The Race
| Next Race Date | Sunday 25 April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Loop: start and finish about 160 m apart |
| Registration | Open online entry; price by places sold |
| Ballot opens | No ballot |
| Start | Grand Palais, Charleroi, 09:30 (with the half marathon) |
| Finish | Grand Palais village |
| Total finishers | 285 (2026, results archive) |
| Avg race-day temp | Not confirmed |
| Cutoff time | 6 hours, with a 3-hour barrier at halfway |
| Free race-day transport | No |
| Course certification | To be Confirmed |
History
The first Marathon International de Charleroi Métropole was held on 12 May 2024 on an urban and canal route, using the Place Verte, the canal towards Pont-à-Celles and a return through Marchienne. The second edition was on 29 June 2025 and started at the Bois du Cazier with a finish at the Place Verte and an advance-booked shuttle. The third edition, on 26 April 2026, moved the arrival to the Grand Palais, and the 2027 programme keeps it.
A results archive for the 2026 marathon lists 285 finishers, 244 men and 41 women, with Damien Brenard of Belgium winning in 2:28:17 and Aleksandra Kacprzak of France in 3:15:05. Those are winning times and not course records, and the three editions used different routes.
The course
The race starts and finishes at the Grand Palais, with the finish 160 m from the start. The line runs west through Dampremy and Docherie, then north along the canal towpath through Roux to Gosselies and a northern turn near Thiméon and Viesville at km 11, 8.1 km from the start. It returns the same way to Docherie at km 18 and Monceau-sur-Sambre at km 19 to 20.
The long climb follows: through Goutroux and Monceau-sur-Sambre to the high point, about 187 m, on Rue de Leernes at km 25.5. The course then drops through Fontaine-l’Évêque to the west at km 28 to 31, climbs and falls once more at Landelies and Monceau at km 32 to 33, and comes home on the Quai de Sambre and the Sambre towpath. It passes the station area on the Quai de la Gare du Sud at km 40 and finishes on Avenue des Alliés.
This is not a flat course. The profile spans 88 m, from 99 m on the Sambre towpath at km 37 to 187 m, and has four climbs of note: 75 m over 5.3 km, 1.4 per cent, from km 20 to 25.5; 17 m over 0.7 km, 2.5 per cent, at km 27; 24 m over 1.2 km, 2 per cent, at km 32; and a gentler 18 m over 5 km into the finish. No official ascent or certificate number is published. A runner’s report from 2026 described a tiring uphill finish near the Grand Palais, and the profile shows 18 m over the last 5 km.
Kilometre by kilometre
Km 0 to 11: west, then north on the canal. The marathon and half marathon start together at 09:30. The first kilometre falls 11 m on Rue de l’Ancre and Route de Mons in Dampremy, and the course runs west on Rue du Port at km 2 to 3 before turning north through Docherie at km 4 and Roux at km 5 to 7, partly on the canal towpath. Gosselies follows at km 8 to 9, and the northern turn near Thiméon and Viesville is at km 11. The children’s race goes at 08:30 and the 5 km and 10 km at 10:00.
Km 11 to 20: back down the canal. The return is the same ground in reverse, with Rue du Pircha at km 13, Rue Sous-le-Bois in Heigne at km 14 and the Passerelle de Roux at km 16. The elevation barely changes, between 105 and 120 m, so this is the easy half of the profile. The three-hour barrier at halfway is inside the six-hour limit, and its exact location is not published.
Km 20 to 27: the long climb. From Monceau-sur-Sambre at km 20 the course climbs 75 m over 5.3 km, through Rue de Goutroux at km 21, Rue Lucie Dejardin at km 22 and Rue Fosse du Bois at km 24, to the high point of about 187 m on Rue de Leernes at km 25.5. The kilometre from 21 to 22 is the steepest of the climb, 22 m at 2.2 per cent. A fall of 35 m over 1.3 km follows, then a short rise of 17 m at km 27, so the legs have no real rest.
Km 27 to 36: Fontaine-l’Évêque and the Sambre. The course falls 47 m over 4.6 km through Fontaine-l’Évêque, the westernmost point, at km 28 to 31, then climbs 24 m over 1.2 km on Rue de Mons in Landelies at km 32. A fall of 40 m over 1.1 km at km 33 to 34 leads down to the Quai de Sambre at km 34 to 36.
Km 36 to 42.195: the towpath and the finish. The Sambre RAVeL towpath from km 37 to 39 is flat and low, 99 to 102 m, and quiet. The course passes the station area on the Quai de la Gare du Sud at km 40, climbs through Rue du Pont-Neuf at km 41 and finishes on Avenue des Alliés at the Grand Palais, 18 m higher than the towpath. Collection ends at 09:30, so do not arrive at the desk at 09:29.
Dampremy and Docherie, then the canal towpath through Roux to Gosselies. Flat at 102 to 121 m.
The same ground in reverse. The three-hour barrier at halfway sits inside the six-hour limit.
75 m over 5.3 km, 1.4 per cent, to the 187 m high point at km 25.5. The steepest kilometre is 2.2 per cent.
Two more short climbs and falls, then a flat towpath run, the station at km 40 and a gentle rise to the Grand Palais.
Course Map
Canal towpaths north to Gosselies, a long climb through Monceau-sur-Sambre and Goutroux, Fontaine-l’Évêque to the west and the Sambre towpath home. Tap a marker for the start and finish, the northern turn, the high point and the station, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.
Pacers
The organiser’s recruitment page lists targets for the full marathon: 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45 and 5:00. That is a recruitment list and not proof that every group is staffed, so check the final programme. Faster groups listed in the 2025 guide do not apply.
The rules include a three-hour time barrier at halfway, inside a six-hour overall limit. The barrier’s exact location is not published.
Race day is in late April, a changeable month in Wallonia. The 09:30 start spares you the dawn chill, but showers and wind are realistic, and the wait can be cool. The 2025 edition, in late June, was hot, which is no guide to April.
Wear a removable layer for the pen. No clothing-donation scheme has been confirmed, so use something you do not mind losing. A cap helps in rain.
Entry
Entry is through the organiser’s online form. The price depends on how many places have sold and not on the date: €60 for places 1 to 150, €65 for 151 to 300 and €70 for 301 to 800. On 3 October 2026 the marathon showed €60 and 743 places remaining. A transaction charge and options are extra, and on-site entry from 06:30 is possible if stock remains, with no cash. Engraving is €8 and cancellation cover is €10.
The deadlines conflict. The rules say online entry closes on 21 April at 23:59, and the live form says 24 April at 20:00. The programme says name and distance changes close on 13 April and mentions approved transfers, while the rules prohibit private transfers, so do not hand a bib to another runner. The cancellation cover has conditions and is not a general refund right. Entrants must be 18 on race day. There is no ballot, guaranteed entry, fast-runner standard or charity place published.
Fast runner standards
No fast-runner or good-for-age standard is published.
Official Marathon de Charleroi site →Race Weekend
Number collection
The 2027 programme gives village collection at the Grand Palais on Saturday 24 April from 16:00 to 20:00 and on Sunday 25 April from 06:30 to 09:30. Shop collection runs from 2 April to 21 April at Trakks and Decathlon Charleroi Centre, with home-delivery choices closing on 21 March. The rules conflict, giving 7 April for shops, Place Verte for Saturday and 06:00 on Sunday. The programme and venue pages favour the Grand Palais, but confirm before you travel.
There is a bib-collection village and not a large expo. Proxy collection and accepted ID are not published.
Getting to the start
The marathon starts at 09:30 and collection ends at 09:30, so collect on Saturday. Charleroi-Central is the nearest station, about a 15 to 20 minute walk by the organiser’s estimate, and the TEC stop Beaux-Arts is now called Palais. By car, the organiser directs drivers via the R9 and Porte Palais. Brussels South Charleroi Airport is not within walking distance.
Bag storage. Bag storage is included, in your own tagged bag of at most 45 litres, labelled with your bib. Pen closing time, showers and changing space are not published. The old shuttle and shower addresses served a different finish.
Nutrition on course
The rules describe refreshments every 5 km, and personal nutrition is allowed at the runner’s own responsibility. The full pack includes course refreshments and a finish drink. A 2025 guide named Decathlon nutrition, which may not apply now. Exact positions, gels, cups and personal bottle points are not published.
Spectating
Start and finish share the Grand Palais, so a venue-based plan is the least risky. The course passes the station area at km 40. The plans below are proposals only.
- Watch the start at the Grand Palais
- Stay for the finish
- Arrive at Charleroi-Central
- Walk or take the TEC to Palais and pick one meeting point
- Spend the morning in the centre
- Meet at the finish area, with lunch at Quai10 afterwards
Post-race food
Quai10 Brasserie, at Quai Arthur Rimbaud 10, lists burgers and grilled salmon with potatoes, with Sunday food service from 12:00 to 21:30. La Quille at Rue de Marcinelle 33 serves traditional food, but its Sunday opening is not confirmed. Reserve ahead.
Where to Stay
Choose by the journey to the Grand Palais. The city’s hotel directory does not name a race partner. Distances below are from the start.
Near the Grand Palais
The simplest morning. Check the gradient and doorway access.
Ville Basse
Shopping and food, with the Novotel Charleroi Centre, 0.7 km from the start. A climb or a ride to the village follows.
Station and Sambre
The ibis Charleroi Centre Gare suits arrivals, about 1 km from the start, and the organiser estimates a 15 to 20 minute walk to the venue.
Marcinelle
The Bois du Cazier mining site, 3.6 km from the start, was the 2025 start and not the 2027 one.
Airport
The Van der Valk Hotel Charleroi Airport suits flights but needs a transfer, 5.8 km north of the start.
Recommended hotels
A central chain hotel. Check the route up to the Grand Palais.
By the station. The organiser estimates a 15 to 20 minute walk to the venue.
Suits flights. A transfer to the start is needed.
Booking timeline
Secure your entry and confirm the Grand Palais arrangements, then book a cancellable room. A Saturday arrival fits the evening collection window.
See & Do
Charleroi’s main sights are a short taxi or tram ride from the start: a contemporary art museum in the centre, a mining-heritage site in Marcinelle and a photography museum in Mont-sur-Marchienne.
BPS22
A contemporary art museum in the centre. Check opening days.
Bois du Cazier
A former coal mine in Marcinelle with a museum on the 1956 disaster. A flat site.
Musée de la Photographie
A photography museum in a former convent in Mont-sur-Marchienne. Check Monday opening.
After the Race
Late April is changeable. Brussels is under an hour by train, and Mons, Tournai, Namur and Dinant are all on regional lines.
The capital for a flat day of museums and a famous square.
A small city with a belfry and a hill-top old centre.
One of Belgium’s oldest towns, with a five-towered cathedral.
A citadel city and a cliff-backed town on the Meuse.