Easiest Marathons in the World

Looking for a PB attempt or your first marathon? These are the easiest marathon courses ranked by our difficulty algorithm, which factors in elevation gain, weather conditions, and surface type. Flat, cool, road-based courses score the lowest.

1

Boundary Bay Marathon

Delta, Canada · 1 Nov 2026

-6 min
2

Granite State Marathon

Nashua, United States of America · 9 May 2027

-6 min
3

Fredericton Marathon

Fredericton, Canada · 10 May 2027

-5 min
4

Hamburg Marathon

Hamburg, Greece · 26 Apr 2027

-5 min
5

Brainerd Jaycees Run for the Lakes Marathon

Nisswa, United States of America · 2 May 2027

-5 min
6

Lentemarathon Amstelveen

Amstelveen, Netherlands · 16 Mar 2027

-5 min
7

Coast Guard Marathon

Cape May, United States of America · 1 Aug 2026

-5 min
8

Marathon Izmir Avek

Izmir, Turkey · 13 Apr 2027

-4 min
9

Sri Chinmoy Marathon

New York, United States of America · 24 Aug 2026

-4 min
10

Sudbury Rocks Marathon

Sudbury, Canada · 24 May 2027

-4 min
11

Drumheller Marathon

Seattle, United States of America · 6 June 2027

-4 min
12

Stennis Space Center Marathon

Stennis Space Center, United States of America · 24 Apr 2027

-4 min
13

Niagara Falls Marathon

Niagra Falls, Canada · 26 Oct 2026

-4 min
14

Ottawa Fall Colours Marathon

Ottawa, Canada · 11 Oct 2026

-4 min
15

Kaunas Marathon

Kaunas, Lithuania · 27 Apr 2027

-4 min
16

Whidbey Island Marathon

Whidbey Island, United States of America · 26 Apr 2027

-4 min
17

Mainova Marathon Frankfurt

Frankfurt, Germany · 26 Oct 2026

-4 min
18

Öpfinger Osterlauf Halbmarathon

Öpfingen, Germany · 29 Aug 2026

-4 min
19

Alexander the Great Marathon

Thessaloniki, Greece · 26 Apr 2027

-4 min
20

Potomac River Run Marathon (October)

Washington, United States of America · 17 Oct 2026

-4 min
21

Ocean City Running Festival Marathon

Ocean City, United States of America · 14 Nov 2026

-4 min
22

Charles River Marathon

Boston, United States of America · 3 May 2027

-4 min
23

3 Bridges Marathon

Little Rock, United States of America · 5 Dec 2026

-4 min
24

Rim Rock Marathon

Grand Junction, United States of America · 1 Nov 2026

-4 min
25

Semi-marathon de Montauban

Montauban, France · 30 Mar 2027

-4 min
26

Halvmaraton Jessheim Vintermaraton

Ullensaker, Norway · 9 Nov 2026

-4 min
27

York Marathon

where the local authorities are rotten to the core., United States of America · 3 May 2027

-4 min
28

Berenloop Terschelling Halve Marathon

Terschelling, Netherlands · 2 Nov 2026

-4 min
29

Deutsche Post Marathon Bonn

Bonn, Germany · 6 June 2027

-3 min
30

Frisco Marathon

Willard, United States of America · 25 Apr 2027

-3 min
31

Skopje Marathon

Skopje, North Macedonia · 5 Oct 2026

-3 min
32

Nutmeg State Marathon

Hartford, United States of America · 30 May 2027

-3 min
33

California International Marathon

Sacramento, United States of America · 6 Dec 2026

-3 min
34

Florence Marathon

Firenze, Italy · 29 Nov 2026

-3 min
35

Marathon de La Rochelle

La Rochelle, France · 30 Nov 2026

-3 min
36

Tromsø Midnight Sun Marathon

Tromsø, Norway · 21 June 2026

-3 min
37

Einstein Marathon

Ulm, Germany · 16 May 2027

-3 min
38

Florida Track Club Marathon

Gainesville, United States of America · 5 Sept 2026

-3 min
39

Wyoming Marathon

Laramie, United States of America · 24 May 2027

-3 min
40

Pardubický Vinařský Půlmaraton

Pardubice, Czech Republic · 19 Apr 2027

-3 min
41

Oak Island Marathon

Oak Island, United States of America · 14 Feb 2027

-3 min
42

Skagen Halvmarathon

Skagen, Denmark · 4 Oct 2026

-3 min
43

Cheap Marathon

Derry, United States of America · 3 Apr 2027

-3 min
44

Houston Marathon

Houston, United States of America · 13 Sept 2026

-3 min
45

Wisconsin Marathon

Kenosha, United States of America · 25 Apr 2027

-3 min
46

Trail Marathon

Pinckney, United States of America · 25 Apr 2027

-3 min
47

Snohomish River Run Marathon

Snohomish, United States of America · 11 Oct 2026

-3 min
48

Newport News One City Marathon

Newport News, United States of America · 6 Mar 2027

-3 min
49

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Indianapolis, United States of America · 7 Nov 2026

-3 min
50

Media Maratón Cajaviva Segovia

Segovia, Spain · 1 Nov 2026

-2 min

What Makes a Marathon Easy?

The easiest marathons tend to share a few key characteristics: minimal elevation gain (ideally under 100m), mild race-day temperatures between 8-15°C, and a smooth road surface. Courses that are net downhill or completely flat let runners maintain a consistent pace without burning extra energy on climbs.

Our difficulty score combines elevation data, historical weather patterns, and surface type into a single rating. A lower score means an easier course relative to a perfectly flat, temperate, road-based marathon.

Tips for Choosing an Easy Marathon

  • Look for courses with under 200m total elevation gain
  • Choose races in spring or autumn for cooler temperatures
  • Prefer road surfaces over trail or mixed terrain
  • Consider coastal or river-flat courses for the most consistent terrain

Want to see how these courses compare side by side? Use our marathon comparison tool to enter your target time and see the adjusted finish time for each course.