How Far Is A Marathon?

Here is the distance of a marathon in km and miles, plus some helpful links for how long it takes to train for a marathon and what to do in the week before your marathon race. 

HOW LONG IS A MARATHON?

A marathon is 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometres. 

To be even more exact, it’s:

• 26.218 miles, or 26 miles and 385 yards
• 42.195 kilometres, or 42,195 metres

All official marathons need to be 26.2 miles or 42.2 km.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RUNNING A MARATHON?

• This is our complete guide for how to train for a marathon
• Here’s how long it takes to train for a marathon (hint: at least 16 weeks!)
• Here’s what to do in the final week before your marathon
• This is how you taper for a marathon
• This is why carb-load is essential for a marathon and how to carb-load before a race
• Here is how you can avoid hitting the wall in a marathon

HOW FAR IS A HALF MARATHON?

A half marathon is exactly half as far as a marathon. 

A half marathon is 13.1 miles or 21.1 kilometres (21,097m). 

HOW FAR IS AN ULTRAMARATHON

An ultramarathon is any distance further than a marathon (26.2 miles/42.2km). Common distances are:

• 50km (31.1 miles)
• 50 miles (80.5 km)
• 100km (62.2 miles)
• 100 miles (160.9 km)

DID YOU KNOW… 

• One mile is 1,609m
• One kilometre is 0.62 of a mile 

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE

• Here’s the fascinating story behind WHY a marathon is 26.2 miles
• Here’s full distance conversions in miles and kms for runners

What’s it really like to run the London Marathon? Follow Sarah on race day to see what the full marathon experience is like.