The Race
| Next Race Date | Sunday 4 April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Point-to-point (Corso Sempione to Piazza del Duomo) |
| Registration | Open, online |
| Ballot opens | Not applicable |
| Start | Corso Sempione, 08:15 |
| Finish | Piazza del Duomo |
| Total finishers | To be Confirmed |
| Avg race-day temp | To be Confirmed |
| Cutoff time | 6 hours 30 minutes, with gates at 21.1 km (3:15) and 27.8 km (4:20) |
| Free race-day transport | No |
| Course certification | FIDAL Gold (national); World Athletics Label cited in the rules |
History
The 2027 race is the 25th edition of the marathon, organised by RCS Active Team, the company behind the city's running events. Anyone who ran it before 2026 ran a circuit with a start and finish in the same place. The 24th edition on Sunday 12 April 2026 changed the format for the first time: the course now runs in a line from Corso Sempione, beside Parco Sempione, to Piazza del Duomo, and the organiser redesigned the first 13 km for it.
That 2026 race is the most useful reference. Vitalis Kibiwott of Kenya won the men's race in 2:06:35, from Amos Kiprotich Kiplagat in 2:08:14 and Laban Kiplimo in 2:08:23. Yeshi Kalayu Chekole of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:20:15, which the organiser called the second-fastest in the race's history. Xavier Chevrier was the first Italian, ninth overall in 2:11:50, in his marathon debut. The organiser reported more than 15,000 marathon participants and about 16,000 relay runners across 4,000 teams, and said the weekend raised about €2 million for charity. Those headline numbers include the relay and the separate events and are not a marathon finisher count.
The race appears on World Athletics' Label road-race calendar for 2026. The 2027 rules use the words World Athletics Label and FIDAL Gold without naming a World Athletics tier, so the page does not name one either. A men's course record is deliberately not quoted: an older World Athletics report gives Titus Ekiru's 2:02:57 from the 2021 edition, while the 2027 prize clause lists 2:03:55 as the men's best time, and the two sources use different definitions. The women's 2:19:35 appears in both.
The course
The marathon starts on Corso Sempione in north-west Milan and finishes in Piazza del Duomo. It is a point-to-point course through the city's inner ring and the districts beyond, so the start and the finish are only about 2.4 km apart in a straight line, and the course covers 42.195 km by looping through the north, east, south and west before returning to the centre.
On the 2026 route, runners head north-west up Corso Sempione, turn east past the Cimitero Monumentale and Piazza Venticinque Aprile, and reach Corso Venezia at Porta Venezia at about 5.4 km. They then turn south on the ring avenues towards Viale Beatrice d'Este and the Darsena canal basin at about 11 km, swing west past the CityLife towers at about 16 km and reach the San Siro stadium district near 23 km. The far west of the course, around Via Cascina Bellaria at 25 to 26 km, is 5.4 km from the start. The route then loops back through Gallaratese and Viale De Gasperi, passes the Tunnel Gattamelata at about 33 km, rejoins Corso Sempione at 36 km and reaches the Duomo through Viale Milton, Via della Moscova and Via dell'Annunciata.
The course is flat. The chart below runs from 120 to 137 m with no sustained climb, and the surface is city asphalt. No official elevation figure is published.
Kilometre by kilometre
Kilometre positions come from the 2026 route, scaled to 42.195 km, and are approximate to about half a kilometre.
Km 0 to 5: out of Sempione. The gun fires at 08:15 on Corso Sempione, with waves behind it and grids open from 07:00. The course runs north-west up Corso Sempione, turns at Piazza Diocleziano at 2 km, and comes back east to the Cimitero Monumentale at 3 km and Piazza Venticinque Aprile at 4 km, beside the Porta Garibaldi and Gae Aulenti district. It reaches Viale Città di Fiume at 5 km. The roads are wide and flat. Go out slowly, because the first crowd and the wave starts make a fast first kilometre expensive.
Km 5 to 12: east and south. The route meets Corso Venezia at Porta Venezia at about 5.4 km, then runs down Viale Majno at 7 km, Viale Bianca Maria at 8 km and Viale Caldara at 9 km on the southern ring. The organiser's 2026 plan puts a support point at the Università Bocconi at 10.2 km; the route passes Viale Beatrice d'Este at 10 km. The Darsena canal basin, with the Navigli bars beside it, appears at Piazza Ventiquattro Maggio at about 11 km, and Viale Papiniano follows at 12 km.
Km 12 to 23: west to San Siro. The course runs up Via San Vittore at 13 km and across to Viale Ezio at 15 km, passing the CityLife towers just north of the route at about 16 km. It goes out along Viale De Gasperi at 18 and 19 km, turns at Via Sant'Elia at 20 km and returns down Via Diomede at 21 km, which is the halfway point. San Siro follows: Viale Caprilli at 22 km and the stadium district at 23 km. The middle of the race is the quietest part for spectators.
Km 23 to 35: the long return. Via Tesio at 24 km and Via Cascina Bellaria at 25 and 26 km take the course to its far western point, 5.4 km from the start. It returns by Via Giacomo Balla at 27 km and Via Adolfo Omodeo at 28 km, where the 27.8 km gate (4:20 on the clock from the start) falls. A runner at the limit is running about 9:21 a kilometre, and the roads reopen behind the final runners. The course continues through Gallaratese at 29 km, Viale De Gasperi again at 30 km, Via Gallarate at 31 and 32 km and the Tunnel Gattamelata at 33 km, then Viale Scarampo at 34 km and Piazzale Damiano Chiesa at 35 km. Water and supplements are every 5 km, with fruit and biscuits from 20 km.
Km 35 to 42.2: into the centre. The course rejoins Corso Sempione at 36 km and runs down Viale Milton at 37 km and Viale Gadio at 38 km, which passes within about 0.1 km of the Castello Sforzesco. It turns up Via della Moscova at 39 km, runs along Via dell'Annunciata at 40 km and Via San Damiano at 41 km, and finishes in Piazza del Duomo. The organiser lists dense spectator and charity support between 37 and 41 km. The final 200 m is on stone or paved surface in front of the cathedral.
Timing mats are listed at 5, 10, 15, 20, halfway, 25, 30, 35 and 40 km.
A wide, flat opening up Corso Sempione, past the Monumentale cemetery and the Gae Aulenti district. The waves make the first kilometre crowded, so settle first.
Porta Venezia, the southern ring avenues and the Bocconi support point at 10.2 km. The Darsena arrives near 11 km.
A quiet middle section past the CityLife towers and out to the stadium. The halfway mat sits at 21 km.
The far west, Gallaratese and Viale De Gasperi, with the 27.8 km gate on the way. Fruit and biscuits are available from 20 km.
Corso Sempione again, then Viale Gadio, Via della Moscova and Via dell'Annunciata to the cathedral square. The loudest support is between 37 and 41 km.
Course Map
The map shows the 2026 route, which the organiser's 2027 page still carries. Tap a marker for the start, finish, bag storage, stations and course landmarks, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.
Pacers
The 2027 English rules list pacers for these finish times, net from the start line. Paces per kilometre are computed from 42.195 km.
| Target time | Pace per km |
|---|---|
| 3:00 | 4:16 |
| 3:10 | 4:30 |
| 3:20 | 4:44 |
| 3:30 | 4:59 |
| 3:40 | 5:13 |
| 3:50 | 5:27 |
| 4:00 | 5:41 |
| 4:15 | 6:03 |
| 4:30 | 6:24 |
| 4:45 | 6:45 |
| 5:00 | 7:07 |
| 5:30 | 7:49 |
| 6:00 | 8:32 |
| 6:30 | 9:15 |
The marathon starts on Corso Sempione and finishes in Piazza del Duomo. Your bag goes to Piazza Castello, which is near the finish and not the start. Plan the route from your hotel to the start and from the finish to your hotel before race morning.
Early April mornings in Milan are cool and the day warms slowly, so the start and the late kilometres can feel like two different races. The 2026 edition was run in cool conditions, which the organiser credited for fast times. For a start at 08:15 with grids open from 07:00, bring a layer you can throw away or put in the bag at Piazza Castello, which you collect after the finish.
Spring weather in the Po valley is variable, with sun, cold showers and a warm final hour all possible in the same morning, so check the forecast the day before. The course has little shade in the open squares and long avenues, and a runner finishing near the limit at about 14:45 runs in the warmest part of the day. Bring a cap and sunscreen if the forecast is clear. The finish is a long way from the start, so keep a dry top in the bag.
Entry
Entry is open and online, with no ballot and no race-day entry. The organiser advertised an early-bird fee of €99 until 30 September 2026, which has now passed, and a separate €5 service charge. The later price tiers are not published in the rulebook, so check the official page for the current fee. At about €1 to £0.858, €99 is about £85 before payment charges. Entry normally closes at 23:59 on 31 March 2027 and may close earlier if the field fills. The organiser expects more than 20,000 runners across the weekend's events, with no marathon-only cap published. The minimum age is 20.
To run competitively you need to be a FIDAL member, to hold a card from a foreign athletics federation recognised by World Athletics, or to hold a RunCard or RunCard-EPS together with a valid competitive athletics medical certificate. A foreign resident abroad who holds a RunCard may use the organiser's health form or equivalent home-country tests: a medical examination, urine test, resting and exercise ECG and spirometry. A foreign resident abroad without any federation membership may enter a non-competitive sport-tourism category, with a waiver and health statement, a different bib, an alphabetical finish list and no prizes. Italian citizens living abroad face the Italian certificate requirement. Upload any missing card or certificate before you collect your bib, not just before the gun.
Entry cannot normally be transferred or deferred. An optional €10 insurance allows a full entry-fee refund if requested by 31 January 2027 and 75 per cent between 1 February and 23 March, excluding insurance and service fees. Read the insurer's terms before relying on it.
Fast runner standards
There are no guaranteed-entry or qualifying standards on the organiser's pages.
Milano Marathon: official site →Race Weekend
Milano Running Festival and bib collection
Bibs are collected at the Milano Running Festival, which the 2027 rules schedule for Thursday 1 April from 16:00 to 20:00, Friday 2 April from 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 3 April from 09:00 to 19:00. The organiser's 2027 pages do not name the venue. In 2026 the festival was held at Superstudio Maxi in Famagosta, in the south of the city, and that venue should not be assumed for 2027. There is no Sunday collection and no bib mailing.
Bring photo ID, your confirmation and any federation card or certificate you were asked to upload. Someone collecting for you needs a signed delegation, valid ID and your confirmation letter. Choose Friday if you can: Thursday opens late and Saturday leaves little margin for a paperwork problem on the day before an 08:15 start. The festival is also the place to buy event merchandise and sponsor stands. Detailed exhibitor information is not published.
Getting to the start
The start is on Corso Sempione and the finish is at the Duomo, so the course does not return you to where you began. Decide on a plan before race morning. The grids open at 07:00 and the gun is scheduled for 08:15, with waves after it and a 20-minute window for each wave to enter its grid. Allow plenty of time for security. The organiser has not yet published the street-level pen entrances.
Bags go in the organiser's supplied bag, labelled with your bib, to the storage point at Piazza Castello, and you collect them there after the finish. That is a short walk from the finish at the Duomo. It is not at the start, so do not plan to leave a bag at the start and pick it up at the end. Keep warm layers in the bag.
Public transport is the sensible way to reach the start. The organiser publishes no free race-day transport. On the 2026 race day, the Duomo metro station closed, with Cordusio, San Babila, Montenapoleone and Missori suggested instead, and surface trams and buses were diverted by the closures. Check the ATM service notice in race week. Metro line M5 has stations at Cenisio and Domodossola in the north-west of the city, which are the likely walking routes to the upper Corso Sempione, but confirm against the official start map.
Roads close from 07:00 in the first section and reopen as the field passes, with the last section closing at about 15:30. Do not plan to cross the course by car. The finish has refreshments, and retired runners are carried to the finish by the organiser.
Nutrition on course
The 2027 rules list ten refreshment points: one every 5 km plus two extras. All carry water and supplements, and fruit and biscuits are added from 20 km. Sponges are mentioned. The organiser does not publish the brand of the sports drink, whether cups or bottles are used, or how to leave your own bottle, and the kilometre marks of the two extra stations are not stated.
On a flat point-to-point course with ten stations, there is no long stretch without water, so carry only what you use in training. Use the stations for water and the fruit and biscuits from 20 km, and keep your own gels for the final third, when the course runs through the centre and the crowd is thickest. A start at 08:15 and a finish between about 10:20 and 14:45 means the last 10 km can fall in the warmest part of the day.
Spectating
Milan has the best metro of any Italian city for following a marathon, but a point-to-point course needs a plan. The start on Corso Sempione is in the north-west and the finish at the Duomo is in the centre, so watch the start and travel to the finish by metro rather than trying to follow the whole route.
Piazza del Duomo is the obvious finish position but gets crowded. The organiser's 2026 plan placed cheer points at about 37.8, 38.2 and 39.5 km, which are the streets between Corso Sempione, the Castello and the finish, and these are the best places to see runners in the last 5 km and still reach the finish on foot. At the start, Corso Sempione is the place to be at 08:15.
Mid-course spots are Porta Venezia at about 5.4 km, the Darsena at about 11 km and the area around CityLife at about 16 km. Each lies near a metro stop or tram line, but surface transport is diverted on the day, so check the ATM notice before you rely on a tram. The organiser places a support point at the Bocconi at 10.2 km. The Duomo metro station closed in 2026, with Cordusio, San Babila, Montenapoleone and Missori suggested as alternatives.
- Metro to the start area on Corso Sempione for the 08:15 gun
- Metro to Porta Venezia (M1) for runners at about 5.4 km
- Metro to Cadorna (M1 or M2) and walk towards the Castello end of the course for runners at about 37 to 38 km
- Walk to Piazza del Duomo for the finish
Post-race food
The only meal the organiser promises is the refreshment at the finish, so arrange the first proper meal yourself. The Duomo area is expensive and busy on race day, so walk ten minutes to the Brera district to the north-west of the Castello, or to the Navigli canals to the south-west, and expect to book.
Kitchens in central Milan commonly open for a long lunch and close in the mid-afternoon, so a runner finishing after 14:00 should book ahead or plan a late snack. Risotto alla milanese, cotoletta and panettone are the local dishes.
Where to Stay
The start is on Corso Sempione and the finish is at the Duomo, so choose between the two. The finish matters more than the start for most runners, because a tired runner walks from the Duomo to Piazza Castello for the bag and then back to the hotel, and metro stations around the Duomo can be closed on race day.
Brera and Castello
The streets between the Castello Sforzesco and the Pinacoteca di Brera sit about 1 km from the finish and close to Cadorna, Lanza and the Piazza Castello bag point. It is a good compromise for the start and the finish, and a short metro ride from Cadorna reaches the Duomo.
Duomo and San Babila
Staying here puts the finish, the cathedral, the shops and the restaurants on your doorstep, but the Duomo metro station closed on race day in 2026. The trip to Corso Sempione on race morning is a 07:00 metro ride or a walk of about 30 minutes through Parco Sempione, which is best checked on a map the day before.
Sempione and Arco della Pace
Rooms near Parco Sempione and the Arco della Pace are the closest to the start. They sit on the course at about 36 to 37 km, so roads nearby are closed in the afternoon.
Porta Garibaldi and Isola
Modern hotels near Garibaldi station are close to the M2 and M5 lines and the course at about 4 km.
Famagosta
The 2026 festival was held in Famagosta, in the south. Do not book there for the 2027 festival without a confirmed venue.
The organiser's pages show no official hotel block. Reserve a cancellable room as soon as the entry is confirmed.
Recommended hotels
A first-class hotel a short walk from the cathedral. Confirm the early breakfast and the metro closure at Duomo on race day.
A hotel close to the Duomo. Confirm the 2027 rate and the walk to the finish.
Booking timeline
Milan is a large business and fashion city, so hotel prices rise sharply around events and fashion weeks. Book a cancellable room as soon as your entry is confirmed, and do not wait for the fee tiers to move. The early-bird entry price ended on 30 September 2026; the next tier is not published, so entering earlier is likely to be cheaper.
Obtain any federation card or health form well before April and upload documents ahead of bib collection on 1 to 3 April. The insurance deadlines are 31 January and 23 March, and entry closes on 31 March. In race week, check the ATM service notices, rail timetables and any strike notice. Book flights to Milan Malpensa or Linate as soon as the entry is confirmed. Linate is the closest to the centre.
See & Do
Distances are from Piazza del Duomo and are straight-line. Check opening days before a Monday visit.
Duomo di Milano
The cathedral is the finish setting. The roof terraces and the interior need a ticket; check the cathedral's own site for prices and Monday hours before planning a visit.
Pinacoteca di Brera
The art gallery in the Brera district. Check the weekly closing day, which has been Monday.
Castello Sforzesco and Parco Sempione
The castle courtyards are open to walk through, and the park behind it is flat. The castle museums have been closed on Mondays in recent years, so check before a Monday-after visit. The course passes within about 0.1 km of the castle at 37.7 km.
Navigli and the Darsena
The canal quarter in the south-west is flat and walkable. The course passes the Darsena at about 11 km.
After the Race
The race is on the Sunday after Easter, and the Monday after it, 5 April, is an ordinary working day. Many Milan museums close on Mondays, so check opening days before you plan a visit. Trains to Bergamo, Pavia and Lake Como run daily.
A walled hilltop town above a flat lower city, reached by train and a short funicular. The old town is cobbled, so the funicular does the climbing.
A flat university town on the Ticino with a covered bridge, and a Renaissance monastery a short ride north. An easy day on level ground.
A lakeside village reached by direct train, with level lake-front paths and a short ferry to Bellagio. Ferry services are reduced in early April.
A compact Roman and medieval city, then a short train to Peschiera or Sirmione on the lake. A flat route for tired legs.