°C
- 23Rome Marathon↑ 130 m · 7°C🇮🇹 Rome, Italy · 14 Mar 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 130 m · start 7°C
- 24Napa Valley Marathon↑ 50 m · 7°C🇺🇸 Calistoga, United States · 7 Mar 2027 · Marathon · ↑ 50 m · start 7°C
- 25Košice Peace Marathon↑ 74 m · 13°C🇸🇰 Košice, Slovakia · 3 Oct 2027 (est.) · Marathon · ↑ 74 m · start 13°C