The organizers of the Rio Marathon in Brazil recently announced significant adjustments for the 2026 event, returning to a classic route similar to the original course that established the Rio Marathon as one of the world's most beautiful marathons.

According to a report by the Brazilian website "webrun" on November 3, the starting point for the 2026 Rio Marathon will be relocated to Praia da Reserva (Reserva Beach) in Rio de Janeiro, with the finish line at Marina da Glória. Runners will traverse along the coast of Rio de Janeiro, passing through iconic landmarks such as Leblon, Copacabana Beach, Flamengo Park (Aterro do Flamengo), and the Historic Center (Centro Histórico).

This change marks a new historical era for Latin America's largest street running event. Due to the closure of parts of Avenida Niemeyer in the original route due to landslides, the full marathon route had to be adjusted since 2019, with both the start and finish points situated in Flamengo Park.

Now, with Avenida Niemeyer reopened for traffic, the event will once again cross the entire city of Rio, ensuring the normal conduct of activities along the route to maintain safety, order, and minimize impacts on the city.

As per the event schedule, the 2026 Rio Marathon will take place during the Corpus Christi holiday period (June 4th to 7th), featuring races of 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, half marathon, full marathon, and a 21km+42km challenge. The event is expected to attract professional athletes and amateur runners from around the world to experience the charm of running and the city of Rio together. Other race distances will still follow the existing routes.

The 2026 edition will mark the 24th Rio Marathon, with registration numbers expected to surpass the 60,000 participants from 2025. The organizers aim to enhance the technical standards and runner experience of the event, which are key to its global reputation. Pedro Pereira, the event's product manager, stated that returning to the classic route will solidify the Rio Marathon as a top-tier marathon event globally. He said, "It's not just a race; it's an experience. The new route is similar to the original one with slight adjustments, aimed at showcasing Rio's vibrancy and the resilience of each runner. From start to finish, the new course offers picturesque scenery, crossing natural landscapes and historical landmarks, with three times the technical potential and operational capacity of the existing route, preparing us for sustainability and internationalization."

Known as "a Major do povo" (The People's Major), the Rio Marathon has become one of Brazil's most important sporting events and is entering a new chapter in its history. Pereira emphasized, "If there's one unique thing about the Rio Marathon, it's that it has one of the most beautiful tracks in the world."