The Race
| Next Race Date | Sunday 23 May 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course type | To be Confirmed |
| Registration | Open online entry, on its own or as the last stage of the Full LCW |
| Ballot opens | No ballot |
| Start | To be Confirmed (10:00 was the 2026 plan) |
| Finish | Festival site, with a red-carpet finish |
| Total finishers | Not confirmed |
| Avg race-day temp | Not confirmed |
| Cutoff time | To be Confirmed |
| Free race-day transport | No |
| Course certification | To be Confirmed |
History
The Maastricht Marathon belongs to the Long Course Weekend family, a format that spreads a swim, a bike ride and a run across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The organiser’s terms put the first Netherlands edition on 16 to 18 May 2025 and call 2027 the third. The full run can be entered on its own or as the last stage of the Full LCW, and the cycle stage is an untimed tour.
The 2026 full marathon, planned for 24 May, was cancelled because of forecast extreme heat after consultation with the city and safety services. Full entrants were invited to the half marathon, moved to an 08:30 start. No winners, records or finisher counts exist for the full distance.
The course
The organiser describes a flat route in and around Maastricht with a red-carpet finish in the festival site. The line on the map starts and finishes at the Radium site on Lage Frontweg in the west of the city and runs north along the Maas, through Borgharen at km 1 to 2 and across the border into Belgium at Lanaken at about km 3.
It continues through Neerharen at km 6 to 9, Maasmechelen and Boorsem at km 10 to 22, where it zigzags through the Maasmechelen streets, and reaches its furthest point at Vucht, 12.9 km from the start, at km 25. It returns on the Monnikhof road at km 27 to 30 and the Albert Canal dyke through Neerharen and Lanaken at km 33 to 39, then through Borgharen to Lage Frontweg.
The ground is gentle. The profile spans 25 m, from 59 m at Borgharen at km 1.7 to 34 m at Maasmechelen at km 21, and falls 24 m over 19.5 km on the way out and climbs 24 m over 19.3 km on the way back, about 0.1 per cent. No ascent, surface or certificate is published, and the 2027 map and start and finish lines are not confirmed.
Kilometre by kilometre
Start. The festival village was at the Radium site on Lage Frontweg in 2026, on the west side of the city. The 2026 guide planned a 10:00 start with limited traffic and not a full road closure, so follow marshals and police.
Km 0 to 10: north along the Maas. The line leaves the Radium site by the Spoorpad and runs north on Belvédèrelaan and Brusselseweg in Borgharen at km 1 to 2, the highest ground at 56 to 59 m. It crosses into Belgium on the Oude Heirbaan at Lanaken at km 3, runs along Kerkhofstraat at km 4 to 6 and reaches Neerharen on the Geulerweg at km 7 to 8.
Km 10 to 27: Maasmechelen. The line runs through Maasmechelen and Boorsem on Paanhuisstraat, Winterdijk, Moerdijk and Halstraat at km 11 to 18, with the low point, 34 m, at km 21, then zigzags through Maasmechelen at km 19 to 24 and reaches Vucht on Heirstraat at km 25. This is the most built-up and least visited stretch.
Km 27 to 42.195: back to Maastricht. The Monnikhof road at km 27 to 30 leads to the canal at Rekem at km 31, Neerharen and the Kanaaldijk at km 36 to 38 and the Brugstraat in Lanaken at km 39. The line climbs gently through Borgharen to Lage Frontweg and the finish at the festival site. The FAQ gives a 5 hours 30 minutes limit and the about page six hours, so confirm which applies.
Pacing. The organiser’s pacer page lists 3:30 to 4:30, and the 2026 athlete guide adds 4:45 and 5:00. See the pacer list below.
Borgharen, then across the border into Belgium at Lanaken at about km 3 and on to Neerharen.
Boorsem and the Maasmechelen streets, the low point of 34 m at km 21 and the furthest point at Vucht, 12.9 km out.
The Monnikhof road, the Albert Canal dyke and a gentle climb through Borgharen to the festival site.
The FAQ says 5:30 and the about page says six hours. Check before you travel.
Course Map
North along the Maas into Belgium, a zigzag through Maasmechelen to Vucht and back along the Albert Canal dyke to the Radium site. The 2027 map and start and finish lines are not confirmed. Tap a marker for the festival site, the landmarks and the station, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the line with the elevation profile beneath it.
Pacers
The organiser’s pacer page lists 3:30, 3:40, 3:50, 4:00, 4:10, 4:20 and 4:30, with at least two pacers per target. The 2026 athlete guide adds 4:45 and 5:00, which conflicts with the pacer page, and the planned 2026 full never ran. There is no 3:00 group.
The 2026 full marathon was cancelled because of forecast extreme heat, and entrants were offered the half marathon instead. The terms deny ordinary refunds but mention compensation if the organiser cancels. Do not assume a refund for a heat cancellation, and read the purchase terms.
Race day is in late May, and the 2026 full marathon was cancelled for heat. Plan for a warm morning: a light vest, a cap, sun cream and a plan to drink early. Keep a thin layer for the start and finish if the morning is cool. A cold wait is less likely than a hot finish.
Entry
The stand-alone entry page shows €80 for the 42.2 km including a shirt, and the festival advertises the Full LCW at €310 for all three longest stages. A Sorry, entry now closed banner persists on older race pages while festival links lead to a 2027 registration page, so check the live checkout before assuming that places are available. No ballot, guaranteed-entry route or qualification standard is published.
Transfer terms conflict. The FAQ allows a name change by email free to 31 March and €10 after, and distance changes free for downsizing to 31 March, with €10 plus any difference afterwards. The 2025 terms call the entry personal and non-transferable. The terms deny ordinary refunds, but mention compensation if the organiser cancels.
Fast runner standards
No fast-runner or good-for-age standard is published.
Official Maastricht Marathon site →Race Weekend
Number collection
Bibs are collected in person at the Radium festival site with photo ID and your ticket. The 2026 plan gave Thursday 16:00 to 19:00, Friday 13:00 to 20:00, Saturday 07:00 to 18:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 12:15, which applies to that edition only. Proxy collection is not supported by the published wording. A marathon-only entrant does not need to visit the swim venue.
Getting to the start
Collect your pack before Sunday and check the start time in the final guide. A 2026 listing included free bag storage, but dimensions, tags and showers are unverified for 2027. The official race hotel, Watersley in Sittard, is in a different city from the Maastricht start, about 19 km away, and no shuttle is published. A swim shuttle to Fun Valley is not a run-day service. Q-Park Frontenpark was a paid parking option in earlier guidance.
Nutrition on course
up4 is the festival’s nutrition partner. General aid stations are advertised, but the station table, gel brand, solids, cup volume and bottle procedure are not published. Do not assume extra cooling provision beyond what the 2027 guide says. Carry your own gels.
Spectating
The festival has an app with information and tracking. The plans below are proposals pending the map.
- Stay at the festival site and the finish
- Pick one landmark on the route once the map is published
- Walk to the finish by the spectator route
- Watch the Friday swim or Saturday bike stage as well, since they are separate venues
- Return to the finish on Sunday
Post-race food
Café Sjiek, at Sint Pieterstraat 13, serves Limburg zuurvlees, a sweet-sour stew. Pieke Potloed, at Sporenstraat 5, lists zuurvlees with fries, ribs and sour rabbit, with Sunday hours of 12:00 to 22:00 and a kitchen closing at 21:00. Reserve ahead, and choose something plain if your stomach is unsettled.
Where to Stay
The exact start and finish lines are unconfirmed, so no hotel can be called close to them. Distances below are from the 2026 festival site at the Radium site.
Station and Wyck
Kaboom Hotel is opposite Maastricht Centraal and suits rail arrivals, 1.8 km from the 2026 festival site. Check the early-Sunday walk.
Centre
The Social Hub is a city option with food nearby, 0.5 km from the 2026 festival site.
Jekerkwartier
Good for dinner, but cobbles and old stairs need checking.
Sittard
The race hotel, Watersley, offers a 25% participant discount with the code LCW, but it is a separate city about 19 km away and no shuttle is published.
Estate
Buitenplaats Vaeshartelt is in a green setting outside the core, 4 km from the 2026 festival site.
Recommended hotels
The official race hotel with a 25% participant discount using the code LCW. It is in Sittard and not Maastricht.
Opposite Maastricht Centraal.
A city option. No race rate is published.
A hotel estate in green surroundings. A transfer is needed.
Booking timeline
Check the live entry page before booking a room, and choose a cancellable rate, because entry stock is unclear and the 2026 full was cancelled. The Watersley code is a discount lead and not a transfer. Entry refunds and hotel refunds are separate contracts.
See & Do
The centre is a short walk from the 2026 festival site, and the places below are all within 2.1 km of it.
Boekhandel Dominicanen
A bookshop in a former Gothic church. A short, seated browse.
Bonnefanten
The city’s art museum on the east bank of the Meuse. Check Monday opening.
Charles Eyck Park
A riverside park near the Céramique quarter for a flat, slow walk.
After the Race
Maastricht sits close to Belgium and Germany, so Liège, Valkenburg and Aachen are all short trips. Late May can be hot, so choose shaded or indoor days.
A Belgian city with a Calatrava station and a steep stair that you can skip.
A hill town with marl caves and a castle ruin.
Charlemagne’s city, with a cathedral and thermal baths.
A German pairing that ends beneath Cologne’s cathedral.