Preparation guide · Zurich Marató Barcelona
Barcelona Marathon 2027: split times, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 14 March 2027, starting in Barcelona (Passeig de Gràcia, by Plaça de Catalunya, Spain) at 8:30. Here you have the Barcelona Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Barcelona Marathon: route and profile
2026 route rebuilt by WinWatts street by street from the official map, with its 42 km markers; the aid stations are from the official 2026 map. Start at 8:30 (2026 time; the 2027 one hasn't been published yet) in corrals by the time given at registration; finish by the Arc de Triomf.
Climbs and descents
Sections of at least 400 m with a grade over 1.5 %, and how much a typical runner's pace changes at the same effort. Run by feel (or heart rate), not by watch pace.
| Section | Grade | At the same effort |
|---|---|---|
| km 40.6–41.5 | 1.5 % | +15 s/km |
Route keys
- It's fast but not completely flat (about 70 m of elevation gain): the first half runs through the Eixample on a false flat at 30–50 m altitude and from km 22 to 28 you drop down to the sea. The last 1.5 km, along Ronda de Sant Pere, climb gently to the Arc de Triomf: save something.
- There's an aid station every 2.5 km: the basic ones with water and sports drink, and the full ones (km 15, 20, 25, 30.8, 35 and 40) with fruit, nuts and gummies, and cola from km 25. Gels at km 12.5, 17.5, 27.5 and 37.5: with them you hardly need to carry your own, if that brand suits you.
- From km 27 to 31 you run along Avinguda del Litoral, by the sea, the area most exposed to wind; then up and down the Diagonal until km 35, turning at Ciutat de Granada street (km 33). Find a group for these 8 km.
- There are 35 official pacers for 2:45, 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00 and 4:30. Pick yours, start behind them and don't go ahead before km 30.
6 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (the profile hardly changes anything), with the clock time counted from the 08:30 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:26 8:51 | 0:25:00 8:55 | 0:28:34 8:58 | 0:32:08 9:02 |
| km 10 | 0:42:38 9:12 | 0:49:45 9:19 | 0:56:51 9:26 | 1:03:57 9:33 |
| km 15 | 1:04:14 9:34 | 1:14:56 9:44 | 1:25:39 9:55 | 1:36:21 10:06 |
| km 20 | 1:25:24 9:55 | 1:39:38 10:09 | 1:53:52 10:23 | 2:08:06 10:38 |
| Halfway | 1:30:02 10:00 | 1:45:02 10:15 | 2:00:03 10:30 | 2:15:03 10:45 |
| km 25 | 1:46:35 10:16 | 2:04:21 10:34 | 2:22:06 10:52 | 2:39:52 11:09 |
| km 30 | 2:07:48 10:37 | 2:29:06 10:59 | 2:50:24 11:20 | 3:11:43 11:41 |
| km 35 | 2:29:06 10:59 | 2:53:57 11:23 | 3:18:48 11:48 | 3:43:39 12:13 |
| km 40 | 2:50:27 11:20 | 3:18:51 11:48 | 3:47:16 12:17 | 4:15:40 12:45 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 11:30 | 3:30:00 12:00 | 4:00:00 12:30 | 4:30:00 13:00 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water. The organisers hand out gels at km 12.5, 17.5, 27.5 and 37.5: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 3 h 30) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.0 | water, sports drink | 8:55 | ~200 ml |
| km 7.5 | water, sports drink | 9:07 | ~100 ml |
| km 10.0 | water, sports drink | 9:20 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 12.5 | water, sports drink, gels | 9:32 | ~100 ml |
| km 15.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, solid food | 9:45 | ~100 ml |
| km 17.5 | water, sports drink, gels | 9:57 | ~100 ml · gel: theirs or yours |
| km 20.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, solid food | 10:09 | ~100 ml |
| km 22.5 | water, sports drink | 10:22 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 25.0 | water, sports drink, cola, fruit, solid food | 10:34 | ~100 ml |
| km 27.5 | water, sports drink, gels | 10:46 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 30.8 | water, sports drink, cola, fruit, solid food, cooling | 11:03 | ~150 ml |
| km 32.5 | water, sports drink | 11:11 | ~100 ml |
| km 35.0 | water, sports drink, cola, fruit, solid food, cooling | 11:24 | ~100 ml |
| km 37.5 | water, sports drink, gels | 11:36 | ~100 ml · gel: theirs or yours |
| km 40.0 | water, sports drink, cola, fruit, solid food, cooling | 11:49 | ~100 ml |
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.5 l | 300 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.0 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.2 l | 300 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Barcelona Marathon: weather in mid-March
What the weather was like during the race (from 8:30 to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 ºC | 16 ºC | 0.0 mm | 9 km/h |
| 2024 | 6 ºC | 14 ºC | 0.0 mm | 19 km/h |
| 2025 | 4 ºC | 12 ºC | 0.0 mm | 10 km/h |
| 2026 | 8 ºC | 14 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Barcelona Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Sunday 14 March 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Barcelona Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Route rebuilt by WinWatts from the official 2026 map (the organisers' GPX is on Strava and needs an account); aid stations from the official 2026 map; weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.