The Riga Marathon starts by Riga Castle on the Daugava embankment and crosses the river three times over bridges — essentially the only elevation change on an otherwise flat course. Since 2026, the finisher medal has been part of a four-year collectible "RIGA" series created with the Latvian National Museum of Art: each year adds one letter and a new artwork by artist Boriss Bērziņš. Registration pickup is expo-only, no postal delivery, but bibs are printed with the runner's name on-site. It's usually cooler here than you'd expect — though in 2019 an actual heat wave hit Latvia on race day itself.
Course records
Men
2:08:51
2019 · Andualem Belay Shiferaw
Women
2:26:22
2019 · Birke Debele Beyene
Weather in May
8–18°C
mixed conditions
Mid-May in Riga usually brings 8-18°C, but the year-to-year spread is huge — from a cold 9°C to a 22°C heat wave, like in 2019, when runners complained it was "too hot to run good times."
Starter pack 2026
Bib with your name printed on it
Nike technical t-shirt or an 'Art Series' t-shirt with artwork by Boriss Bērziņš
Finisher medal (part of the 'RIGA' collector series; 2026: the letter 'R')
Muesli bar and water at the finish
The medal is part of a four-year collectible series created with the Latvian National Museum of Art — collect all the letters over four years.
Pacers & bib pickup
3:003:153:303:454:004:154:305:00
Bib pickup
Rimi Olympic Centre, Grostonas iela 6B, Riga
day before the race only
Bib pickup is expo-only, two days before and the day before the race; there's no pickup on race day.
Registration opens
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Registration closes
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Current price
~€70 (2026)
Status checked
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Run with locals
An easy run with a local club the day before the race — the best way to shake out the legs and meet the city.
Riga Castle and the Old Town — Right by the start and finish on the 11 November Embankment.
Alberta Street — Art Nouveau architecture, right on the marathon route.
30 minutes
Jūrmala — A resort town with a 26km sandy beach.
2 hours
Sigulda and Turaida Castle — Gauja National Park, a medieval red-brick castle.
Dinner before the race
No single pre-race dinner tradition has emerged among runners; general Riga dining guides mention Snatch and Māsa for house-made pasta, but no marathon-runner testimonials confirm either.
After the finish
Officially a muesli bar and water, but per runner accounts also milkshakes, barbecue, and massage in the finish-line "Party Plaza" zone.
Airports
RIX · 12 min
Reviews
YanisNanashi (RaceRaves), half marathon, first race2019
Riga is a wonderful city that is absolutely worth a weekend trip! The race goes through downtown and the old town and makes a very good impression; that year, a Baltic heat wave made it sunny but too hot to run good times.
42.195