The Race
This page covers the municipal marathon in Córdoba, Argentina, held in July. Córdoba in Spain, and the half marathons elsewhere in Córdoba province, are different races. Check the country and the date before you book.
| Next Race Date | Sunday 4 July 2027 (announced by the municipality; start time to be confirmed) |
|---|---|
| Course type | Road loop from and to the stadium area (2026) |
| Registration | Paid online entry; no ballot found |
| Ballot opens | No ballot |
| Total finishers | Not published (festival total above 6,000 in 2026) |
| Average race day temperature | July daily low 4.0°C, daily high 17.6°C |
| Cutoff time | Not published |
| Free race-day transport | None identified |
| Course certification | Municipal measurement claim; World Athletics certificate to be confirmed |
History
The Córdoba Marathon is a municipal race, and the city has run it more than once on more than one course. The earliest edition with a surviving participant guide was held on 5 December 2021, with a 07:00 start and a start and finish on Ramón Cárcano opposite the physical-education faculty, inside a wider operation around the Kempes stadium and the exhibition ground. That guide sent runners around the stadium and park, the north and south Costanera, Nueva Córdoba, the centre and Urca.
On 26 December 2024 the municipality announced the 2025 race for 6 July, the anniversary of the city's founding, with four distances and an agreement extending through 2027. The first Sunday of July became the intended slot. The municipality's description of the 2025 course kept the Kempes hub and a route towards Ciudad Universitaria, and admitted changes from 2021 and 2022.
For 2026 the race ran on 5 July with a course built around the Río Suquía and the stadium. A June announcement described measurement with a calibrated bicycle and a Jones Counter, but it did not name a certificate or a race label. The municipality reported more than 6,000 people across the festival and entrants from every Argentine province and several countries. It named Pedro Gómez and Luciana Lucero as the winners of the 42K, without giving their times.
On 5 July 2026 the municipality also announced the next date: Sunday 4 July 2027.
The course
In 2026 the marathon started and finished at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. The municipality names the Río Suquía and the Costanera as the main geography of the course, together with Ciudad Universitaria and Parque Sarmiento. The official street order and kilometre positions were not published.
The route recorded for the 2026 edition is a loop that returns to within a few hundred metres of its start. It leaves the stadium area, runs south-east along Avenida Intendente Ramón Bautista Mestre through Parque Tablada, Providencia and the centre, and reaches its farthest point at about km 18, 11.1 km from the start in a straight line, near Bajada de Piedra. The course falls from 417 m at the start to 375 m there, 48 m over 16 km (0.3%).
The return follows the south side of the river. A 52 m climb in two kilometres, 2.4% then 2.7%, begins at km 21 on Avenida Poeta Lugones in the centre and tops out above 430 m at km 23. The course stays high through Parque Los Molinos to its highest point of 443 m at km 27.6, then drops 49 m by km 32 down Boulevard Chacabuco and Avenida Maipú. The last section runs west on Avenida Mestre and rises 18 m at km 38 (1.8%) in Villa Siburu before the finish at the stadium.
No official ascent or descent figure exists. Measurement says the distance is right and says nothing about whether the course is flat.
Kilometre by kilometre
The start. The 2026 race started at the Kempes stadium. Where the 2027 gate and the corrals will be is not yet known, so do not assume that a hotel in the centre makes the start a walk.
The first half. The route runs south-east along Avenida Mestre towards the centre and slopes gently downhill for most of the way to km 18, the farthest point from the start. This is the kind of descent that makes a pace feel easy. Pedro Gómez, who won the men's 42K in 2026, told a local broadcaster that the second half felt harder and that the early favourable gradient can tempt runners to go out too fast.
The long middle. After km 21 the course climbs 52 m in two kilometres on Avenida Poeta Lugones, then holds between 428 and 443 m through Parque Los Molinos to km 28. It is the one real climb of the day and the course's most southerly stretch. A drop of 49 m follows towards km 32, which gives a second chance to run, but a tired one.
The final 12 km. The course heads home along Avenida Mestre in a north-westerly direction. There is another rise of 18 m at km 38, in Villa Siburu, then a drop to the finish at the starting point.
Pacing. Pace the first half by effort, not by the watch.
The route leaves the stadium area and slopes south-east along Avenida Mestre. It feels easy, and that is the danger.
After the farthest point the course returns and climbs 52 m in two kilometres from km 21, then holds high to its summit of 443 m at km 27.6.
The road drops 49 m down Boulevard Chacabuco, then runs west on a gentler profile.
A rise of 18 m at km 38 comes before the drop to the finish at the stadium.
Course Map
The course as recorded for 2026, a loop from the Kempes stadium south-east along Avenida Mestre to its farthest point at km 18, back through the centre and Parque Los Molinos, and home along the same avenue. Tap a marker for details, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.
Pacers
Check the organiser's channels for pace teams nearer the race. None had been announced when this page was written.
July is the middle of winter in Argentina. The city's monthly average low is 4.0°C and the average high 17.6°C, and the municipality itself described the cold in 2026. Pack for waiting in the dark as well as for running.
The date is announced but no entry, fee or rules had been published when this page was written. The 2026 entry opened on 17 December 2025. That is a cue to watch, not a promise.
July is winter in Córdoba. The city's monthly figures for 1981 to 2010 give a mean daily minimum of 4.0°C and a mean daily maximum of 17.6°C, with 13.5 mm of rain over about 2.7 days. Those are monthly averages and not readings for the start hour. The municipality itself described the cold in 2026.
Plan for a cold wait before the start and for a cold pause after the finish. A warm layer in a bag is sensible if the bag policy allows it, and gloves and a hat cost almost nothing to carry. Do not leave clothes on the course without instructions, since no donation scheme was announced. Check the forecast for wind and rain in race week. Spanish Córdoba's hot July climate belongs to a different city.
Entry
No entry for the 2027 race had been announced when this page was written. The details below describe 2026 and are a guide to how the race has worked, not a quote.
In 2026 runners paid by direct registration through the official race website and the Eventick ticketing platform. The municipality published the 42K fee on 17 December 2025 as ARS 67,600. That is a historical advertised price in a currency that moves quickly, so no sterling figure is given. The December launch is a useful cue to watch for, but it does not promise a December opening in 2027.
Eventick sold two optional extras in 2026. One was preferred access to the start area just behind the elite runners. The other was race-day kit collection. Buying the first did not include the second. A purchase-protection service was also offered, with cancellation possible until 72 hours before the event and exclusions for the protection and ticketing charges, so not every entry should be treated as refundable. The ticket listing allowed holder details, shirt size and category to be edited, but no deadline for changes or fee was found.
No ballot, qualifying time or charity place was found. How an overseas runner without an Argentine identity document or a local payment card completes checkout was not established, so ask the organiser before you rely on a particular route. The minimum age and the medical-certificate rules also need confirming.
See the official race site →Race Weekend
Bib collection
The 2027 collection arrangements have not been announced. The 2026 ticket listing sent entrants to the organiser's website for accreditation documents and hours, and separately sold race-day collection as a paid option.
The 2021 guide collected numbers at the Predio Ferial de Córdoba, on Ramón Cárcano, on the Friday and Saturday, and barred ordinary race-day collection. The 2026 paid option shows that rule can change, so each edition's instructions have to be read on their own.
For 2027 the venue, the dated hours, the identity documents that overseas runners can use, any medical certificate, proxy collection and the treatment of uncollected numbers are all unresolved. Do not assume that a friend can collect your number or that a certificate is not needed. Arrive early enough to collect before Sunday and check the bib, distance and chip before you leave.
Getting to the start
The 2026 race was advertised for 08:00 on the ticket listing. The 2027 start time, wave plan and gate-closing deadline had not been published, so do not work back from 08:00 yet. The 2026 start and finish were at the Kempes stadium, which is a venue reference and not a corral map.
If you stay in the centre, early transport to the stadium is the open question. Municipal tourism lists city buses and an airport bus, but none is a race shuttle, and nothing shows that ordinary Sunday services reach the gate before it closes. A pre-booked taxi or a hotel car is a sensible fallback, subject to the road closures. If you stay in the north, check the actual walking route to the authorised entrance, because a hotel's claim of convenient stadium access is not a measured pavement route.
July mornings are cold. A warm layer in a returnable bag is worth having, if the bag policy allows it. No foil blankets, food pack, changing tent or spectator access to the finish area were announced.
Nutrition on course
No aid-station schedule for the marathon has been published. Municipal material has listed hydration among the services included in the entry fee, but the positions, drinks, gels, food and toilets have not been described. Do not assume that elite runners' personal tables are open to everyone.
Carry your own gels and a plan for fluids until the 2027 guide is out.
Spectating
The Kempes stadium is the most sensible single base, because the latest edition started and finished there. That does not mean one public position sees both lines. Spectator gates and ticketing were not announced.
Plan one visit after the organiser publishes the access plan, and agree a meeting point outside the secured finish exit. A mid-race trip to the river or the university area is a possibility, but no 2027 kilometre positions or reliable bus links back to the stadium have been published.
For later planning, a runner at 5:00 per km takes 50 minutes to cover 10 km and one at 6:00 per km takes 60 minutes. Your travel leg, exit time and crossing delays have to fit inside that gap. No live-tracking app was found.
- Base at the Kempes stadium once the spectator access plan is out.
- Choose a public meeting point outside the secure finish exit.
- Do not rely on an untested mid-race bus link.
Post-race food
No finish-area menu or food-truck list has been published for 2027. The 2021 food trucks do not promise any for the next race. Carry a snack that you know, where the rules allow it, and settle the trip back to your hotel before booking a table.
San Honorato, at 25 de Mayo 1208, serves dinner from Monday to Saturday between 20:30 and midnight and lunch from Tuesday to Friday between 12:30 and 15:00. It does not serve on Sunday, so it suits a Monday-evening dinner after the race and not a finish-day lunch. Confirm the hours before you book.
Where to Stay
The 2027 venue is not confirmed, so the first decision is whether to stay near the stadium or in the centre. The centre does not make the start walkable: King David Flat Hotel, on Avenida General Paz, is about 7.5 km from the Kempes stadium in a straight line.
The north and the stadium approach
Municipal tourism promotes Urbana Hotel, at Edmundo Mariotte 5228, and Mae Singular Hotel, at José Luis Lagrange 5733, as convenient for the Kempes stadium and the airport. That is a stronger race reason than a central hotel chosen for sightseeing. It does not prove a walking distance, a quiet room or an early breakfast.
Cerro de las Rosas
Ñu Posta Urbana, at Fernando Fader 3587, is a northern base with its own restaurant and bar. The transfer to the stadium still needs planning, and the late checkout the tourism page mentions is not a guarantee.
Centro
King David Flat Hotel is at Avenida General Paz 386, and AT Suites, at Bulevar Illia 50, offers furnished apartments near the central sights. Both suit a longer city stay but need a separate transfer to the stadium, and King David's listed checkout is at noon.
Ask each property about breakfast at an early hour and luggage storage after checkout. A refundable room keeps your options open while the course is unpublished.
Recommended hotels
Edmundo Mariotte 5228. Municipal tourism cites access to the Kempes stadium and the airport. Ask about the walking route to the authorised entrance, early breakfast and a pre-start car.
José Luis Lagrange 5733, on Avenida Gauss. Municipal tourism cites access to the stadium. It has an outdoor pool, which is not a July recovery promise. No race shuttle was found.
Fernando Fader 3587. A northern base with its own restaurant and bar. Late checkout is mentioned among offers but must be confirmed for your dates.
Avenida General Paz 386. A central base that needs a separate transfer to the stadium. The listed checkout is at noon.
Bulevar Illia 50. Furnished apartments near central sights, useful for companions or a longer stay. Early reception and luggage storage are not confirmed.
Booking timeline
The date is announced, so the first sensible step is a refundable room for the night of 3 July 2027 and the nights after the race. The 2026 entry opened on 17 December 2025, but nothing shows when the 2027 entry will open. Watch the municipal and race pages.
Before paying for flights you cannot change, confirm that your entry is open, check your airport itinerary, find out the kit-collection date and learn where the start is. If collection is on a Friday, a Saturday-evening arrival may be too late. The 2026 race-day collection option may not return.
No evidence shows when Córdoba hotels sell out or how much they raise prices for the race, so early booking is a matter of flexibility. Regional events in July may affect any extension, and their 2027 dates are not yet known.
See & Do
Distances are from the Kempes stadium, in a straight line, kilometres first, where they could be measured.
Manzana Jesuítica and the Museo Histórico UNC
The Jesuit block is the best single introduction to the city. Municipal tourism lists Spanish-language tours on weekdays at 11:00 and 15:00 and on Saturdays and holidays at 11:00, with English tours on weekdays at 10:00 by reservation. The Monday after the race falls on a weekday. Ask about steps and seating when you book.
Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús and the Capilla Doméstica
These belong to the same complex, so count them as one visit. A museum tour sometimes includes the church, so check what your booked tour covers. Standing time and entry times need confirming.
Museo Histórico del Colegio Monserrat
A museum with scientific-instrument collections. Opening times and accessible routes are not published, so do not promise a Sunday or Monday visit.
After the Race
The marathon is on a Sunday in July, so the Monday after it is a weekday: the Jesuit block is open for tours, and Alta Gracia's museum has been shut on Mondays. The Sierras towns are a bus or car journey away, and a July chocolate festival in Villa General Belgrano may affect any extension. Allow for stiff legs on stairs and viewpoints.
One reserved tour of the Manzana Jesuítica instead of a full day on foot. Weekday tours run in Spanish and in English by reservation.
The Jesuit estancia and the former home of Viceroy Liniers, planned for a Tuesday because the museum has been shut on weekday Mondays.
A mountain town linked to a July chocolate festival, with a flexible second day for cafés and a museum.
A longer stay with short local outings once transport is checked. The clock-tower viewpoint has 98 spiral steps, which is a poor choice straight after a marathon.