Best UK Marathons (That Aren’t The London Marathon)

What are the best UK marathons to run in 2025 or 2026? Here we’ve listed some of the most popular and fastest marathons in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

The biggest marathon in the UK is the London Marathon, and as much as love the London Marathon, it’s not the easiest to get into, so these are great alternative UK road marathons for you to consider. 

If you’re looking for trail races then we’ve covered a variety of distances here and if you want to run even further, then how about a UK trail ultramarathon?

A quick note: Marathon running is getting more popular and some of these races are already sold out for 2025. But given that it can take a year to train for a marathon, that gives you plenty of time to be ready for 2026!

Brighton Marathon
Date: Sunday 6 April 2025
Start line: Preston Park, Brighton

Running up and down Brighton’s seafront, and looping through the town, you pass the Pavilion and the pier before finishing by the beach on this popular and well-supported marathon. It’s put on by London Marathon Events, so is well organised for the 11,000+ finishers (which makes it the third-largest marathon in England). The first half of the race is undulating, and the second half is pretty flat (just hope it’s not windy or the final 10km can be extra challenging). It’s already sold out for 2025, so plan ahead for 2026 if you want to race in Brighton.

Southampton Marathon 
Date: Sunday 6 April 2025
Start line: Southampton Guildhall, Southampton

The 2025 Southampton Marathon is the 10th anniversary of the race. It’s a city centre start and finish and a two-lap course which goes from city to river shore, through parks, inside St Mary’s Football Stadium, and back through the city, before doing it all again. There are a few hills, which you’ll have to run up and down twice. There’s a marathon, half, 10km and 5km on the same day, with almost 5,000 runners taking part and making for a great atmosphere in the city on race day.

Newport Marathon
Date: Sunday 13 April 2025
Start line: Usk Way, Newport

The Newport Marathon is a festival of running with junior races, a 10km and half marathon as well as the marathon, so the town is an exciting place to be on race weekend. The route is flat and fast (a lot of runners achieve a PB at Newport) with plenty of people out cheering the 2,000 marathoners on. It’s a great spring marathon to get signed up for while there are still places available.

Boston Marathon
Date: Sunday 13 April 2025
Start line: Market Place, Boston

Didn’t get into the Boston Marathon? How about running the other Boston Marathon which takes place in Boston, Lincolnshire. It’s run the day before the US Major and while it might not be quite as famous there’s one big benefit to this one over the race in Massachusetts: the race website calls this the flattest marathon in the UK! (There’s no Heartbreak Hill in Lincolnshire!). There’s a 5km, 10km and half marathon on the same day as the marathon. And you can still tell all your running buddies that you’re doing the Boston Marathon. 

Manchester Marathon
Date: Sunday 27 August 2025
Start line: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester hosts the second-biggest marathon in the UK with 36,000 runners, and it takes place on the same day as the London Marathon. It’s flat and friendly and people love running this race around the streets of Manchester, and it promises to get better with a new finish for 2025 which is on Oxford Road, so should be even more popular for crowds to cheer you on. There’s only one problem: it’s already sold out for 2025. Sign up early for 2026 to avoid missing out. 

Blackpool Marathon
Date: Sunday 27 April 2025
Start line: Blackpool Promenade, Blackpool

The Blackpool Festival of Running features a 2km, 5km and 10km on Saturday, then a half marathon and marathon on the Sunday. The marathon is a flat two-lap out-and-back road run that’s always parallel to the sea on one side, with Blackpool’s sights on the other, and it’s a good race for crowds to follow you and cheer along. It’s a good alternative to London or Manchester which take place on the same day. 

Belfast City Marathon
Date: Sunday 4 May 2025
Start line: Stormont Estate, Belfast

Northern Ireland’s biggest marathon had more than 5,500 finishers in 2024, and it’s one of the oldest in the UK having started in 1982. There’s a spectacular start on Stormont Estate as the route passes through north, south, east and west Belfast, with a lot of people out cheering and creating a great atmosphere. The race has an expo (not too many UK marathons have one – most mail you your race bib) and there’s decent prize money, so it attracts some good runners (the men’s course record is 2:13 and it’s 2:35 for women). An eight mile walk happens on the same day for those who prefer a slower pace, and there’s a popular marathon relay option where teams of two to five take on the race.

Milton Keynes Marathon 
Date: Monday 5 May 2025
Start line: Stadium MK, Milton Keynes

Fancy a bank holiday Monday marathon? Then get yourself to Milton Keynes! The race begins outside Stadium MK and takes some 1,700 runners around a mix of tree-lined city streets and old villages before coming back and ending inside the stadium, which is a great finish line experience. There’s a half marathon and team marathon relay on the Monday, plus there’s a 5km run on the Sunday.

Leeds Marathon
Date: Sunday 11 May 2025
Start line: Headingley Stadium, Leeds

Over 4,000 runners take on the Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon. It begins at Headingley Stadium, heads towards Leeds city centre, and then out to Otley. It’s not a flat race, and it undulates a lot and has some longer climbs, but don’t let that put you off (the final 5km is basically downhill!) as it’s a marathon that’s well-organised and has a lot of support out on the course (just practise hills in training!). There’s a half marathon on the same day. 

Edinburgh Marathon 
Date: Sunday 25 May 2025
Start line: Potterrow, Edinburgh

It’s the biggest marathon in Scotland and it sells out every year, with runners heading from the old town in the city centre, along the famous Royal Mile, and then out towards the sea (with a nice rolling downhill for a few miles to help you out), before a long out and back along the coast to a finish in Musselburgh (so you need to get back to the city after the finish). The latter part of the race can be a quiet, and the turnaround can feel like a slog if you’re struggling, especially if it’s a windy day. There are junior races and a 5km and 10km on the Saturday, with a half and marathon on the Sunday, and a total of 35,000 runners take part over the weekend. 

Loch Ness Marathon
Date: Sunday 28 September 2025
Location: Inverness, Scotland

Certainly one of the most scenic marathons in the UK, the point to point race begins in the moorlands of the Scottish Highlands and follows alongside Loch Ness from miles seven to 17 as you head into a fun finish line in Inverness. It’s an undulating route with a lot of downhills, especially in the first few miles, but watch out for the uphills as well. One consideration is that runners need to be bussed out to the start line to then run back, but it’s all well organised (and the start line is pretty special!). There’s a 10km run on the same day which is all in Inverness. 

Chester Marathon 
Date: Sunday 5 October 2025
Start line: Chester Racecourse, Chester

This well-regarded marathon starts and finishes in the centre of Chester, with 4,500 runners passing some of the city’s iconic landmarks, like the Roman Walls, Cathedral and Amphitheatre. Seven of the middle miles of the race are in Wales, before returning back to England, and there’s a lot of crowd support in the city and in the surrounding villages. The race hosts the England Athletics Age Group Masters Marathon Championship, so you’ll find some of the best English age group runners taking part. You can also run the Chester Metric Marathon, a 26.2km race. 

Yorkshire Marathon 
Date: Sunday 19 October 2025
Start line: University of York, York

Run through the handsome streets of York and then out on scenic and well-supported roads beyond the city into nearby villages, before finishing back in the city. This popular race has plenty of pacers to help you achieve your time goals, and there’s a 10 mile race on the same day, with around 10,000 people taking part across the two races. 

Portsmouth Coastal Marathon
Date: Sunday 22 December 2024
Start line: Clarence Esplanade, Portsmouth

If all you want for Christmas is a new marathon medal, then this is your last chance to run some merry miles before Santa arrives. It’s a mixed terrain route, but here that means road and gravel tracks. It might not necessarily be a race for a fast time, but it will be one for a fun time! There’s also a festive half marathon on the same day. 

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Do you have any other favourite UK road marathons? 

All images from official race websites and social media