Isle of Wight Marathon
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Isle of Wight Marathon 2026
The Isle of Wight Marathon takes place on 4 October 2026 and marks the 70th men’s and 51st women’s running of this event. The race has been held continuously since 1957 and is included in the Association of Road Racing Statisticians list of longest running marathons; when that list was last updated in 2017 the race ranked 25th worldwide.
The event is a single lap using quieter roads on the west of the island, passing through Cowes, Gurnard, Rew Street, Porchfield, Shalfleet, Yarmouth, Thorley, Chessell, Ningwood and Northwood. The course has mile marker boards and water stations only at approximately 3.6, 6.4, 9.7, 12.8, 16, 18.6, 21.6 and 24.5 miles. There are no public or race provided toilets on the course but several local businesses have agreed to allow runners to use facilities; these locations are not signposted.
Race HQ is Isle of Wight Community Club in Cowes where registration, bag storage, changing and shower facilities are available. Entry is limited to 400 runners, minimum age 18. Numbers and timing chips are issued at registration on race day. The official finish time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes and the cut off will be enforced at the race director’s discretion.
Safety rules include a prohibition on in-ear or over ear headphones and on running with dogs. Ferry services to Cowes operate from Southampton with several operators offering timetabled crossings. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
