Brussels Marathon
The Lowdown
The Brussels Marathon, run for two decades as the Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon, was Belgium's largest autumn road race until the City of Brussels withdrew its support. The 20th and final edition was held on Sunday 2 November 2025, starting on Place De Brouckère and finishing on Place des Palais in front of the Royal Palace, with a marathon, a half marathon, a 7K and a kids' run drawing around 20,000 participants across the weekend — fewer than 3,000 of them over the full 42.195 km. The day after that race the City announced it would no longer host the event from 2026 onward, citing the policing, road-closure and street-cleaning costs of shutting down the centre for so small a marathon field. Organiser Golazo said at the time it hoped to keep a Brussels marathon alive on a route that avoided the City of Brussels, but no 2026 edition was ever announced. As of August 2026 the official site is still an ‘under construction’ placeholder whose most recent reference is the November 2025 race date: there is no registration, no route and no confirmed date. In December 2025 the City confirmed a replacement: the Green Ten Miles, a 16.1 km race through the parks of northern Brussels, organised by the City itself and pencilled in for October 2027. Listing sites still advertising a 25 October 2026 ‘Brussels Airport Marathon’ are recycling stale data — no such edition exists. Runners wanting a Belgian autumn marathon should look at Antwerp or Ghent; runners set on the capital have the 20 km de Bruxelles each May.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Major marathon
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Good crowd energy
City confirms a replacement race: the Green Ten Miles, 16.1 km, from October 2027
Dec 21, 2025The City of Brussels confirmed that the marathon and half marathon are finished after 40 years, and that a new City-organised 16.1 km race, the Green Ten Miles, will run through the parks of northern Brussels (Laeken, Jette) with an indicative first edition in October 2027. A proposal to merge the marathon into the existing 20 km de Bruxelles in May was rejected. ([dhnet.be](https://www.dhnet.be/sports/2025/12/21/voici-la-nouvelle-course-qui-va-remplacer-le-semi-marathon-de-bruxelles-VPCVWBQQ6JD53L34PURTLYEADI/))
City of Brussels pulls the plug: no marathon on its territory from 2026
Nov 3, 2025One day after the 2025 race, mayor Philippe Close and sports alderman Florence Frelinx announced the City would stop hosting the marathon from 2026, saying the road closures, policing and cleaning were too costly for a marathon field of fewer than 3,000 runners. Organiser Golazo said it was blindsided and hoped to continue on a route avoiding the City of Brussels. ([vrt.be](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2025/11/03/city-of-brussels-pulls-the-plug-on-the-brussels-marathon/))
20th and final edition draws about 20,000 participants across the weekend
Nov 2, 2025The last edition started on Place De Brouckère and finished on Place des Palais, with roughly 20,000 runners across the marathon, half marathon, 7K and kids' run - but fewer than 3,000 over the full marathon distance, the figure the City later cited when withdrawing support. ([vrt.be](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2025/11/03/city-of-brussels-pulls-the-plug-on-the-brussels-marathon/))
Boston Qualifier
This race is a certified Boston Marathon qualifying event. Achieve your qualifying standard here on a verified course.
Place De Brouckère - start line of the 2025 final edition, in the heart of central Brussels
Place des Palais / Paleizenplein - finish line, on the square in front of the Royal Palace
Royal Palace of Brussels - the backdrop to the finishing straight of the last editions
Brussels Park (Parc de Bruxelles / Warandepark) - central park adjoining the finish area
Brussels-Capital Region municipalities - the late-edition route crossed several municipalities beyond the City of Brussels itself
Other distances available during the event weekend:
Brussels, Belgium
BE
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Not applicable - the final edition was held on 2 November 2025 and no further edition has been announced
Required Documents
- Not applicable - no edition is scheduled and no registration is open
Entry Methods
- Registration permanently closed - the event has been discontinued
Cancellation & Refund Policy
The event itself has been discontinued: the City of Brussels withdrew support after the 2 November 2025 edition and no replacement marathon has been announced by organiser Golazo.
There is no open registration, so there are no entries to cancel, transfer or defer.
The event is discontinued. The City of Brussels withdrew its support the day after the 2 November 2025 edition, and organiser Golazo has not announced a 2026 or later edition; the official site has been an 'under construction' placeholder throughout 2026.
Third-party listing and booking sites still showing a 25 October 2026 edition at the King Baudouin Stadium are recycling stale data. No such edition has been announced by the organiser or the City.
Despite the 2025 name, the race never ran at Brussels Airport - 'Brussels Airport' was the title sponsor. Late editions were city-centre races, starting and finishing in central Brussels.
The City of Brussels plans a replacement event, the Green Ten Miles (16.1 km) through the parks of northern Brussels, indicatively from October 2027.
Runners looking for a Belgian autumn marathon can consider Antwerp or Ghent; the 20 km de Bruxelles, held each May, remains the capital's large-field road race.
Community
Stories, tips, and race-day snapshots from runners who have tackled this course.
Community Reviews
Learn from fellow runners and share insights that will help the next person toe the line.

