Belgrade Marathon | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Belgrade Marathon is the largest and most popular sports event in Serbia. Every spring, domestic and foreign participants run through Belgrade with the desire to push their own limits.

The marathon race was first held at the inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, inspired by the distance covered by soldier Philippides from the Marathon battlefield to Athens to announce the victory of Greece over Persia.

The first marathon in Belgrade took place in 1988, initiated by Đoka Vještica, a journalist from Radio "Studio B," and athletics official Brana Radović. That year, the distance was 23 kilometers, which was extended to 46.7 kilometers the following year. The current distance and route of the marathon were established in 1990 when Fred Lebow, the President of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, visited Belgrade and included the Belgrade Marathon on the global list.

The Belgrade Marathon is also the world's first marathon held in wartime conditions. It took place during the NATO aggression on FR Yugoslavia in 1999. Besides domestic participants, numerous foreign athletes visited the Serbian capital, carrying a message of peace. That year, 39 participants crossed the finish line together, and there were also 39 winners recorded.

Among the races held within the Belgrade Marathon, the most popular is the Fun Run over 5 kilometers. It does not require special registration, and there is no ranking. It is dedicated to all recreational runners, including the youngest ones, often turning into a family event.

The Half Marathon covers a distance of 21.1 kilometers. Children aged 14 to 18 can participate with parental consent. The Relay Half Marathon is run over the same distance but as a team, with a change of runners every fifth kilometer.

The main marathon race is exclusively for adults and is run over a distance of 42,195 meters. This race is undoubtedly the most physically and mentally demanding, requiring serious preparation. The marathon is not just about speed but primarily about endurance and strategy, specifically the appropriate management and distribution of one's own strength.

All races take place through the flattest parts of Belgrade, with the longest one starting from the corner of King Alexander Boulevard and Resavska Street, passing through the city center, across two bridges, New Belgrade, and Zemun, with the finish line at Terazije, in front of Hotel Moskva.

Every year, guests from European and African countries participate. The records in the number of participants and the time for completing the courses were broken in 2019. That year, 8,000 marathon and half marathon runners from 70 countries participated, along with 15,000 participants in the Fun Run. Kenyan runner Isak Kiprop Ruto completed the marathon distance in 2:16:51, while his compatriot Joshua Kipruto Koech finished the half marathon in 1:07:12.

The 35th edition of the Belgrade Marathon will take place on May 15th this year. More information about the route and registration for participation can be obtained on the official website.