Preparation guide · Movistar Madrid Medio Maratón
Madrid Half Marathon 2027: split times, hills, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 4 April 2027, starting in Madrid (Paseo de Recoletos, by the National Library, Spain) at 9:15. Here you have the Madrid Half Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Madrid Half Marathon: route and profile
Official 2025 route (organisers' GPX); the 2027 one hasn't been published yet. Start and finish on Paseo de Recoletos, in front of the National Library; 3-hour time limit.
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 1.9–2.9 | 3.9 % | +36 s/km |
| km 3.3–4.1 | 3.7 % | +34 s/km |
| km 4.9–5.8 | -1.9 % | -15 s/km |
| km 9.7–10.2 | 2.8 % | +25 s/km |
| km 10.3–11.2 | -2.1 % | -16 s/km |
| km 12.0–12.6 | 3.1 % | +28 s/km |
| km 12.7–13.7 | -3.1 % | -21 s/km |
| km 16.9–17.6 | -2.8 % | -20 s/km |
| km 17.7–18.4 | 2.8 % | +24 s/km |
| km 18.5–19.0 | -4.0 % | -26 s/km |
| km 19.4–20.4 | -1.8 % | -12 s/km |
Route keys
- It starts uphill: from km 0 to 4 you climb about 85 m up the Castellana to Plaza de Castilla. Start by effort, not pace: if you reach the top in the red, you'll pay for it in the second half.
- From Plaza de Castilla almost everything is in your favour: you descend along Bravo Murillo and Cuatro Caminos to km 9, there's a short rise towards km 10 and you keep losing height until km 12. This is where you win back the time from the climb, without overdoing it.
- From km 12 to 18 the road keeps going up and down (Doctor Esquerdo, Puerta de Alcalá, Serrano, Alonso Martínez, Gran Vía): it's the mental stretch. Hold your effort, not the pace on your watch.
- There are drink stations at km 5, 10 and 15 and food at the finish; the organisers don't say whether there's sports drink. Carry your own gels and take them just before an aid station, around km 9 and 14.
3 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 the same effort: a bit slower on the climbs and faster on the descents, as each section's average pace shows, with the clock time counted from the 09:15 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 | 1 h 30 | 1 h 45 | 2 h | 2 h 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:22:12 9:37 | 0:25:55 9:40 | 0:29:37 9:44 | 0:33:19 9:48 |
| km 10 | 0:43:05 9:58 | 0:50:16 10:05 | 0:57:27 10:12 | 1:04:38 10:19 |
| km 15 | 1:04:12 10:19 | 1:14:53 10:29 | 1:25:35 10:40 | 1:36:17 10:51 |
| km 20 | 1:25:12 10:40 | 1:39:24 10:54 | 1:53:36 11:08 | 2:07:48 11:22 |
| Finish | 1:30:00 10:45 | 1:45:00 11:00 | 2:00:00 11:15 | 2:15:00 11:30 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 1 h 45: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 1 h 45) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.0 | water | 9:40 | ~200 ml |
| km 10.0 | water | 10:05 | ~200 ml · gel just before |
| km 15.0 | water | 10:30 | ~200 ml · gel just before |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h 30 | 60 g/h | 1 × 35 g | 0.7 l | 300 mg/h |
| 1 h 45 | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 0.9 l | 300 mg/h |
| 2 h | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 1.0 l | 300 mg/h |
| 2 h 15 | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 1.1 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.
Madrid Half Marathon: weather in late March and early April
What the weather was like during the race (from 9:15 to the finish of a 1:52 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 ºC | 14 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
| 2024 | 13 ºC | 16 ºC | 0.6 mm | 10 km/h |
| 2025 | 9 ºC | 12 ºC | 0.0 mm | 5 km/h |
| 2026 | 6 ºC | 12 ºC | 0.0 mm | 3 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Madrid Half 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 4 April 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Madrid Half Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Route measured on the official 2025 GPX (course certified by the Spanish federation, same streets as the official list); aid stations from the organisers' 2027 information; weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.