The Race
| Next Race Date | 10 October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course Type | Loop (out-and-back sections, shared start and finish) |
| Registration | Online or at Sesc units; no ballot |
| Ballot Opens | No ballot |
| Total Finishers | About 244 |
| Avg Race Day Temp | 14 to 22°C (October monthly normals; not a 06:30 reading) |
| Cutoff Time | 6 hours 30 minutes |
| Free Race Day Transport | No |
| Course Certification | CBAt national permit (Ouro); measured course certificate valid to the end of 2028 |
History
The Pelotas Marathon is a young race run by a long-established sports programme. Sesc, the commerce-sector social service, has staged short road races in the city for years under its Circuito Sesc de Corridas. At a Circuito meeting in September 2022, local representatives announced the first full marathon for 15 October 2023, with an ambition of about 5,000 people. That figure was a projection for the festival, and the first marathon results list carries 230 classified finishers.
The second edition left October. Sesc moved it to 17 November 2024 with a refund window for runners who could not attend, and the notice gave no reason. More than 3,000 people took part across all distances. Richar Sosa of Montevideo and Simone da Rocha Cid of Porto Alegre won the marathon. Simone said afterwards that the heat made it a hard race, which is the one clear record of what a November date does to this course.
The race returned to October in 2025. Naisson Nidgie da Silva Pinheiro won in 2:24:15 and Fabricia Ester Stedille in 3:03:21, in a festival of more than 3,600 people. The Olympic marathon medallist Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima attended and ran the 5 km.
The fourth edition, on 11 October 2026, folded the marathon into the Circuito's qualifying stage and drew a festival of more than 3,800. Naisson Pinheiro won again in 2:28:30 and Daniele da Silva took the women's race in 3:09:37. The published full results list 244 classified runners, two of them timed beyond the 6 hour 30 minute limit. The race holds a national Ouro permit from the Brazilian athletics confederation, and World Athletics lists its results. No official course record has been declared.
The course
The marathon starts and finishes at the Mercado Público Municipal in the centre of Pelotas, with the gun at 06:30. The route runs east for about 13 km along Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, Avenida Ferreira Viana and Avenida Adolfo Fetter to the Laranjal waterfront, loops at the Trapiche da Praia do Laranjal at about km 15 and returns along the same corridor to about km 27. It then swings north through Areal and Três Vendas, comes back through Fragata to a turnaround on Avenida Duque de Caxias at about km 38, and finishes along Praça 20 de Setembro and Rua Tiradentes.
The profile spans 18 m, from 1 m to 19 m above sea level, and most of it sits between 2 m and 6 m. Two features stand out. Avenida Adolfo Fetter and Avenida José Maria da Fontoura step up from about 5 m to 14 to 16 m between km 9 and km 12, then drop again, and the same stretch is run in reverse between km 17 and km 21. The only sustained climb is a drift of 17 m over 6.2 km (0.3%) from km 25.8, taking the road from 3 m on Avenida Ferreira Viana to the day's high point of 19 m on Avenida Dom Joaquim at km 32. The final 10 km fall back to the market at 12 m. No total climb has been published.
The course is a road course. The sand at Laranjal is not on the route. Water points are marked at 13 named locations on the organiser's map.
Kilometre by kilometre
Km 0 to 6: Mercado Público to Ferreira Viana. The race starts at the Mercado Público Municipal and drops about 10 m in the first kilometre to Rua Tiradentes at 4 m. It turns onto Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek at km 2 and reaches Avenida Ferreira Viana at about km 3, which runs straight and open for the next 4 km. The corridor offers little shelter from wind.
Km 6 to 15: Adolfo Fetter and the Laranjal loop. Avenida Adolfo Fetter takes over at about km 7 and the road rises from 5 m to 14 m at km 10. Avenida José Maria da Fontoura follows at km 12, and the course loops through the Laranjal streets from km 13 to km 16 with the turn at the Trapiche da Praia do Laranjal at about km 15. The furthest point from the market is at km 13, 11 km away in a straight line.
Km 15 to 27: back along the corridor. The return repeats Fontoura at km 17 and 18 and Adolfo Fetter from km 19, with the 14 to 16 m plateau ending at km 20 and the road dropping 11 m. Halfway falls at about km 21 on Adolfo Fetter. Ferreira Viana carries the field from km 24 to km 26, and any headwind on the way out becomes a tailwind here.
Km 27 to 35: Areal, Três Vendas and Fragata. The route leaves the corridor for Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek at km 27 and turns north through Areal. It reaches Rua General Osório at km 31 and Avenida Dom Joaquim at km 32, the high point at 19 m, then drops through Rua Orlando Brizolara Azevedo and Rua Marcílio Dias into Fragata by km 34. The surface stays level but the turns come quickly.
Km 35 to 42.2: Duque de Caxias and the market. Avenida Bento Gonçalves leads onto Avenida Duque de Caxias at about km 37, with a turnaround at km 38 and the same avenue run east again to km 40. Praça 20 de Setembro comes at km 41, and Rua Tiradentes brings the course into the market for the finish.
The route has many turns and several doubled-back stretches, and no shortest-route line has been published, so follow the cones and the marshals. The finish line is inside the market arena.
From the market, Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, Ferreira Viana and Adolfo Fetter run east to the Laranjal loop at km 13 to 16. The ground is flat at 2 to 5 m until a step up to 14 m at km 10, and the road is open to the wind.
The Laranjal turn at about km 15 sends the field back along Fontoura and Adolfo Fetter. Halfway comes at about km 21 and the markers repeat in reverse.
Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, Dom Joaquim and Marcílio Dias add turns in quick succession, and the course reaches its 19 m high point at km 32.
The last turnaround is on Duque de Caxias at about km 38. The final 4 km run east through Praça 20 de Setembro to the Mercado Público.
Course Map
The course as recorded, from the Mercado Público east to the Laranjal waterfront, back through the city and out to Avenida Duque de Caxias. 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
Official pacers have not been announced; check the next athlete guide.
The marathon is one event in a larger day. The Circuito Sesc de Corridas runs short races from 3 to 10 km, a half marathon, a walk and children's races from the same market, and the festival total passed 3,800 in the latest edition. Only 280 of those entrants ran the full marathon. Expect a busy arena at 06:30, a quiet course after the first 5 km and a crowded finish area once the shorter races are over.
October is spring in Pelotas, and mornings are changeable. The regional weather station at Capão do Leão records an October mean daily minimum of 13.6°C and a mean daily maximum of 22.2°C, with about 100 mm of rain over 10 days of the month and a mean wind of 4.2 m/s, mostly from the east. Those are monthly averages for a station outside the city, not a forecast and not a 06:30 reading. A cool, damp start and a warmer finish are both possible.
The race has started at 06:30. Wear shorts and a singlet, and carry a thin layer to wear until the start gun if the forecast is cool. No organised clothing-donation scheme was found, so assume anything left at the start is lost; put a layer you want back in the baggage deposit at the market.
Wind matters more than temperature on the long eastern corridor. A light cap keeps drizzle off the face, and a visor or sunglasses help if the sun is up for the last third. In November, the second edition was a hot race, which is a reminder that the dates have moved before.
Entry
Entry to the Pelotas Marathon is open, with no ballot. Registration for the latest edition ran online and at Sesc units in two price lots, and closed at the end of the second lot or when places filled. There is no race-day registration. Sesc has not yet published the next edition's rules or fees, so the figures below are from the latest completed edition and will change.
The full marathon and the half share one fee table, and the price depends on the runner's Sesc credential, not on athletic level. Payment could be made by credit card or Pix online, or in cash, debit, credit or Pix at a Sesc unit. A reservation made at a unit lapsed if it was not paid by the stated deadline. The unit process asks for a Brazilian CPF or registration number, and no international-card or passport checkout was tested, so overseas runners should contact Sesc Pelotas well before the second lot closes.
Runners aged 60 and over received a 50% discount with identity evidence at collection. The full marathon starts at age 20, counted by birth year, with five-year categories to 80 and over, and a visual-disability category with a registered guide. The sporting-wheelchair category was open at 5 km only.
The elite peloton is a start grouping for the full, and applications needed one official result from the qualifying window emailed before a deadline in early October. It accepts a 10 km in 38:00 (men) or 46:00 (women), a half marathon in 1:20:00 or 1:40:00, or a marathon in 2:50:00 or 3:40:00. The rules state that there is no separate elite prize category, and the peloton does not limit general entry.
Cancellation and ordinary changes closed on 11 September in the latest edition, a month before the race. A distance change cost 50% of the current lot. A paid entry cannot be transferred directly: the rules require cancellation and a fresh registration for the new holder. No charity or tour-operator allocation was found. The latest rules allocated 500 places to the full marathon, and 280 runners entered.
| Proof distance | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 10 km | 38:00 or faster | 46:00 or faster |
| Half marathon | 1:20:00 or faster | 1:40:00 or faster |
| Marathon | 2:50:00 or faster | 3:40:00 or faster |
Fast runner standards
The elite peloton table above applies to a separate application route with proof times from the three distances. It is not a guaranteed-entry standard for the general field.
Race Weekend
Expo and bib collection
There is no expo as such. In the latest edition, runners collected full and half marathon numbers from the Hercílio Esquina store at Rua Marechal Floriano 153 in Centro. Collection ran from 13:00 to 19:00 on the Thursday and from 08:30 to 19:00 on the Friday and Saturday before the race. Sunday collection was available from 05:00 inside the Mercado Público, but the full starts at 06:30, so collect before race day.
The shorter Circuito races and the walk use different Hercílio shops (Rua Andrade Neves 1724 and Rua Sete de Setembro 301), so check which one you need. Sesc's own map has previously carried mismatched labels for these shops, and the organiser's race-week notice is the safer guide.
Bring photo identification. A representative must bring both their own document and the entrant's. The kit contains a bib, a timing chip, a shirt, a cap, socks, a drawstring bag and a participation medal, though the contents may change. Items that are not collected by the deadline are not held for later. No overseas posting service was found.
Getting to the start
The start and finish are the same place: the Mercado Público Municipal, at Rua Quinze de Novembro 54 in Centro. The city's notice for the latest edition put the assembly on Rua Quinze de Novembro and the start at the corner of Rua General Osório and Rua Tiradentes. The full started at 06:30, the half at 06:45, the 5 and 10 km races at 07:00 and the 3 km at 07:10.
A hotel in Centro is the simplest base, because it allows a walk to the market. Pelotas has no official shuttle and no free bib-based fare, and a bus at 05:00 is not guaranteed. If you stay outside the centre, arrange a taxi or a lift in advance and allow for road closures near the market.
Bag deposit and kit delivery were inside the market, and the arena plan put the chemical toilets on the western side, with medical support on the Tiradentes side. Collect your bag as soon as you finish. The store closes 50 minutes after the race ends, and bags left behind go to Sesc Pelotas for later pick-up with proof of ownership. There is an elite entry point on the arena plan, and the VIP tents are not open to general runners.
No corral lettering has been published, and no headphone rule was found. Go to the toilets early, since the rules ask runners not to wait until the final minutes. At 06:30 the market is crowded with 5 and 10 km runners and families for the shorter races, so allow time to reach the start line.
After you finish, the arena has a medal point, hydration, fruit and medical support. Plan a meeting point away from the controlled gates. The race limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, which would be 13:00 for a runner starting at the gun, but Sesc has not printed an arena closing time.
Hotel breakfast is a practical issue. The Curi Executive and Curi Palace hotels both start breakfast at 06:30, which is the gun time, so ask for an early tray or a packed breakfast when you book.
Nutrition on course
The rules promise mineral water at intervals of no more than 4 km. Beyond that, the published detail is thin. The organiser's map marks 13 named hydration points for the full, and four separate supplementation points reserved for elite runners.
The general hydration points include Avenida Duque de Caxias, Avenida Ferreira Viana 2672, Avenida Adolfo Fetter 912, Avenida José Maria da Fontoura 1283, the Trapiche da Praia do Laranjal, Avenida JK, Avenida Dom Joaquim, Rua Marcílio Dias 3299, Rua Bento Gonçalves, Praça 20 de Setembro 455, the cathedral, the DNIT local office and Avenida Duque de Caxias 344. Because the route doubles back on itself, several of these are passed twice, once on each leg.
The elite supplementation points are at the Trapiche da Praia do Laranjal, Avenida JK, the Colégio Municipal Pelotense and Avenida Duque de Caxias. These are for runners with pre-arranged bottles and are not general gel stations.
No cup size, sports-drink brand or gel supply has been published. Carry your own gels. Before the latest edition, ice water was planned in the Fragata neighbourhood and at the finish, with 500 cold sponges at Fragata. At the finish the arena offers hydration and fruit.
Spectating
The best spectating in Pelotas comes from the course's shape. The route doubles back along the Ferreira Viana and Adolfo Fetter corridor, so one position on that avenue shows a runner twice, once on the way out and once on the way back. On the athlete recording that supports this guide, Avenida Ferreira Viana 2672 is passed at about km 5 and again at about km 25. Avenida Adolfo Fetter 912 comes at about km 8 and km 21.7, and Avenida José Maria da Fontoura 1283 at about km 11.7 and km 18.
For a runner at 5:30 per km, the gap between sightings on Adolfo Fetter is about 75 minutes, long enough for a coffee. The Duque de Caxias turn is the closest to the finish: Avenida Duque de Caxias 344 is passed at about km 36.7 and again at about km 39.5, roughly 15 minutes apart at the same pace. From there the market is about 3 km away.
The Mercado Público arena has screens in the organiser's plan, and public streets run around it, although the athlete corridors and the VIP tents are controlled. Sesc has published no live tracking service. Agree a meeting point outside the controlled gates.
- Start at the Mercado Público for the gun at 06:30.
- Walk or take a taxi to Avenida Ferreira Viana 2672 for km 5 and km 25.
- Return to the market for the finish, allowing time for closed roads.
- Take a taxi to the Trapiche da Praia do Laranjal for the turn at about km 15.
- Stay on the waterfront or walk back along Avenida José Maria da Fontoura to watch the return at about km 18.
- Take a taxi back to the centre. Road closures will govern the route.
- Start at the market and take a taxi to Avenida Duque de Caxias 344.
- Watch for runners at about km 36.7 and again at about km 39.5.
- Walk or take a taxi to the market, about 3 km away, for the finish.
Post-race food
Pelotas is known for its doces finos, the small sweets that take their identity from the city's old sugar and pastry tradition. Imperatriz Doces Finos, at Praça Sete de Julho 179, shops 39 and 40, is listed by the state tourism authority as open daily from 09:00 to 19:00. It is a sweet-shop stop and not a meal.
For a Sunday lunch, Churrascaria Lobão at Avenida Bento Gonçalves 3460 serves churrasco and lists Sunday hours of 11:00 to 15:30 on its owner-managed profile. It is a separate trip from the market, not a walk, and a table should be booked.
On a weekday, Restaurante Barsa at Rua General Osório 719, inside the Curi Executive hotel, serves a buffet of salads, vegetables and hot dishes for lunch from 11:30 to 14:00. It does not list Sunday lunch. The restaurant at Curi Palace, on Rua General Neto, serves weekday evenings and not at weekends, although room service runs daily.
Where to Stay
Stay in Centro. The marathon starts and finishes at the Mercado Público, so a central hotel serves both ends of the day, and Centro holds all five of the hotels recommended below. The usual advice to sleep near the finish rather than the start applies here with no trade-off, since the two are the same place.
Centro, around the market and Praça Coronel Pedro Osório
This is the historic district that hosts the race arena. Jacques Georges Business, on Rua Gonçalves Chaves, and Jacques Georges Tower, on Rua Almirante Barroso, are two separate buildings run under the same name. The Tower advertises flats with a kitchenette, which suits a runner who wants a familiar breakfast, but that applies to the flat room type and not to every room. Nobody has measured the walks to the start, so check the approach on the next race map and do not cross closed roads to save a block.
Centro north, around Rua General Osório and Rua General Neto
Curi Executive and Curi Palace are different hotels with different addresses. The Executive has a 24-hour reception and the Barsa buffet; the Palace has its own restaurant and room service. Both start breakfast at 06:30, the same time as the gun, so request an early tray.
Southern Centro, towards the port
M.Tower, on Rua Félix da Cunha, offers ordinary rooms and larger flats with a cooktop, microwave, fridge and a living area, which suits a longer stay. Garage parking is charged separately. The walk to the market is not measured, so confirm it.
Areal and the Laranjal side
The Areal district holds the Charqueada São João estate, and Laranjal is the waterfront the race reaches at km 15. Both are attractive for a longer stay, but the race returns to the market, so sleeping beside the course puts you at km 15 and not at the finish. A pre-dawn transfer would be needed, and no verified hotel in either district was found.
Três Vendas and the airport side
Pelotas airport (PET) is about 8 km from the historic centre. Staying near it saves the arrival transfer but costs one on race morning, and the airport bus 3561 has no verified early-morning departure.
Book a refundable rate while the next edition's details are unpublished.
Recommended hotels
A central hotel on Rua Gonçalves Chaves 512, separate from the Tower on Rua Almirante Barroso. Confirm the walk to the Mercado Público and ask about early breakfast and late checkout when you book.
A central hotel at Rua Almirante Barroso 2069 with flats that include a kitchenette, useful for a familiar pre-race breakfast. The kitchenette belongs to the flat room type, so check what you are booking. Two adapted apartments are listed.
At Rua General Osório 719, with a 24-hour reception and the Barsa buffet restaurant on site. Ordinary breakfast starts at 06:30, so request an early tray on the Saturday night before the race.
At Rua General Neto 1279, with room service and 24-hour valet information. Breakfast starts at 06:30 and the restaurant does not serve at weekends, so plan the Saturday dinner elsewhere. Garage parking is extra.
At Rua Félix da Cunha 213, with ordinary rooms and larger flats that have a cooktop, microwave and fridge. Useful for a longer stay. The garage is charged separately, and there is no race shuttle.
Booking timeline
Pelotas has no published hotel sell-out pattern. The festival that surrounds the marathon draws more than 3,800 people across all distances, but only a few hundred run the full marathon, so there is no evidence of a room shortage. Book a refundable room in Centro once the dates are confirmed by Sesc, and keep the booking flexible until the athlete guide appears.
In the latest edition, the first price lot ended at the end of August and the second at the end of September, and cancellations closed on 11 September. Those dates are likely to repeat in shape but not necessarily in detail, so set a reminder to check the Sesc page in the middle of the year.
If you fly into Porto Alegre, the road trip to Pelotas is 243 km and takes between 3 and 4 hours by coach on the timetables seen, so travel the day before the race. Book that coach early.
See & Do
Distances are from the finish, kilometres first, then miles.
Mercado Público and the central historic district
The market is the race arena and the city's historic core. After you collect your bag, it is the easiest place to keep a walk short. Shop hours vary and race-day barriers will still be in place on Sunday.
Instituto João Simões Lopes Neto
The house of the Pelotas author of Contos Gauchescos. The institute lists Monday to Friday 14:00 to 18:00, and guided visits can be arranged. Monday afternoon after a Sunday race is feasible. Check holidays first.
Charqueada São João
A preserved charqueada, one of the historic salted-beef estates on the outskirts of Pelotas. The operator describes a monitored house visit of about an hour, with the garden optional. Opening days differ between sources, so confirm before travelling and arrange a taxi both ways.
Parque da Baronesa
A city park, improved by the municipality. The museum in the park has been closed pending a fire-safety plan, so go for the grounds only. The extended summer hours do not apply in October.
After the Race
The Pelotas Marathon is run in October, which is spring in southern Brazil, and the Monday after is the day the legs object to stairs. The four options below range from a half-day outing in the city's own estate district to a few nights in Porto Alegre. Each leaves luggage at the Pelotas hotel or plans the transfer in advance.
A preserved charqueada, a historic salted-beef estate in the Areal district, visited on a monitored walk of about an hour through the house and gardens. Opening days differ between listings, so confirm the day before. October is spring, with mild air and wind.
A port city on the lagoon channel, reached by coach from Pelotas. The Oceanographic Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so the stay suits a Wednesday afternoon or a quiet harbour walk.
A lagoon-side town on the Costa Doce and the start of the Pomeranian cultural route. October is outside the bathing season, so plan walks and cultural stops and not beach time.
The state capital, reached by coach from Pelotas. The Fundação Iberê museum on the Guaíba shore opens Thursday to Sunday, so a Monday to Thursday stay catches its free Thursday.