The Brussels Marathon is an annual
AIMS-certified
marathon held in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, RĂ©gion de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, first held in 1984, and usually held in the autumn. Races of shorter distances are also held on the same day.
History
The full race was first held in 1984.
The race was not held from 1995 to 2003.
In 2004, the race was restarted as part of the ING Running Tour, organized by
ING Belgium and the
Royal Belgian Athletics League.
Public controversy arose in social networks in 2017, where podium awards appeared and differed significantly between females and males. Following a change of sponsorship by Brussels Airport in 2018, the organisers (Golazo Sports) announced that awards would be aligned equally for both sexes. In 2018, the organisers defended the non-publication of full race results including category positions on the grounds of recent changes in European privacy laws, although inconsistent with standard practice as well as the publication of other race results by the same organiser.
The 2020 edition of the race was postponed to 2021.10.03 due to the
coronavirus pandemic, with all entries automatically remaining valid for 2021.
Course
The marathon makes a loop, starting and ending in the
City of Brussels, in the proximity of
Brussels Park
Brussels Park (french: Parc de Bruxelles, ; nl, Warandepark) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. Formerly known and still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park (french: Parc royal, nl, Koninklijk Park ...
.
Initially the runners head eastwards, to
Tervuren
Tervuren () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total a ...
. Alongside the track, the participants pass several green areas: the
Cinquantenaire Park, the
Woluwe
The Woluwe (; ) is a stream that goes through several municipalities in the southeast and east of Brussels and is a right tributary of the Senne/Zenne (in Vilvoorde). The Kleine Maalbeek is a tributary of the Woluwe (in Kraainem). Many ponds fo ...
Park, the Capuchin Forest, the Royal Belgian Golf Club and the
Bois de la Cambre. Since 2017, the course has started and finished in the Cinquantenaire Park, initially heading west anti-clockwise around the city, with the full marathon deviating out-and-back to
Tervuren
Tervuren () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total a ...
. Since 2018, the start and finish has coincided with the more renowned
20 km of Brussels The 20 km of Brussels (french: 20 km de Bruxelles, nl, 20 km door Brussel) is a 20.1 km running race that has been held each year in Brussels since 1980, usually in May. It used to have a maximum number of 25,000 entries, which were normally sold o ...
held in May.
Additional distances
A half marathon, a Mini Marathon (6.5 km) and a Kids Run (1 km) are also held.
Qualification
The full Brussels Marathon is open to runners 18 or older from any nation. Competitors for the half marathon have to be at least 16 years of age.
Attendance
More people participate in the half marathon than in the full marathon. As of 2014, the half marathon had its largest attendance in 2012 with 8006 participants, and the full Brussels Marathon had its largest attendance in 2010 with 2546 runners.
Environmental impact
In response to increasing public concerns on the amount of unnecessary waste at such public sports events, the organisers are aiming at a plastic-free event from 2019 onwards, with drinking water served in cardboard cups, no goody bags and avoiding the need for aluminium foil protection after the race by ensuring participants' sports bags are readily accessible.
Winners
Source:
Key: Course record (in bold)
Marathon
Initial era
Current era
Half marathon
Notes
See also
*
List of marathon races in Europe
The following is a list of marathon races located in Europe.
Legend
Race list
See also
*IAAF Road Race Label Events
*World Marathon Majors
References
{{Marathon
Marathons in Europe,
Sport of athletics-related lists, Marathon races ...
*
20 km of Brussels The 20 km of Brussels (french: 20 km de Bruxelles, nl, 20 km door Brussel) is a 20.1 km running race that has been held each year in Brussels since 1980, usually in May. It used to have a maximum number of 25,000 entries, which were normally sold o ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Brussels Airport Brussels Marathon & Half Marathon* Association of Road Racing Statisticians
ARRS
Recurring sporting events established in 1984
Annual events in Brussels
1984 establishments in Belgium
Marathons in Belgium
Annual sporting events in Belgium
Tervuren
Autumn events in Belgium