Races Marathon · Leuven, Belgium
Leuven Marathon
Leuven Marathon is a rolling marathon in Leuven, Belgium, held each April. Flat boulevard and canal-side stretches mixed with the short Keizersberg climb and a loop through the Heverleebos woods. The organiser gives 243 m of elevation for the 2026 marathon route. Mid April in Leuven is cool and fresh, with typical race-day temperatures of 4 to 14°C. With Leuven Marathon's constant undulation, pace by effort rather than the watch: even effort beats even splits here.
Page rebuilt 2026-11-14 · race facts not independently verified — confirm dates and entries on the official race site
When
April
next: Sunday 11 April 2027
Course
rolling
Marathon
Conditions
Mid April in Leuven is cool and fresh, with typical race-day temperatures of 4 to 14°C.
Racing this course well
Flat boulevard and canal-side stretches mixed with the short Keizersberg climb and a loop through the Heverleebos woods. The organiser gives 243 m of elevation for the 2026 marathon route.
With Leuven Marathon's constant undulation, pace by effort rather than the watch: even effort beats even splits here.
Getting a place
- How you get in
- Open entry: first come, first served
- Entries open
- Registration for 2027 opened on 1 October 2026
- Price
- €90 for the first 1,000 entries, rising in steps to €115 after 6,000 (2027 race)
Official Leuven Marathon site →Checked November 2026
Race day
- Next race
- Sunday 11 April 2027
- Also on the day
- half-marathon, 10k
The course in numbers
The green loop through the Heverleebos covers roughly kilometres 14 to 21. The long, flat canal kilometres after about 25 km decide the last third.
- Layout
- Loop
- Surface
- Paved city streets, with wide avenues and good forest paths in the Heverleebos
- Total climb
- 245 m
Worth knowing
- First run in 2026.
- The race builds on the 2025 European Running Championships, whose finish area it reuses.
- About 3,300 runners started the marathon at 9 am in 2026.
- Pieter Dewortelaer, from Leuven, won the first edition in 2:26:23.
Pick your goal for Leuven
Pace charts, weekly structure and timelines for the most common marathon goals:
The date shown is the one the organiser has announced. Change it if yours differs.
Build your training around Leuven Marathon.
RunV works backwards from race day to today. Your plan adapts when life interrupts, and you approve every change. It does not adapt to this specific course — the pacing guidance above is where the course knowledge is.
Everything above stays free and complete — this is an optional next step, not a paywall.
Asked often
- When is the Leuven Marathon?
- The next Leuven Marathon is on Sunday 11 April 2027 in Leuven, Belgium. It is held each April.
- Is the Leuven Marathon course flat?
- Flat boulevard and canal-side stretches mixed with the short Keizersberg climb and a loop through the Heverleebos woods. The organiser gives 243 m of elevation for the 2026 marathon route.
- How do I enter the Leuven Marathon?
- Open entry: first come, first served. Registration for 2027 opened on 1 October 2026. Price: €90 for the first 1,000 entries, rising in steps to €115 after 6,000 (2027 race).
- How should I train for the Leuven Marathon?
- Train specifically for Leuven — terrain, conditions, goal pace — and let the plan flex around real life. With RunV Premium you can adapt your plan to fit your week.
Not sure what to target? Predict your marathon time from a recent race →
More marathon races
Supplements research for this distance
Build for Leuven — around your actual life
RunV engineers your block backwards from race day in April — and adapts it when training doesn't go to script. You approve every change.
