The Zurich Barcelona Marathon 2027 starts at 8:30 on Sunday 14 March from Passeig de Gràcia, and its price has already moved to the third and last tier: the €80 and €90 bibs are sold out and the one on sale is €100, out of 37,000 places managed by RPM Sports with Barcelona City Council. After the 2:04:57 and 2:10:51 run in 2026, the course sits among the four fastest in the world, which is why runners now fly in for it, and that is where the practical questions come from: bib collection happens only on the Friday and Saturday before the race, so the flight has to land by Saturday; name transfers end on 16 February; the cheap entry has no refund; and the six-hour limit means a pace of 8:30 per kilometre. This guide sets out the tiers, the deadlines, the corrals and pacers, and how race morning works in a city whose metro opens at 5:00.
How much is the Barcelona Marathon 2027 and when does registration close? €100 for a bib in the current tier, after the €80 and €90 tiers sold out, and €94 for Half Marathon entrants; 37,000 places, closing on 7 March. The race starts on 14 March at 8:30 on Passeig de Gràcia with a 6-hour limit; transfers end on 16 February and bibs are collected on 12 and 13 March only.
Bib collection only on Friday and Saturday, so plan the flight around it
The date that catches travellers is not race day but the day before. Bibs, chips, bags and T-shirts are handed out at the Expo Sports, at a venue the organisers have yet to announce, on Friday 12 March from 15:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 13 March from 9:00 to 20:00, and the rules are explicit that Saturday at 20:00 is the deadline: there is no collection on the Sunday and no exception. You need a passport or ID card and the e-mail with your bib number, entry to the Expo is free, and medal engraving can be bought there if you skipped it online. A flight landing on Saturday evening therefore does not work; Saturday lunchtime does, with the airport to city centre options taking 25 to 40 minutes. On race morning the metro opens at 5:00 every day, and Passeig de Gràcia has stations on lines 2, 3 and 4 within a few hundred metres of the start, so nobody needs a taxi through a closed city centre; a single ticket is €2.90 and the T-casual multi-ride card, €13 for ten journeys, covers the whole weekend. Tap water is safe to drink, which matters more the day before a marathon than any restaurant, and dinner in Barcelona is served late, from about 20:30, so Saturday’s pasta is an early sitting.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 30 April 2026 | registration opened | tier 1 at €80; now on tier 3 |
| 16 February 2027 | last day to transfer a bib | no name changes after this |
| 7 March 2027 | registration closes | or earlier at 37,000 entries |
| Friday 12 March, 15:00–20:00 | bib collection at the Expo Sports | passport or ID and bib e-mail |
| Saturday 13 March, 9:00–20:00 | bib collection, last chance | no collection on race day |
| Sunday 14 March, 8:30 | start on Passeig de Gràcia | corrals by predicted time, staggered waves |
| Sunday 14 March, about 16:15 | course closes | 6 hours after the last runner starts |
What the bib costs by tier, and which package is worth it
The rules set the price by bib number rather than by date, so the increases arrive without warning: when a tier sells out, the next costs €10 more. The €100 tier is the last and the longest, bibs 16,001 to 37,000, which means entering in autumn or in the week before closing costs the same, as long as places remain. The one real discount goes to entrants in the Hyundai Barcelona Half Marathon 2027, who pay €94 verified against their ID number, at the price of not being able to transfer the bib; for anyone already planning both races that is €6 back, for anyone else the Half costs more than it saves. The Race Experience at €167.85 and Full Experience at €218.90 do not buy a better start; they buy a photo pack, an engraved medal, a keyring and a print, and the one thing that matters to a traveller, refund cover, which the basic Race Entry does not include. Booking fees are added at checkout. Against Berlin, Chicago or London prices the bib is cheap; what it costs to be in Barcelona for the weekend is in the daily budget guide.
| Entry | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1, bibs 1001–6000 | €80 | sold out |
| Tier 2, bibs 6001–16,000 | €90 | sold out |
| Tier 3, bibs 16,001–37,000, Race Entry | €100 | on sale; medal and T-shirt; no refund cover |
| Half Marathon 2027 entrant | €94 | ID check; no transfer |
| Race Experience | €167.85 | photos, engraved medal, refund cover |
| Full Experience | €218.90 | the above plus keyring and premium print |
| Booking fee | n/a | added to every entry |
Pace, corrals and pacers, and what the six-hour limit means
The limit is six hours counted from the last runner’s start, with the course closing around 16:15, which works out at 8:30 per kilometre or 13:41 per mile: fast walking with stretches of running gets you home, strolling does not. Thirty-five pacers run seven finish times from 2:45 to 4:30 in quarter-hour steps, and there is nobody slower than 4:30, so back-of-the-pack runners pace themselves. You pick a corral at registration by predicted time and it cannot be changed afterwards, which is worth being honest about, since the staggered waves exist to stop crowding. The sub-elite corral is granted by e-mail on proof of a result from the last two years in an official race: under 1:05 in the half or 2:20 in the marathon for men, 1:15 or 2:35 for women. Runners must be 18 on race day; no minors, pushchairs, bikes, skates or any assisted device. The course itself is fully urban and flat, which is how Chelangat ran 2:04:57 and Tesfay 2:10:51 in 2026, the latter on her marathon debut; the detailed map, GPX file and start and finish plans are published by the organisers, and the race also hosted the Spanish championship that year. To train on the ground beforehand, the seafront running routes and where to run in Barcelona cover flat kilometres by the water.
Making a weekend of it
The marathon falls in mid-March, before the tourist season and its hotel prices, and the race weekend fits a three-night stay: arrive Friday or Saturday morning, collect the bib, eat early on Saturday, run Sunday, and keep Monday for the city. Where to sleep is the decision the race does not make for you; the neighbourhoods to stay in explains why the Eixample puts you within walking distance of the start and the finish. The month also brings the run-up to Sant Jordi and the first spring festivals in the festivals calendar, and a free afternoon on the Monday costs nothing after a €100 bib.
Frequently asked questions about the Barcelona Marathon 2027
How much does the Barcelona Marathon 2027 cost to enter?
The rules price the bib by number, not by date: €80 for bibs 1001 to 6000, €90 for 6001 to 16,000 and €100 for 16,001 to 37,000. On 21 September 2026 the platform sells the Race Entry at €100, medal and T-shirt included, which means the two cheaper tiers are gone. Entrants in the Hyundai Barcelona Half Marathon 2027 pay €94, checked against their ID number. The Race Experience and Full Experience packages cost €167.85 and €218.90 and add photos, an engraved medal and refund cover. Booking fees are extra.
When can I collect my bib and can someone else do it?
At the Expo Sports, venue still to be announced, on Friday 12 March from 15:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 13 March from 9:00 to 20:00, with your passport or ID and the e-mail showing your bib number; you receive bib, chip, runner’s bag and T-shirt, and the Expo is free to enter. There is no collection on Sunday 14 March, so a runner arriving from abroad has to be in Barcelona by Saturday evening at the latest.
What is the time limit and what pace does it require?
Six hours from the moment the last runner crosses the start line, with the course closing around 16:15; that is 8:30 minutes per kilometre, or 13:41 per mile. Thirty-five pacers cover seven finish times from 2:45 to 4:30 in 15-minute steps; there is no pacer slower than 4:30. Corrals are chosen at registration by predicted time and cannot be changed later; the sub-elite corral requires a recent half under 1:05 or marathon under 2:20 for men, 1:15 or 2:35 for women.
How fast is the Barcelona Marathon course?
Fast enough that the organisers place it among the four quickest in the world with Chicago, Berlin and London. In 2026 Abel Chelangat won in 2:04:57 and Fotyen Tesfay in 2:10:51, the second-fastest women’s marathon in history and a course record by nine minutes, set on her debut at the distance, in a race with 32,000 runners. The course is fully urban, flat by design, starts and finishes on Passeig de Gràcia and has 47 cheering points.
Can I transfer or refund my Barcelona Marathon entry?
Transfer, yes, until 16 February 2027, through the Manage my registration page; after that date no name changes are accepted and passing on a bib outside the official process leads to disqualification. Refund, only if you bought a Race Experience or Full Experience package, which include refund cover; the basic Race Entry is non-refundable. Discounted and free entries, including the €94 Half Marathon rate, cannot be transferred at all.
Land by Saturday lunchtime, collect the bib before 20:00, and the €100 buys one of the four fastest marathon courses there is.