Bruges Marathon

The Bruges Marathon is Belgium's largest fall marathon, drawing a record 12,000 runners across its marathon, half marathon, and 8K Family Walk in 2025 — the first time the event sold out in its eight-year history. The World Athletics-certified, flat and traffic-free course starts at 't Zand and winds through Bruges' medieval city center before heading out to the historic town of Damme and back along the tree-lined Damse Vaart canal, finishing on the Grote Markt beneath the city's iconic Belfry. The race has carried the same continuous title sponsorship since its founding, though the sponsor's name changed in 2019 when Generali Belgium was rebranded Athora Belgium — the event is branded the Athora Bruges Marathon on-site and in official materials, though runners commonly refer to it simply as the Bruges Marathon. October brings cool, comfortable racing weather to this UNESCO World Heritage canal city, and the race partners with the Think Pink breast cancer awareness campaign each year. Marathon finishers have a 6-hour time limit, and pricing rises in four volume-based tiers as registrations fill, with early online sign-up (before September 21) guaranteeing a personalized bib number.