Men’s course record
2:03:36
Bashir Abdi · 2021
- Average pace
- 2:56 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.03 %
Rotterdam Marathon
Rotterdam, Netherlands The second Sunday in April Founded 1981
Over the Erasmus Bridge to the south bank and back, out round the Kralingse Plas, and home up the Coolsingel.
Overview
The start is on Schiedamsedijk at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge, and the first thing the field does is run across it. The first half belongs to the south bank. The course runs along the Kop van Zuid, turns past De Kuip, Feyenoord's stadium, at 8.0 km, and heads west through the flat southern districts to Oldegaarde, run out and back just before halfway.
At 26.8 km it crosses the bridge again, heading north, and passes the Markthal and the Cube Houses on the way out to the Kralingse Plas and the woods beside it. It comes back past the Cube Houses and finishes on the Coolsingel.
Carlos Lopes and Belayneh Dinsamo both set world bests here in the 1980s, and Tegla Loroupe set the women's world best in 1998. The 2026 race had 18,000 places, and they went by draw.
At 26.8 km it crosses the bridge again, heading north, and passes the Markthal and the Cube Houses on the way out to the Kralingse Plas and the woods beside it. It comes back past the Cube Houses and finishes on the Coolsingel.
Carlos Lopes and Belayneh Dinsamo both set world bests here in the 1980s, and Tegla Loroupe set the women's world best in 1998. The 2026 race had 18,000 places, and they went by draw.
- When
- The 2027 Rotterdam Marathon is on Sunday, 11 April 2027, starting at 10:00am local time on Schiedamsedijk, at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge.
- Course
- Rotterdam's course climbs 66 m in all, with its lowest point at -6 m and its highest at 7 m.
- Entry
- Entry to Rotterdam is by ballot (2027 pre-registration not yet open), and costs €155 for 2026.
- Field
- The 2026 Rotterdam Marathon had a marathon field of 18,000.
- Weather
- Across 15 years, Rotterdam's race-day temperature has a median of 11.7 °C.
- Records
- The Rotterdam Marathon course records are 2:03:36 (Bashir Abdi, 2021) and 2:18:56 (Mekides Shimeles, 2026).
- Time limit
- Rotterdam's time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Rotterdam Marathon
Over the Erasmus Bridge to the south bank and back, out round the Kralingse Plas, and home up the Coolsingel. Erasmus Bridge → Coolsingel, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- Distance
- 42.2 km
- Ascent
- 66 m
- Descent
- 71 m
- Net
- −6 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the organiser's course line for the 2026 edition; the finish may move again once the Hofplein works are done · AHN dtm_05m — 0.5 m bare-earth lidar (PDOK, CC BY 4.0) · smoothed 100 m -6–7 m
—
0.08.416.825.233.642.0
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The start, at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge, is 6 m above sea level, and the finish on the Coolsingel is 6 m lower. Over the bridge and along the Kop van Zuid, the first 5.0 km stay between 3 m and 7 m. Then the course drops into the polders of the south. From 5.5 km to 22.0 km it's never more than 1 m above sea level. At 10.0 km it dips under the railway on Spinozaweg, 5 m below it.
The steepest climbing kilometre, 6 m from 21.3 km, takes the course back up to Brielselaan. At 26.8 km it crosses the Erasmus Bridge again, and the run off it into the centre is the steepest kilometre of the race: 8 m lost from 27.4 km. The lowest ground is in the last third, in the woods by the Kralingse Plas, 6 m below sea level at 33.3 km. No other course measured here goes lower.
The chart draws both crossings of the Erasmus Bridge as straight lines between its ends, because the lidar has no ground to read over the water. The deck rises higher than that line, so the real climb is a little more than 66 m. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and the course comes out about level with a flat 42.195 km.
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying AHN dtm_05m — 0.5 m bare-earth lidar (PDOK, CC BY 4.0) elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
AHN dtm_05m — 0.5 m bare-earth lidar (PDOK, CC BY 4.0), measured on the organiser's course line for the 2026 edition; the finish may move again once the Hofplein works are done, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/marathons/rotterdam/ · checked 2026-09-24
How to enter: ballot odds
Places for 2026 went by draw. Pre-registration ran from 9 to 22 September 2025 and cost €5. The 18,000 places were drawn on 23 September, and runners who got one paid the remaining €150 within five days.
The organiser hasn't yet given dates or a price for 2027. Last year's pre-registration opened in the second week of September. Charity places go through two partners: KWF, the Dutch Cancer Society, for runners who raise at least €750, and KLABU.
A place could be passed to another runner until 31 March 2026, for €15. Cover for cancellation is an extra you buy at entry, and it runs until 1 March.
The organiser hasn't yet given dates or a price for 2027. Last year's pre-registration opened in the second week of September. Charity places go through two partners: KWF, the Dutch Cancer Society, for runners who raise at least €750, and KLABU.
A place could be passed to another runner until 31 March 2026, for €15. Cover for cancellation is an extra you buy at entry, and it runs until 1 March.
History
Rotterdam's first marathon was run on Saturday 23 May 1981, and a Scot, John Graham, won it in 2:09:28. Two years later Robert de Castella beat Carlos Lopes here by two seconds. Lopes came back in 1985, aged 38, and ran 2:07:12, a world best.
Belayneh Dinsamo ran 2:06:50 in 1988, and nobody went faster for ten years. In 1998 Tegla Loroupe ran 2:20:47, then the fastest marathon by a woman. Tiki Gelana's 2:18:58 in April 2012 came four months before she won the Olympic title in London, and it stood as the course record for fourteen years.
The 2020 race was cancelled, and the next one was held in October 2021, when Bashir Abdi ran 2:03:36 for a European record. In 2026, the 45th edition, Mekides Shimeles took two seconds off Gelana's time, and World Athletics gave the race one of its Heritage Plaques. Building work at Hofplein moved the finish down the Coolsingel to Beursplein the same year.
Belayneh Dinsamo ran 2:06:50 in 1988, and nobody went faster for ten years. In 1998 Tegla Loroupe ran 2:20:47, then the fastest marathon by a woman. Tiki Gelana's 2:18:58 in April 2012 came four months before she won the Olympic title in London, and it stood as the course record for fourteen years.
The 2020 race was cancelled, and the next one was held in October 2021, when Bashir Abdi ran 2:03:36 for a European record. In 2026, the 45th edition, Mekides Shimeles took two seconds off Gelana's time, and World Athletics gave the race one of its Heritage Plaques. Building work at Hofplein moved the finish down the Coolsingel to Beursplein the same year.
- 198123 May, a Saturday: John Graham wins the first Rotterdam marathon in 2:09:28
- 1983Robert de Castella beats Carlos Lopes by two seconds, 2:08:37 to 2:08:39
- 198520 April: Lopes comes back at 38 and runs 2:07:12, a world best
- 198817 April: Belayneh Dinsamo runs 2:06:50. It's the world best for the next ten years
- 199819 April: Tegla Loroupe runs 2:20:47, the fastest marathon by a woman at the time
- 2007An unseasonably hot day. The race is halted for the field behind the leaders after about three and a half hours
- 2012Tiki Gelana runs 2:18:58. Four months later she's Olympic champion in London
- 2014Eliud Kipchoge wins in 2:05:00
- 2020No race. The April edition is cancelled in the pandemic
- 202124 October: an autumn race, and Bashir Abdi runs 2:03:36 for a European record
- 2022Abdi Nageeye wins at home in 2:04:56, a Dutch record
- 2025Entries sell out in two and a half hours, and Geoffrey Kamworor wins in 2:04:33
- 202612 April: Mekides Shimeles runs 2:18:56 and the finish moves to Beursplein. World Athletics awards the race a Heritage Plaque
- 202711 April, the 46th edition
1990200020102020
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
2:18:56
Mekides Shimeles · 2026
- Average pace
- 3:18 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.03 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 10:00am
- 4:06pm
- Time limit
- 5h 30m
- Eight, every 5 km
Numbers are collected at the expo in the World Trade Center, beside the finish, from the Friday before the race. Bring photo ID.
Five waves start by predicted finish time, seven minutes apart from 10:00am, and you can start in a later wave than your own. The limit is five and a half hours, and the Erasmus Bridge closes to the field at 2:15pm, so anyone not back over it by then has to stop.
There are drinks every 5 km from 5 to 40 km, sponges in between, and bananas at 20 km. Bags go to Schouwburgplein, a few minutes from the finish, if you booked that at entry.
Five waves start by predicted finish time, seven minutes apart from 10:00am, and you can start in a later wave than your own. The limit is five and a half hours, and the Erasmus Bridge closes to the field at 2:15pm, so anyone not back over it by then has to stop.
There are drinks every 5 km from 5 to 40 km, sponges in between, and bananas at 20 km. Bags go to Schouwburgplein, a few minutes from the finish, if you booked that at entry.
The morning, hour by hour
- 10:00am
- First wave
- 10:28am
- Last wave
- 2:15pm
- Erasmus Bridge closes to the field
- 4:06pm
- Finish closes
Cut-offs
- Halfway · 21.1 km
- 2h 45m
- Erasmus Bridge, heading north · 26.9 km
- 2:15pm
- 28 km · 28.0 km
- 3h 40m
The organiser's 2026 event information. The 2027 times aren't published yet. The organiser gives the halfway and 28 km limits as elapsed times and the bridge as a clock time. Elapsed times run from the last runner's start, not your own.
Race-day weather, 2003–2025
- Median
- 11.7 °C
- Warm years
- 2 of 15
- Wet years
- 2 of 15
Race-day mean temperature, 2003-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rotterdam a flat course?
Yes. It climbs 66 m in all, and more than half of it is below sea level, down to 6 m below in the woods by the Kralingse Plas. The Erasmus Bridge, crossed twice, rises higher than the line on the chart, so the real climb is a little more.
AHN 0.5 m lidar, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m. Raw-to-smoothed ratio 1.40; 6.0 % of samples interpolated over water.
How do I get a place?
Through the draw. For 2026, pre-registration ran from 9 to 22 September 2025. The places were drawn the next day. The 2027 dates aren't out yet. Charity places go through KWF, the Dutch Cancer Society, and KLABU.
The organiser's registration page.
How much does it cost?
€155 for 2026. Pre-registering cost €5, and runners who were drawn paid the other €150. The 2027 price isn't published yet.
The organiser's registration page.
What is the time limit?
Five and a half hours, and the finish closes at 4:06pm. There are three cut-offs on the way. The one to know is the Erasmus Bridge: you have to be back over it by 2:15pm.
The organiser's 2026 event information.
Is it a fast course?
Yes. Bashir Abdi ran a European record here in 2021, 2:03:36, and Mekides Shimeles ran 2:18:56 in 2026. Guye Adola won the 2026 men's race in 2:03:54.
World Athletics' reports of the 2021 and 2026 races.
Where are the start and finish?
The start is on Schiedamsedijk at the north end of the Erasmus Bridge. Since 2026 the finish has been on the Coolsingel at Beursplein, by the World Trade Center, because of building work at Hofplein. The two are about 900 m apart. The organiser hasn't yet said where the 2027 finish will be.
The organiser's course page and 2026 course announcement.
How many times do you cross the Erasmus Bridge?
Twice. Once straight after the start, heading south, and again at about 26.8 km, heading back into the centre. The second crossing is also a cut-off, at 2:15pm.
The organiser's 2026 event information; this site's course line.
Can I transfer my place?
In 2026 a place could be passed to another runner until 31 March, for €15. The new runner's name was printed on the number only if the transfer was made before 15 March.
The organiser's 2026 notice on transfers.
Can a record be set here?
Yes. The course loses 0.14 m per kilometre and its start and finish are 0.9 km apart, both well inside the World Athletics limits. Abdi's 2021 European record was set here.
World Athletics Competition Rule 31.21, and this site's measurements.
How many people run it?
The 2026 race had 18,000 marathon places, and NOS reported about 50,000 runners in the draw for them. Across the weekend's races there were 51,000 entries.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 11.7 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 15 years, which have run from 8 °C to 18 °C. 2 of the 15 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 2003-2025.
Can I use a time here to qualify for Boston?
Yes. The course is certified and finishes only 6 m below where it starts, a long way short of the 1,500 ft of net loss at which the B.A.A.'s downhill adjustment begins. There's no hill to plan around, and the start is at 10:00am. The thing to watch is wind: the Erasmus Bridge is exposed, and the median race-day wind is 15 km/h.
Net drop −6 m from this site's course line; 2027 adjustment None. Certification gold label: World Athletics Gold Label in 2025 and 2026; record-eligible.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from AHN dtm_05m — 0.5 m bare-earth lidar (PDOK, CC BY 4.0), sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.4. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
102 missing samples · 0 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 7
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | The organiser's GPX for the 2026 edition, which moved the finish to Beursplein and added the loop past De Kuip. No 2027 course is published yet, and the finish may move again once the building work at Hofplein is done. The file measures 42.111 km from 261 points; our resampled line measures 42.020 km, so distances on this page run about 0.4 % short. Archived with its hash in data/raw/sources. | 2026-09-24 |
| Elevation | AHN, the Dutch national 0.5 m bare-earth lidar (PDOK, CC BY 4.0), sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m. Raw-to-smoothed gain ratio 1.40. AHN leaves water and bridge decks blank, so 6.0 % of samples, including both crossings of the Erasmus Bridge, are interpolated between the banks; the deck is higher than that line, so the climb figure is a slight underestimate. Heights are against NAP, the Dutch sea-level datum. | 2026-09-24 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 reanalysis via the Open-Meteo archive, 2003–2025 at the start, 10:00–16:00 local, sampled on the second Sunday in April. That rule gives the 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 dates. Years the race ran on another date are left out: the Easter years 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2023, and 2019–2021. That leaves 15. | 2026-09-24 |
| Course records | Bashir Abdi 2:03:36 (2021) and Mekides Shimeles 2:18:56 (2026), from World Athletics' reports of both races. The 2026 report confirms Shimeles broke Tiki Gelana's 2:18:58 from 2012. | 2026-09-24 |
| Entry and field | The organiser's registration page: 18,000 places, drawn at random from pre-registrations, €155 in all. The organiser's 2026 race report gives 18,000 marathon entries and 51,000 across the weekend, and names 11 April 2027 as the next date. The figure of about 50,000 in the draw is NOS's. | 2026-09-24 |
| Race day | The organiser's 2026 event information: five waves from 10:00 to 10:28am, a 5 h 30 min limit, cut-offs at halfway, the Erasmus Bridge and 28 km, and the finish closing at 4:06pm. The 2027 times aren't published yet. | 2026-09-24 |
| Record eligibility | World Athletics Competition Rules, Book C, Part III — Competition Rule 31.21: a record course may lose no more than 1 m per kilometre, and its start and finish may be no more than 21.098 km apart. Rotterdam loses 5.7 m overall, 0.14 m per kilometre, and its start and finish are 0.9 km apart. Inside both. | 2026-09-24 |
Until the Rotterdam Marathon · 11 Apr 2027
— days
— hrs— min— sec
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