The Race
| Next Race Date | 11 April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course Type | Loop (start and finish on the same road, with a turnaround in Eusébio) |
| Registration | Open entry with three price tiers; places can run out before the final tier closes |
| Ballot Opens | Not applicable |
| Total Finishers | About 3,000 people ran the marathon in 2026. A finisher count is not published. |
| Average Race Day Temperature | 23 to 30°C (April monthly average daily minimum to maximum). The 04:00 start is well before sunrise, so the opening hours are at the cool end. |
| Cutoff Time | 6 hours, with four timed checkpoints |
| Free Race Day Transport | No race-day transport is included in the entry |
| Course Certification | Measurement by an authorised CBAt representative is promised in the rules. No certificate has been published. |
History
The Maratona Internacional de Fortaleza is young. Its first full marathon ran on Sunday 12 April 2026, built into the celebrations for the city's 300th anniversary. The organisers expected about 10,000 runners across four distances, and roughly 3,000 of them ran the marathon, another 3,000 the half and 4,000 the 5 km and 10 km combined.
Rain started early that morning. The men's marathon went to Joílson da Silva in 2:22:38, with Antônio José Lopes second in 2:32:51. Aline Prudêncio won the women's race in 2:52:52, ahead of Renata Glauciane in 3:05:52. The medal was designed by the local artist Mano Alencar. These are first-edition winners, not verified course records.
The race announced its second edition on 8 May 2026 with a change of format. Instead of one day, the 2027 event spreads over a weekend: the 5 km and 10 km run on Saturday and the half marathon and marathon on Sunday. Two combined entries, the Desafio Iracema and the Desafio Dragão do Mar, join a Saturday race to a Sunday distance. The organisers said the split lets runners in the shorter races watch the start and finish of the Sunday events.
The organising consortium named in the current rules is BRB MKT Esportivo, K1 Sports and 77 Eventos.
Fortaleza has other races at the 42 km distance, including the Maratona 42K Terra da Luz. They have separate organisers and routes and share no history with this event.
The course
The Maratona Internacional de Fortaleza starts and finishes on Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão, beside the Praia de Iracema seafront. The route runs east along Avenida Beira Mar, passes the Mucuripe fish market at about km 3 and swings inland onto Avenida Vicente de Castro (km 4), Avenida José Sabóia (km 5) and Avenida César Cals (km 6 to 7). It then follows Avenida Dioguinho through Praia do Futuro from km 8 to km 12 and crosses to Rua Jamaica and Rua Doutor Bernardo Feitosa before reaching the coast road CE-010 (Rodovia Deputado Joaquim Noronha Mota) at about km 14.
CE-010 runs for six kilometres through the Sabiaguaba dunes and into Eusébio, then the course drops onto Avenida Manoel Mavignier and Avenida Litorânea. The turn comes at about km 22, the farthest point of the race, 14.1 km from the start in a straight line. The return follows the same streets in reverse, back along Dioguinho, César Cals, José Sabóia and Vicente de Castro, rejoins Beira Mar at the fish market (km 39 to 40) and finishes on Historiador Raimundo Girão.
The smoothed profile spans 18 m, from 7 m to 25 m. The one sustained climb is 15 m over 3.8 km (0.4%) on CE-010 between km 13.8 and km 17.6, and the mirror descent of 15 m comes between km 24.3 and km 28.2 on the way back. The remainder moves by a metre or two per kilometre. The route description mentions short ramps at the Sabiaguaba bridge and the Maestro Lisboa overpass, which do not register on a profile sampled every 100 m. No official elevation-gain figure has been published, and the surface is road throughout.
Kilometre by kilometre
Km 0 to 12: Beira Mar, then the port streets. The marathon leaves Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão at 04:00, in the dark, and runs east on Beira Mar to Mucuripe at km 2 to 3. The fish market sits beside the road at about km 3. The route turns inland at km 4 onto Vicente de Castro and José Sabóia, then runs down César Cals and Dioguinho through Praia do Futuro. The half marathon starts an hour later, so the early road is quiet. It is warm before sunrise, so hold back.
Km 12 to 22: onto CE-010 and out to the turn. After Rua Jamaica and Rua Doutor Bernardo Feitosa the course joins CE-010 at about km 14. The road climbs 15 m over 3.8 km (0.4%) to km 17.6 beside the Sabiaguaba dunes, with no shelter from the sun, and runs on through Eusébio to Avenida Manoel Mavignier and Avenida Litorânea. The turn is at about km 22. This is the most exposed stretch of the course, and runners meet the field coming back at the turn.
Km 22 to 31: the same road back. The return repeats CE-010 in the other direction. The 15 m descent comes between km 24.3 and km 28.2, then the course leaves the coast road at about km 29 for Rua Doutor Bernardo Feitosa. Daylight arrives during this stretch, and so does the heat.
Km 31 to 42.2: back through Praia do Futuro and along the sea. Dioguinho, César Cals, José Sabóia and Vicente de Castro repeat from km 30 to km 39, all within a metre or two of 12 m to 16 m. The last three kilometres run along Beira Mar past the fish market and the Mucuripe waterfront to Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão. The finish chute and timing mats are not mapped.
Water stations are 2 km apart, so use each one in the heat.
East along the seafront to Mucuripe at km 2 to 3, then inland through the port streets and Praia do Futuro. Flat, lit and quiet at 04:00.
A 15 m climb over 3.8 km beside the Sabiaguaba dunes, then Eusébio and the turn on Avenida Litorânea at about km 22. The most exposed stretch.
The CE-010 return, with a 15 m descent between km 24.3 and km 28.2. The field passes in both directions at the turn.
The port streets again, then the last three kilometres on Beira Mar past the fish market to the finish on Historiador Raimundo Girão.
Course Map
The 2026 course: out along Beira Mar and the coast road CE-010 to a turn in Eusébio, and back by the same streets. 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.
MarathonPassport
Pace plan and spectator planner for the Fortaleza Marathon
Enter a start time and goal finish, then tap the course map. Each point you pick shows the window of time your runner is expected to pass it.
April in Fortaleza is warm and wet. Monthly averages for the city run from about 23°C at night to about 30°C in the afternoon, and April brings the heaviest rain of the year. A long-term station record gives 348 mm in the month, spread over about 22 days with rain. Those are old averages from 1961 to 1990 and are not a forecast for race morning.
The 04:00 start is before sunrise, so the first hours are at the cooler end of the range. A removable layer is not needed for temperature. A light rain shell or a disposable poncho for the wait in the start area is more useful, because the 2026 race began in rain. Choose shoes with a grippy outsole: ramps, white road paint and metal expansion joints at the bridge and overpass get slippery when wet.
Plan for heat after sunrise. A light, vented vest, a cap with a brim and sunscreen on the shoulders and neck all matter in the last third, when the sun is up on the exposed CE-010 section on the return. Carry salt if you cramp in the heat, because the organisers have published water and fruit stations but have not named the sports drink or gel products.
Entry
Entry is open: there is no ballot and no general qualifying time. The marathon has a cap of 4,000 places inside a festival limit of 14,000, and the rules say entries can close before the final tier ends if places run out. Minimum age for the marathon is 20 on 31 December of the race year. Register through the Ticket Sports event page linked from the official site. The solo marathon runs on three price tiers, shown in the table below.
These are face prices. A percentage convenience charge is added at checkout, so check the final amount on the registration page before paying.
The Desafio Iracema (21 km plus 5 km or 10 km) and Desafio Dragão do Mar (42 km plus 5 km or 10 km) are combined entries over the two days. A challenge entry includes two kits and three medals. They are optional and do not change the solo marathon distance.
Older runners and eligible disabled entrants receive a 50% concession. Disability entries need validation of the category. Older, special and elite entrants must collect their own kits and cannot use proxy collection.
Name transfers and changes carry fees that rise through the entry period: the rules list R$30 during 2026, R$80 from January to 15 March and R$100 for ownership transfers at the expo. The wording on what a change includes is not clear, so confirm distance and shirt-size changes in the portal. Refunds are limited to a seven-day withdrawal period after payment. The entry includes individual event insurance; read the policy terms and do not treat it as travel insurance.
International runners should confirm in advance which identity document and registration identifier the portal accepts, because Brazilian registration systems often ask for a CPF number. No answer for passport holders has been published.
No charity places, tour-operator packages or guaranteed-entry schemes have been verified.
| Tier | Window | Fee (BRL) |
|---|---|---|
| Lote 1 | 11 May to 30 June 2026 | 299 |
| Lote 2 | 1 July to 31 December 2026 | 359 |
| Lote 3 | 1 January to 1 March 2027 | 399 |
Fast runner standards
There is no qualifying time and no ballot. Elite applicants are approved by the organiser, so no general good-for-age standard applies.
Race Weekend
Expo and bib collection
Race packs are collected at the Centro de Eventos do Ceará, Avenida Washington Soares 999, Gate C. The published hours are Wednesday 7 April to Friday 9 April, 10:00 to 20:00, and Saturday 10 April, 10:00 to 18:00. The Saturday session is restricted to half-marathon and marathon collection, so shorter-distance runners should not rely on it.
Bring photo identification and your registration or payment confirmation. A friend can collect your pack using the organiser's authorisation form, which the rules say is released on 15 March. Proxy collection is not allowed for older, disabled or elite entrants, who must collect in person. The standard kit has an event bag, shirt, bib and a disposable timing chip; a challenge entry receives two kits.
The expo is nowhere near the start. The Centro de Eventos is a separate venue on the Avenida Washington Soares, so allow a taxi or ride-hailing journey from a beachfront hotel and plan the trip at a quiet hour. No expo shuttle and no bus route from the hotel district have been verified.
International runners should clarify in advance whether a passport is accepted as identification and whether the authorisation form can be filled in by a foreign entrant. No queue-time data has been published.
There is no race-day collection. Do not plan a Saturday-evening arrival that leaves no time to reach the Centro de Eventos before 18:00.
Getting to the start
The marathon starts at 04:00 on Sunday on Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão, five minutes earlier for special categories. The half marathon starts at 05:00 on the same road.
Local authorities closed Historiador Raimundo Girão, Avenida Leste-Oeste, Avenida Adolfo Caminha, Avenida Pessoa Anta and the stretch of Beira Mar between Jacinto Matos and the fish market in 2026, from 03:00 to 11:00. Expect something similar. Bus routes on Historiador Raimundo Girão, Monsenhor Tabosa, Leste-Oeste and Presidente Castelo Branco were altered. Hotels on or near the closure area are the best option for reaching the start without a vehicle.
No free race-day transport has been published, and no shuttle. If you stay outside the closure zone, agree a drop-off point beyond the barriers with your driver the day before. Walk the final stretch from the hotel to the start in daylight on Saturday so that you know where the entrance is. A promenade-facing hotel does not tell you where the pen gate is.
The rules mention an arena area, baggage storage, chemical toilets, a medical space and team tents. Opening times, bag dimensions and the position of each facility have not been published.
Nutrition on course
The marathon has water stations every 2 km. Separate points offer a sports drink, gels and fruit, but their positions and the brands have not been published. Do not assume that every water station carries all of them. A water tent is confirmed at the finish.
Cup or bottle format, volumes, personal-bottle arrangements and elite tables are not documented. In a tropical April, carry enough of your own fuel to cover the stretch between published sports-drink points, and practise with the gel type you intend to use. Pour water over your head and neck from km 25 or so if the day is hot; the last 15 km are on the same exposed road as the outbound CE-010 section.
Spectating
The most dependable plan is to stay near Historiador Raimundo Girão, outside the controlled area. The marathon starts at 04:00, so watching the start means a very early rise. The finish is on the same road. A runner at 5:00 per kilometre finishes at about 07:30 and a runner at 6:00 per kilometre at about 08:15. These are arithmetic examples from the gun and need the runner's actual delay added.
The route uses Beira Mar outbound and again on the return, which gives one spot two sightings. Pick a spot on a section the runners use in both directions, for example near the fish market. The first pass comes in the first hour and the second 36 km later, at about km 39. Lane position, crossing points and access need confirmation against the released map.
Following the runner to the turnaround is not recommended. The Sabiaguaba bridge, the CE-010 ramps and the Alphaville turnaround are inside the closure zone, and traffic agents were stationed at the Sabiaguaba roundabout and the CE-010 turnaround in 2026. No spectator bus, permitted viewing point or live tracking has been verified.
Post-race food
None of these is confirmed as a finish-line option. The finish area has no published food menu, so pack a snack.
Maestro, Hotel Sonata de Iracema, Avenida Beira Mar 848. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and quick meals are listed. Confirm Sunday hours before relying on it.
Restaurante Mucuripe, Gran Marquise, Avenida Beira Mar 3980. The hotel lists a Sunday brunch from 12:00 to 15:00. It is a car journey or a long walk from the finish, so treat it as a planned lunch. Book ahead and check that the brunch still runs.
Coco Bambu, Meireles. The restaurant publishes Sunday opening from 11:30 to 23:30 and a menu of seafood, meat, pizza, crepes and tapioca. Check the address before you go.
Where to Stay
Start and finish are on the same road, so the usual finish-first rule has no tension here. Pick a hotel that makes the walk to Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão simple at 03:00, then compare price and facilities.
Praia de Iracema
This is the district that holds the start and finish. The Holiday Inn Fortaleza has its official address on Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão, and the ibis Fortaleza Praia de Iracema and the Sonata de Iracema are nearby. A hotel here removes the need for a vehicle on race morning. The cost is that the road in front of it may be closed to traffic and the pavement outside may be crowded at 03:00. Ask for race-weekend access instructions. No noise data for Saturday night is available.
Meireles
The Afago Mareiro lies on Avenida Beira Mar, further east along the course corridor. The area suits runners who want a longer coastal stay. The approach to the start is longer and the walk after finishing is more tiring. Choose it for the hotel itself, since waterfront hotels are not all equally close.
Mucuripe
The Gran Marquise sits at the eastern end of Beira Mar, at the fish market end of the course. It is a higher-service option and farther from the start, so it needs a booked car or a measured walk. A premium hotel does not imply an early breakfast or a race shuttle.
Aldeota and inland districts
Useful if you are visiting family or have another reason to stay there, but no race-specific benefit has been established. Check the route to the start against the closures before booking.
Praia do Futuro and beach resorts
Treat them as post-race extension options. They are not close to the 04:00 start, and a runner cannot join the course away from the official start.
Distances to the start have not been measured. Pedestrian routes depend on closures. For any property, confirm lift access, a pre-dawn snack, shower access after you return and luggage storage. Ask the hotel about each before booking.
Recommended hotels
The address is on the start and finish road, which is the strongest location claim among the five. Ask the hotel what happens to the entrance on race morning, because event barriers can complicate access.
A simpler base in the same district. The normal breakfast service starts after the 04:00 marathon, so plan your own pre-race food. Verify that the room works are complete.
It lists a restaurant and room service. Confirm that the property is operating before booking.
A current hotel on the course corridor, rebranded under the Afago name. It suits a longer coastal stay, with a longer morning approach and a longer walk back.
The highest-service option, at the far end of Beira Mar. It has a Sunday brunch listed from 12:00 to 15:00. Arrange a car for the start, since the walk is long.
Booking timeline
Secure the entry first. The solo marathon price rises in steps, from R$299 to R$359 to R$399 across the published tiers, and the rules reserve the right to close entries early if the 4,000 marathon places run out.
Book a hotel with free cancellation once the entry is confirmed. There is no verified sell-out pattern and no published room block, so there is no basis for a fixed booking month. Hotels on Historiador Raimundo Girão and Beira Mar are worth looking at early because they offer the shortest approach on race morning.
Plan arrival around pack collection, not the starting gun. Collection runs from Wednesday to Saturday, with Saturday limited to half and marathon entrants and closing at 18:00. The expo is away from the beach, so leave travel time. If you enter a challenge that includes a Saturday race, add a night.
Flights: no airfare pattern has been established. The airport is Pinto Martins (FOR).
A second night after the race removes the pressure of checkout and gives time for a day trip. See the After the Race tab.
See & Do
Distances are from the finish, kilometres first, then miles.
Estação das Artes
The former railway station on Rua Doutor João Moreira 540 is now an arts complex. The tourist board lists it as open Thursday to Sunday, with Sunday hours of 10:00 to 15:00. Check the current programme, since it does not open on Mondays.
Pinacoteca do Ceará
The state art museum is by the Praça da Estação on Rua 24 de Maio. Opening hours are Wednesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday 12:00 to 20:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry 30 minutes earlier. Check the hours before going.
Praia de Iracema waterfront
The seafront next to the start area is the simplest recovery walk, flat and paved. Keep it short. It is not a verified sighting point for the race and the surface and any events on the day are unconfirmed.
After the Race
A day on the beach at Cumbuco with a transfer from your hotel. April is Fortaleza's rainy season, so keep the day flexible.
One night in the dune village of Canoa Quebrada, using separate outward and return tours so the legs are not rushed on the Monday.
Two nights in Jericoacoara, with the outward and return legs sold on separate days so luggage travels properly.
Two nights in Jericoacoara and a final night at Cumbuco, near the city, before the flight.