The Race
| Next Race Date | 18 October 2026 (Sunday) |
|---|---|
| Course Type | Loop, starting and finishing at Shahumyan Square, running through central Yerevan and the Hrazdan river gorge. Altitude range 970-1,070m; total elevation gain 300m |
| Registration | Open, direct online entry via armeniamarathon.org; tiered pricing by registration order rather than by date. Changes to participant details or distance possible until 10 September 2026 |
| Ballot Opens | Not applicable, open entry |
| Total Finishers | Not confirmed for the marathon distance specifically |
| Average Race Day Temperature | Historically 10°C to 20°C |
| Cutoff Time | The finish line closes at 14:00, six hours after the 08:00 start |
| Free Race Day Transport | Not confirmed |
| Course Certification | The 21.1km distance is described by the organiser as precisely measured and certified with AIMS; the marathon distance is not certified in the same explicit terms. A confirmed qualifying race for the Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Championship |
A qualifying race for the Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Championship
The Yerevan Marathon is a confirmed qualifying race for the Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Championship, the age-group ranking system run alongside the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. Runners in the marathon distance earn ranking points toward qualification using a detailed age-and-gender platinum-time scoring system published directly on the official site.
Two race days, two different start locations
The Yerevan Marathon weekend splits across two days and two separate venues. Saturday 17 October hosts the 1km kids’ run and 5km at Hrazdan River Gorge, near Florence Restaurant. Sunday 18 October hosts the 12km, half marathon and marathon at Shahumyan Square in central Yerevan, a different location entirely. Check which day and location applies to your distance rather than assuming a single shared venue.
History
The Yerevan Marathon is organised by the Arm Marathon Foundation, together with Yerevan City Administration and the TriClub Yerevan multisport club. The race began in 2015 as the Yerevan Half Marathon; the full 42.2km marathon distance was added in 2018, alongside the 12km and shorter distances that now make up the event’s five-race programme. The organiser’s own results archive, spanning every year from 2015 to 2024 without a gap, points to 2026 being the 12th annual running of the event.
The organiser describes the 21.1km distance specifically as “precisely measured and certified with AIMS.” The same explicit certification wording is not extended to the marathon distance on the official pages checked for this guide.
The course
The marathon, half marathon and 12km all start and finish together at Shahumyan Square in central Yerevan, with the start area opening at 07:00 and the marathon starting at 08:00. The organiser’s own course description states the marathon and half marathon run “through the Yerevan city centre and gorge of Hrazdan river,” at an altitude between 970 and 1,070m, with a total elevation gain of 300m for the marathon distance (165m for the half marathon).
The organiser states the 2026 route map will be published closer to the event. A real finisher’s device recording from a past running, used for the map and elevation chart below, shows the course dipping repeatedly in and out of the Hrazdan gorge rather than climbing once and staying high, a rolling, undulating shape rather than one sustained hill.
The start: Shahumyan Square. The marathon, half marathon and 12km start together at 08:00, with the start area opening at 07:00 for changing and bag storage.
Through central Yerevan. The course opens through the city centre before reaching the Hrazdan river gorge.
The Hrazdan river gorge.The course’s confirmed 300m of elevation gain is concentrated here, in a repeated series of dips and climbs rather than one continuous ascent, distinct in character from the flatter streets at the start and finish.
The finish: back at Shahumyan Square. The course returns to its starting point. The finish line closes at 14:00, six hours after the start, with award ceremonies at 12:30.
Logistics Map
No confirmed 2026 turn-by-turn route was available at research time, so the map below shows a real finisher’s device recording of a past running: a loop from Shahumyan Square through central Yerevan and the Hrazdan river gorge, back to Shahumyan Square. Tap a marker for details.
The marathon, half marathon and 12km start together at 08:00, with the start area open from 07:00 for changing and bag storage.
The course opens through the city centre before reaching the Hrazdan river gorge.
The course's confirmed 300m of elevation gain is concentrated here, in repeated dips and climbs rather than one continuous ascent.
The finish line closes at 14:00, six hours after the start, with award ceremonies at 12:30.
Pacers
No official pacer programme was found in research.
What to wear
Race-day temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 20°C, confirmed directly by the official site. An 08:00 start in mid-October at this range means a genuinely cool start that warms through the morning as the race progresses toward its 14:00 finish-line closure. A throwaway layer for the start, discarded once the sun is up, suits this race better than dressing for either a cold-weather or a warm-weather event outright.
Entry
Entry is direct online registration through armeniamarathon.org, with no ballot. Pricing for the marathon is tiered by registration order rather than by calendar date: AMD 15,000 for the first 50 registrants, AMD 17,000 for registrants 51 to 100, AMD 19,000 for registrants 101 to 300, and AMD 22,000 from registrant 301 onward or from 1 October 2026, whichever comes first. None of these tiers include a race T-shirt, available separately for AMD 4,000. Armenian citizens aged 65 and older receive a 50% discount, subject to availability, arranged by contacting the organiser directly rather than through standard online registration.
Entry fees are non-refundable. Changes to participant details or distance are possible until 10 September 2026: switching to a shorter distance does not refund the price difference, and switching to a longer distance requires paying the difference, either at the expo or by bank transfer to the Arm Marathon Foundation. Half marathon and marathon runners each receive one pasta party ticket included in their entry, with additional tickets available for AMD 2,000; the pasta party itself runs from 18:00 to 20:00 on Saturday 17 October.
There is no Boston- or London-style GFA route. The organiser’s own charity option at registration is a direct donation to Children of Armenia (COAF); no separate dedicated charity-runner entry pathway was found.
Fast Runner / GFA Standards
Not applicable. No evidence of a GFA or fast-runner entry pathway was found, though the confirmed Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Championship qualifying status functions as a distinct age-group pathway.
Race Weekend
Expo
Race-pack pickup runs across two days. The official event schedule lists Friday 16 October, 14:00 to 21:00, for all five distances, and Saturday 17 October, 10:00 to 19:00, specifically for the 12km, half marathon and marathon. The venue was not yet announced at the time of writing. Participants must present valid ID to collect their race pack; medical certificates are not required.
Race Morning
Confirmed via the official event schedule, for Sunday 18 October 2026 (12km, half marathon, marathon): 07:00 the start/finish area at Shahumyan Square opens, with changing and storage rooms; 08:00 the 12km, half marathon and marathon start together; 12:30 award ceremonies; 14:00 the finish line closes; 14:30 the start area closes.
The separate Saturday 17 October race day (1km kids’ run and 5km, at Hrazdan River Gorge near Florence Restaurant) runs on its own schedule: the area opens at 09:00, the kids’ run starts at 10:00, the 5km starts at 11:00, and the start area closes at 12:00.
Runners should plan to stay within walking distance of Shahumyan Square given the confirmed central start-finish location for the marathon. Free race-day public transport was not confirmed in research.
Nutrition on Course
Water and food stations are placed every 4 to 5km along the course, confirmed directly by the official site, serving water, Coca-Cola, isotonic drinks, fruit and energy gels. Medical aid is available at the start/finish area and along the route.
Spectating
Shahumyan Square is the single best spectator base, serving as both start and finish for the marathon, half marathon and 12km, and hosting the 12:30 award ceremonies. Multi-point spectating along the Hrazdan gorge section depends on the 2026 route map, not yet published at the time of writing.
Post-Race Food
No specific, currently-trading restaurant names near Shahumyan Square were independently verified in this guide’s research. Republic Square, Abovyan Street and the Cascade area are all plausible options given the central start-finish location, but this page will not name a specific venue without a direct source.
Where to Stay
Because the marathon starts and finishes at the same point, Shahumyan Square, a hotel within walking distance serves both ends of the race equally well.
Republic Square and Shahumyan Square
The most practical general base given the confirmed start-finish location, putting a runner within walking distance of the race itself and of Yerevan’s central civic architecture.
Northern Avenue and the Opera area
A walkable, lively central district with a wider choice of hotels and restaurants than the immediate square itself.
Cascade and northern Kentron
Good for sightseeing given proximity to Yerevan’s best-known modern landmark, at a slightly greater distance from the start than the square itself.
Vernissage and the central market side
A practical, walkable option near Yerevan’s well-known outdoor market.
Recommended hotels
A landmark luxury property directly on Republic Square, the most central option in this guide.
Sits on the pedestrianised Northern Avenue, close to a wider choice of restaurants and cafés than the immediate square.
A practical base for runners prioritising sightseeing over the shortest possible walk to the start.
A restored historic building beside Yerevan's well-known outdoor market, on the opposite side of the centre from Northern Avenue.
A reliable international chain option in the same central district as the other four.
Booking timeline
Book accommodation 4 to 6 months ahead. The organiser describes this as Armenia’s largest running event, and the race-pack pickup venue remained unconfirmed at the time of writing, a signal that some event-week logistics are still being finalised; a refundable rate is worth the small premium.
See & Do
These sit at or close to the start-finish itself.
Republic Square
Adjoining the start-finish itself. Yerevan’s central civic square, ringed by pink tuff-stone government buildings in a distinctive local architectural style, and the site of a musical fountain performance most evenings.
The Cascade
Within walking distance of central Yerevan. A giant tiered limestone stairway and open-air contemporary sculpture garden, climbing a hillside with views back over the city and, on a clear day, Mount Ararat beyond.
Vernissage Market
A large open-air market selling Armenian crafts, carpets, Soviet-era antiques and jewellery, at its busiest on weekends.
The History Museum of Armenia
Directly on Republic Square. The country’s main historical museum, covering Armenian history from prehistory through the medieval and modern periods.
The Armenian Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd)
Generally reached by taxi rather than on foot. A hilltop memorial complex commemorating the 1915 Armenian Genocide, with an eternal flame and a museum on its history, one of the most significant sites in the country.
After the Race
Yerevan Marathon runs in October. These itineraries reach a pagan temple and cave monastery, a high-altitude lake, a forested mountain town, and Armenia’s second city.
A Hellenistic-style pagan temple at Garni, the only one of its kind surviving in the former Soviet Union, paired with the partly cave-cut medieval monastery of Geghard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world, ringed by monasteries and beaches, close enough for an easy overnight escape from the capital.
A forested mountain resort town sometimes called Armenia's Switzerland, with restored 19th-century architecture and gentle valley walking suited to post-marathon recovery.
Armenia's second city, its 19th-century black-tuff architecture largely intact, still marked by the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquake alongside a growing arts scene.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stay near the start or the finish?
No distinction to make: the marathon starts and finishes at the same point, Shahumyan Square, so a hotel nearby serves both equally.
How far in advance should I book a hotel?
4 to 6 months ahead, choosing a refundable rate where possible, since the race-pack pickup venue remained unconfirmed at the time of writing.
Is there free transport to the start?
Not confirmed. No source describing a free race-day transport scheme was found on the official site.
What is the best area to stay?
Republic Square or Shahumyan Square for the simplest race morning, or Northern Avenue for a wider choice of hotels and restaurants.
When does race-pack pickup open?
Friday 16 October, 14:00-21:00 (all distances), and Saturday 17 October, 10:00-19:00 (12km, half marathon and marathon). Venue not yet confirmed.
What is the weather typically like?
Historically 10°C to 20°C, suggesting a cool 08:00 start that warms through the morning.
How do I get from the airport?
Not confirmed. Taxis and shuttle bus options exist from Zvartnots International Airport; check the current route and fare before travelling.
Is there a bag drop?
Yes. Changing and storage rooms open at 07:00 at Shahumyan Square, an hour before the 08:00 start.
What is the cutoff time?
The finish line closes at 14:00, six hours after the 08:00 start.
How do I get back to my hotel after finishing?
If staying near Shahumyan Square or Republic Square, on foot. The course finishes exactly where it started.