Southampton Marathon Festival

The Southampton Marathon Festival is a spring marathon weekend on England's south coast, built around Southampton's historic docks and waterfront. The event is sponsored by ABP (Associated British Ports), which renewed its backing through 2030, and the 2027 edition also marks 50 years since the Itchen Bridge opened and more than a decade of the marathon route crossing it. Runners start near Dock Gate 8 at the City Cruise Terminal and finish in the heart of the city at Guildhall Square, covering a mostly flat course past landmarks including St Mary's Stadium, home of Southampton FC, and the Itchen Bridge itself. Alongside the marathon, the festival offers a half marathon, 10K, 5K and a shorter fun run, plus a multi-year Penta Medal Series challenge and a virtual-entry option. For 2027 the event expands to a two-day weekend, with a Family Mile and Schools Challenge held on the Saturday before race day. The marathon carries a six-hour cutoff and draws roughly 10,000 finishers, supported by pacers, aid stations, and charity partners including Southampton Hospitals Charity and Macmillan Cancer Support. Entries open through the Let's Do This platform, with a tiered pricing structure that starts with a limited number of super-early-bird places and rises as race day approaches.