Fastest Marathons In Europe - 2026 Edition
The definitive listing of the fastest road marathons in Europe for sub-3-hour runners, informed by the Sub-3 World Marathon Rankings 2026.
Europe is the engine room of sub-3 marathon running. Of the 286 races included in the Sub-3 World Marathon Rankings 2026, 48% took place in Europe, giving the continent by far the deepest and most varied concentration of performance-focused marathons in the global dataset.
That depth is spread across the calendar rather than confined to one racing window. In 2025, Europe contributed 62 Spring/Summer marathons and 74 Autumn/Winter marathons to the rankings, offering serious runners meaningful choice throughout the year – from early-season PB attempts to late-autumn and winter races built for fast, controlled running.
This European edition applies the same Sub-3 scoring model used in the global rankings, balancing the proportion of sub-3 finishers and the absolute number of sub-3 performances, with a smaller adjustment for winning time. In a continent where many major races are now heavily congested, that balance matters: a dense field of committed runners can often be more predictive of a successful sub-3 attempt than scale alone.
🥇 Maratón Valencia
Spain
Valencia tops the European rankings with an exceptional combination of scale and performance density. In 2025 it produced 5,333 sub-3 finishers from 30,669 total finishers (17.39%), alongside a 2:02:23 winning time. The result is a marathon that doesn’t just look fast at the front – it delivers depth across the entire field, making it Europe’s standout race for serious sub-3 runners.
→ View full profile: Maratón Valencia
🥈 Maratón de Sevilla
Spain
Seville ranks second thanks to one of the strongest performance concentrations in Europe. The race recorded 1,655 sub-3 finishers from 10,721 total finishers (15.44%), supported by a 2:05:15 winning time, underlining its reputation as a reliable early-season venue for fast amateur marathon running.
→ View full profile: Maratón de Sevilla
🥉 Abingdon Marathon
United Kingdom
The race produced 173 sub-3 finishers from 1,016 finishers (17.03%), with a 2:29:24 winning time, and hosted the England vs Wales Masters representative marathon. That sub-3 percentage was one of the highest recorded anywhere in the global rankings in 2025, which explains Abingdon’s exceptional placing here – a smaller event, an unusually serious field, and sub-3 density to match.
→ View full profile: Abingdon Marathon
4️⃣ Frankfurt Marathon
Germany
Frankfurt places fourth by combining strong depth with meaningful scale. In 2025 it delivered 1,474 sub-3 finishers from 12,324 total finishers (11.96%), alongside a 2:06:16 winning time, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s most consistent autumn races for time-focused runners.
→ View full profile: Frankfurt Marathon
5️⃣ London Marathon
United Kingdom
London ranks fifth on the strength of volume, producing 2,989 sub-3 finishers from a record-breaking 56,785 total finishers (5.26%) in 2025, with a 2:02:27 winning time. Warmer-than-ideal race-day conditions blunted overall performance depth, but the sheer number of sub-3 finishes still underlines London’s importance in the European sub-3 landscape.
→ View full profile: London Marathon
6️⃣ Marató Barcelona
Spain
Barcelona takes sixth after recording 1,842 sub-3 finishers from 21,706 total finishers (8.49%), supported by a 2:04:13 winning time. The figures highlight a strong balance between scale and sub-3 concentration in one of southern Europe’s most popular spring marathons.
→ View full profile: Marató Barcelona
7️⃣ Amsterdam Marathon
Netherlands
Amsterdam ranks seventh with 1,846 sub-3 finishers from 23,323 total finishers (7.91%) and a 2:03:29 winning time. Its position reflects consistent depth in a large, well-organised field that continues to attract runners targeting fast autumn performances.
→ View full profile: Amsterdam Marathon
8️⃣ Marathon Vert Rennes
France
Marathon Vert Rennes enters the top ten through performance concentration rather than scale. In 2025 the race produced 504 sub-3 finishers from 4,129 total finishers (12.21%), with a 2:11:38 winning time, marking it out as one of Europe’s strongest small-to-mid-sized events for sub-3 density.
→ View full profile: Marathon Vert Rennes
9️⃣ Hannover Marathon
Germany
Hannover places ninth after delivering 409 sub-3 finishers from 3,351 total finishers (12.21%), supported by a 2:06:29 winning time. Its profile mirrors Marathon Vert Rennes, with a compact field and a high proportion of runners competing at a serious performance level.
→ View full profile: Hannover Marathon
🔟 Berlin Marathon
Germany
Berlin completes the European top ten with 2,382 sub-3 finishers from 48,028 total finishers (4.96%) and a 2:02:16 winning time. Elevated temperatures on race day reduced overall sub-3 density compared with cooler editions, but the race’s depth still secures its place among Europe’s leading marathons.
→ View full profile: Berlin Marathon
Europe’s leaders by sub-3 volume
When ranked purely by total number of sub-3 finishers, Europe’s landscape is led by the continent’s major destination races. Maratón Valencia tops the list by a clear margin, followed by London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Sevilla, with Frankfurt, Copenhagen, and Dublin completing the top tier. These races account for the largest concentration of fast amateur performances in Europe, driven by a combination of scale, accessibility, and consistently competitive fields.
Europe’s strongest races by sub-3 percentage
Measured by sub-3 density, a different picture emerges. Valencia again leads, but it is joined by a group of highly focused races including Abingdon, Sevilla, Marathon Vert Rennes, Hannover, Maratona di Pisa, Frankfurt, Linz Donau Marathon, Newport Marathon, and San Sebastián Marathon. These events demonstrate that in Europe, the best chances of a sub-3 performance are often found not in the biggest races, but in fields where a high proportion of runners arrive with the same time-focused intent.
Europe: a continent-wide ecosystem for fast marathon running
Europe’s dominance in the sub-3 landscape is matched by its breadth. Within the European races included in the Sub-3 dataset, France contributes the largest share of eligible marathons, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany, then Italy and Spain, with a second tier made up of the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland. That spread underlines a key strength of the European calendar: fast marathon running is not concentrated in a single country or region, but distributed across a wide range of racing cultures, course styles and seasonal windows. For sub-3 runners, that diversity translates into genuine choice – not just between races, but between different types of marathon environments in which serious performance is supported.
2026 Full Listings Table
| # | MARATHON | COUNTRY | % SUB-3S | # SUB-3S | TOTAL FINISHERS | WINNING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maratón Valencia | Spain | 15-20% | 5,000+ | 30-40k | 02:02:23 |
| 2 | Maratón de Sevilla | Spain | 15-20% | 1,000-2,000 | 10-20k | 02:05:15 |
| 3 | Abingdon Marathon | United Kingdom | 15-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:29:24 |
| 4 | Frankfurt Marathon | Germany | 10-15% | 1,000-2,000 | 10-20k | 02:06:16 |
| 5 | London Marathon | United Kingdom | 5-10% | 2,000-3,000 | 50k+ | 02:02:27 |
| 6 | Marató Barcelona | Spain | 5-10% | 1,000-2,000 | 20-30k | 02:04:13 |
| 7 | Amsterdam Marathon | Netherlands | 5-10% | 1,000-2,000 | 20-30k | 02:03:29 |
| 8 | Marathon Vert Rennes | France | 10-15% | 500-1,000 | 3-10k | 02:11:38 |
| 9 | Hannover Marathon | Germany | 10-15% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:06:29 |
| 10 | Berlin Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 2,000-3,000 | 40-50k | 02:02:16 |
| 11 | Maratona di Pisa | Italy | 10-15% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:12:25 |
| 12 | Copenhagen Marathon | Denmark | 5-10% | 1,000-2,000 | 10-20k | 02:08:25 |
| 13 | San Sebastián Marathon | Spain | 10-15% | 500-1,000 | 3-10k | 02:22:35 |
| 14 | Linz Donau Marathon | Austria | 10-15% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:07:58 |
| 15 | Newport Marathon | United Kingdom | 10-15% | 200-500 | 1-3k | 02:27:57 |
| 16 | Maraton Malaga | Spain | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 3-10k | 02:06:08 |
| 17 | Marathon de Paris | France | 2-5% | 2,000-3,000 | 50k+ | 02:05:25 |
| 18 | Firenze Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 10-20k | 02:09:58 |
| 19 | Torino City Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:14:53 |
| 20 | Marathon Eindhoven | Netherlands | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:06:33 |
| 21 | Milano Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 3-10k | 02:08:38 |
| 22 | Zurich Marathon | Switzerland | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:09:16 |
| 23 | Dublin Marathon | Ireland | 5-10% | 1,000-2,000 | 10-20k | 02:08:51 |
| 24 | Rotterdam Marathon | Netherlands | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 10-20k | 02:04:33 |
| 25 | Verona Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:14:44 |
| 26 | Maratón Internacional Elche-Alicante | Spain | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:12:53 |
| 27 | Uppsala Marathon | Sweden | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:20:30 |
| 28 | Marathon de La Rochelle | France | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:09:31 |
| 29 | Vienna City Marathon | Austria | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 3-10k | 02:08:28 |
| 30 | Chester Marathon | United Kingdom | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:17:16 |
| 31 | Enschede Marathon | Netherlands | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:09:34 |
| 32 | Lodz Marathon | Poland | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:17:00 |
| 33 | Maratona di Ravenna Città d'Arte | Italy | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:10:47 |
| 34 | Hamburg Marathon | Germany | 5-10% | 500-1,000 | 10-20k | 02:03:46 |
| 35 | Maraton de Zaragoza | Spain | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:18:28 |
| 36 | International Marathon Alexander the Great | Greece | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:24:20 |
| 37 | Rimi Riga Marathon | Latvia | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:13:20 |
| 38 | Antwerp Marathon | Belgium | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:21:16 |
| 39 | White Nights Marathon | Russia | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:11:55 |
| 40 | Marathon du Lac d'Annecy | France | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:18:43 |
| 41 | Manchester Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 500-1,000 | 20-30k | 02:16:56 |
| 42 | Bucharest Marathon | Romania | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:11:58 |
| 43 | Bologna Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:21:56 |
| 44 | Ljubljana Marathon | Slovenia | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:06:52 |
| 45 | Malta Marathon | Malta | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:15:21 |
| 46 | Kosice Peace Marathon | Slovakia | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:06:47 |
| 47 | Warsaw Marathon | Poland | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:11:21 |
| 48 | Viña Marathon | Chile | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:16:41 |
| 49 | Maratona do Porto | Portugal | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:13:17 |
| 50 | Prague Marathon | Czech Republic | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:05:14 |
| 51 | Saumur Marathon de la Loire | France | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:15:39 |
| 52 | Gent Marathon | Belgium | 5-10% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:20:21 |
| 53 | Bratislava Marathon | Slovakia | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:23:42 |
| 54 | Dusseldorf Marathon | Germany | 5-10% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:08:33 |
| 55 | Kyiv Unbroken Marathon | Ukraine | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:21:13 |
| 56 | Swiss City Marathon | Switzerland | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:18:41 |
| 57 | Tallinna Maraton | Estonia | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:11:21 |
| 58 | Cork City Marathon | Ireland | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:18:56 |
| 59 | Reggio Emilia Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:14:37 |
| 60 | Padova Marathon | Italy | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:11:34 |
| 61 | Geneve Marathon | Switzerland | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:11:37 |
| 62 | Bruges Marathon | Belgium | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:26:37 |
| 63 | Cologne Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:06:53 |
| 64 | Marathon Poitiers | France | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:30:17 |
| 65 | Milton Keynes Marathon | United Kingdom | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:34:12 |
| 66 | H.C. Andersen Marathon | Denmark | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:21:35 |
| 67 | Yorkshire Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:18:15 |
| 68 | Stockholm Marathon | Sweden | 2-5% | 500-1,000 | 10-20k | 02:11:34 |
| 69 | Dresden Marathon | Germany | 5-10% | 100-200 | 1-3k | 02:24:08 |
| 70 | Salzburg Marathon | Austria | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:17:19 |
| 71 | Marathon de Deauville | France | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:21:44 |
| 72 | Graz Marathon | Austria | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:10:59 |
| 73 | Great Limerick Run | Ireland | 5-10% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:25:54 |
| 74 | Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Madrid | Spain | 2-5% | 200-500 | 10-20k | 02:09:11 |
| 75 | Run Rome The Marathon | Italy | 2-5% | 500-1,000 | 20-30k | 02:07:35 |
| 76 | Moscow Marathon | Russia | 2-5% | 200-500 | 10-20k | 02:09:31 |
| 77 | Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes | France | 2-5% | 200-500 | 10-20k | 02:13:30 |
| 78 | Maraton Gdansk | Poland | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:20:25 |
| 79 | Marathon de la Cote d'Amour | France | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:09:51 |
| 80 | Run In Lyon Marathon | France | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:23:24 |
| 81 | Poznan Marathon | Poland | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:14:01 |
| 82 | Leipzig Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:25:42 |
| 83 | Belfast City Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:13:37 |
| 84 | München Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:18:28 |
| 85 | Mein Freiburg Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:21:11 |
| 86 | Venice Marathon | Italy | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:08:58 |
| 87 | Toulouse Métropole Run Experience | France | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:24:42 |
| 88 | Marathon Touraine Loire Valley | France | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:23:00 |
| 89 | Oslo Marathon | Norway | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:24:30 |
| 90 | Lausanne Marathon | Switzerland | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:24:10 |
| 91 | Cracovia Marathon | Poland | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:17:52 |
| 92 | Belgrade Maraton | Serbia | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:11:21 |
| 93 | Marathon de Nantes | France | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:25:59 |
| 94 | 3-Länder Marathon | Germany, Austria, Switzerland | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:12:30 |
| 95 | Münster Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:09:20 |
| 96 | Leiden Marathon | Netherlands | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:12:50 |
| 97 | Einstein Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 10-51 | 1-3k | 02:29:54 |
| 98 | La Route de Louvre | France | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:08:53 |
| 99 | Istanbul Marathon | Turkey | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:10:12 |
| 100 | Helsingborg Marathon | Sweden | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:26:32 |
| 101 | Helsinki City Marathon | Finland | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:25:17 |
| 102 | Rimini Marathon | Italy | 2-5% | 10-52 | 1-3k | 02:39:46 |
| 103 | Baloise Namur Marathon | Belgium | 2-5% | 10-59 | 1-3k | 02:33:20 |
| 104 | Neapolis Marathon | Italy | 2-5% | 10-55 | 1-3k | 02:14:51 |
| 105 | Vilniaus Maratonas | Lithuania | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:28:32 |
| 106 | Lisbon Marathon | Portugal | 2-5% | 200-500 | 3-10k | 02:23:46 |
| 107 | Midnight Sun Marathon | Norway | 2-5% | 10-50 | 1-3k | 02:20:27 |
| 108 | Helsinki Marathon | Finland | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:29:40 |
| 109 | Oberelbe Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 10-57 | 1-3k | 02:34:45 |
| 110 | Budapest Marathon | Hungary | 2-5% | 100-200 | 3-10k | 02:22:17 |
| 111 | Reykjavik Marathon | Iceland | 2-5% | 10-53 | 1-3k | 02:23:55 |
| 112 | Shakespeare Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 10-58 | 1-3k | 02:32:50 |
| 113 | Bremen Marathon | Germany | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:33:53 |
| 114 | Edinburgh Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 200-500 | 10-20k | 02:22:16 |
| 115 | Brussels Airport Marathon | Belgium | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:19:30 |
| 116 | Euro Marathon Metz | France | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:29:26 |
| 117 | Palma Marathon | Spain | 2-5% | 10-60 | 1-3k | 02:31:47 |
| 118 | Loch Ness Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 50-100 | 3-10k | 02:15:46 |
| 119 | Utrecht Marathon | Netherlands | 2-5% | 50-100 | 1-3k | 02:29:11 |
| 120 | Marathon des Grands Crus | France | 2-5% | 10-61 | 1-3k | 02:30:18 |
| 121 | Marathon de la Liberté | France | 2-5% | 50-100 | 3-10k | 02:23:15 |
| 122 | Baden-Marathon Karlsruhe | Germany | 2-5% | 10-64 | 1-3k | 02:25:29 |
| 123 | Lanzarote Marathon | Spain | 2-5% | 10-68 | 1-3k | 02:33:01 |
| 124 | Southampton Marathon | United Kingdom | 2-5% | 10-62 | 1-3k | 02:35:08 |
| 125 | Silesia Marathon | Poland | 1-2% | 10-56 | 1-3k | 02:12:30 |
| 126 | Marathon Royan | France | 2-5% | 10-65 | 1-3k | 02:38:17 |
| 127 | Brighton Marathon | United Kingdom | 1-2% | 100-200 | 10-20k | 02:26:47 |
| 128 | Athens Marathon | Greece | 1-2% | 200-500 | 10-20k | 02:20:10 |
| 129 | Marathon de la Mer | France | 1-2% | 10-63 | 1-3k | 02:28:37 |
| 130 | Marathon de Salon de Provence | France | 1-2% | 10-66 | 1-3k | 02:27:18 |
| 131 | Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon | United Kingdom | 1-2% | 50-100 | 3-10k | 02:28:14 |
| 132 | Marathon International du Beaujolais | France | 1-2% | 10-54 | 3-10k | 02:26:31 |
| 133 | Night Marathon | Luxembourg | 1-2% | 10-70 | 1-3k | 02:29:04 |
| 134 | Eryri Marathon | United Kingdom | 1-2% | 10-69 | 1-3k | 02:33:56 |
| 135 | Ibiza Marathon | Spain | <1% | <10 | 1-3k | 02:19:59 |
| 136 | Marathon du Médoc | France | <1% | 10-67 | 3-10k | 02:27:11 |
About These Rankings
These rankings present the European section of the Sub-3 World Marathon Rankings, drawing on verified results from marathons held between January and December 2025. Each race is scored using Sub-3’s 45:45:10 model, which weights the proportion of sub-3 finishers, the total number of sub-3 performances, and the fastest winning time. Together, these measures allow for consistent comparison across events of very different sizes and profiles. You can read more about the methodology behind the global rankings on our Rankings Methodology page.
Missing a Marathon?
We include open-entry road marathons in Europe with at least 1,000 finishers and publicly verifiable results. Elite-only events and races without published finisher data are excluded from the Sub-3 World Marathon Rankings, and therefore from this European edition. If you believe an eligible marathon has been missed, please get in touch.