Rio Marathon Draws Record 70,000 Runners and 1,124 Foreigners

RIO DE JANEIRO · SPORT

Rio’s biggest road race kicks off today, bigger than it has ever been. With a record field, a fresh international ranking and thousands of visiting runners, the marathon has become one of the city’s most reliable tourism engines.

A record turnout for the Rio Marathon

The Rio Marathon returns from June 3 to 7, timed to the Corpus Christi holiday, and the numbers are the headline. The 24th edition has drawn about 70,000 entries across its 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full-marathon races, a record that tops the 60,000 registered in 2025 and continues several years of steady growth. Organizers bill it as the largest street-running festival in Latin America.

Among the field are 1,124 runners from other countries, a record foreign turnout, with the city’s sports secretariat estimating that roughly three-quarters of all entrants come from outside Rio. Activities open to the public begin Wednesday, with the Marina da Glória serving as the event’s hub for an expo, brand activations and free concerts.

A new place on the world map

The 2026 edition also marks a step up in stature: the race has earned the Elite Label from World Athletics, the global governing body, a designation reserved for some of the most important road races on the planet. The total prize purse for the marathon reaches $270,000, which organizers say is the largest ever offered by a street race in Latin America.

That recognition is meant to pull a stronger international elite field and, in time, push Rio toward the conversation about the world’s marquee marathons. A spot in that tier would mean still more visitors and a bigger economic footprint each June.

The classic course comes back

A change runners had repeatedly asked for is the return of the classic 42-kilometer route, which again starts at Praia da Reserva, in Barra da Tijuca, and runs along the coast to finish at the Aterro do Flamengo, by the Marina da Glória. The largely flat, ocean-hugging course is one of the marathon’s main draws, passing the beachfront neighborhoods that define Rio‘s postcard image.

Restoring that layout also expands the race’s capacity, part of why the field could grow to its record size this year. For foreign runners, it is the version of the course most associated with the event’s reputation.

Why it matters for the city

Beyond sport, the marathon has become a fixture of Rio’s winter tourism calendar. In 2025 the event moved roughly R$587m ($117m) through the local economy and helped lift hotel occupancy to about 80% in June, well above the city’s historical annual average of around 73%. Runners stay an average of about five days, spreading spending across hotels, restaurants, transport and services.

For a city that leans heavily on events to fill its low-season beds, a record marathon during a holiday week is a welcome boost. For visiting runners, it is a chance to race past Christ the Redeemer and the Atlantic in one of the world’s most recognizable settings, the reason the foreign field keeps growing.