Marathon guide · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio Marathon 2027 training plan and pace guide
Sunday 30 May 2027, late May this time, not June. Expect around 21 °C at dawn and 80% humidity on an exposed seafront: the pace you pick matters more than the pace you can hold in a cool city.
OpenAthlete is not affiliated with the organisers. This is an independent preparation guide.
Key facts
2027
- Date
- Sunday, 30 May 202725th edition, 27–30 May 2027 (half marathon on Saturday 29). The 42K is sold out.
- Start
- Not published for 2027 (05:30 in 2026)
- Distance
- 42.195 km
- Elevation
- 2027 course not published. The 2026 course: 110 m of climbing (organisers).
- Time limit
- 6 hours (2026). Minimum age 20.
- Course
- 2026: point to point along the coast, from Praia da Reserva (Barra da Tijuca) to Marina da Glória, Aterro do Flamengo, on asphalt. The 2027 course is not published yet.
- Usual weather
- Late May: 21 to 28 °C on average, about 80% humidity (INMET normals, Rio de Janeiro).
Facts checked on 4 November 2026. Organisers change things: confirm on the official site before you book anything.
The course, seen by a coach
Rio Marathon: what it asks of you, and how to train for it
Heat and humidity from the gun
Even at dawn it is around 21 °C with 80% humidity, and sweat barely cools you. If you live somewhere cooler, give yourself 10 to 14 days of heat exposure before the race (easy runs in the warm part of the day, or sauna after training), and practise drinking with salt from week 6.
A start before sunrise
The 2026 start was at 05:30 on a point-to-point course, so you are up around 03:00 and on transport well before 05:00. Rehearse it twice: an alarm at 03:00, your race breakfast, and a long run at the race start time.
Pick a goal for the conditions
Heat costs time, and it costs more the longer you are out. A fair rule: take the goal your training supports for a cool race and pick the next slower line in the table. A 3h45 runner in Berlin is a 4h00 runner in Rio, and still has a great day.
Pace and plan by goal
Rio Marathon: pick your goal time
Each goal links to its pace chart: splits every 5 km, every kilometre and a printable pace band. Eight goals also have a free 16-week plan with paces worked out from your VMA. Pick the goal your recent half marathon supports, not the one you hope for.
When to start a 16-week plan
Start your 16-week plan on Monday, 8 February 2027
Race day is Sunday, 30 May 2027, in week 16. Started later, the plan loses build weeks, not the taper: cut from the start, never the end.
Import a plan into OpenAthleteFree. Sessions go to your Garmin, COROS or Suunto watch.
| Goal | Pace | Halfway | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:45 | 3:55/km | 1:22:30 | – |
| 3:00 | 4:16/km | 1:30:00 | 16 weeks |
| 3:15 | 4:37/km | 1:37:30 | – |
| 3:30 | 4:59/km | 1:45:00 | 16 weeks |
| 3:45 | 5:20/km | 1:52:30 | 16 weeks |
| 4:00 | 5:41/km | 2:00:00 | 16 weeks |
| 4:15 | 6:03/km | 2:07:30 | 16 weeks |
| 4:30 | 6:24/km | 2:15:00 | 16 weeks |
| 4:45 | 6:45/km | 2:22:30 | – |
| 5:00 | 7:07/km | 2:30:00 | 16 weeks |
| 5:30 | 7:49/km | 2:45:00 | 16 weeks |
| 6:00 | 8:32/km | 3:00:00 | – |
Even pace on a flat course. Hills, heat, wind and crowded first kilometres all cost time: the course notes above say where.
Rio Marathon: questions runners ask
The marathon is on Sunday 30 May 2027, during the 25th edition (27 to 30 May, with the half on Saturday 29 May). The 42K is sold out; the regulation sets a minimum age of 20.
Not in 2027. The 2026 edition was on 6 and 7 June, but the 2027 regulation puts the marathon on 30 May, on the Corpus Christi long weekend. Count your 16 weeks back from that date: the plan starts on Monday 8 February 2027.
Our marathon plans last 16 weeks, so start on Monday, 8 February 2027. You need a base first: running three or four times a week for a few months, with a long run of about 1h15 already comfortable.
No. OpenAthlete is not affiliated with the organisers of Rio Marathon. This is an independent preparation guide written from the official information available on 4 November 2026. Registration, rules and the final course are on the official site.
Prepare the Rio Marathon with the plan on your watch
Import a free plan into OpenAthlete, move sessions around your week, and send them to your Garmin, COROS or Suunto watch. Everything is free on Cloud.
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