Marathon Details - Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon

International Marathons > Spain > Madrid > Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon

Zurich Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K

Madrid, Spain

April 28, 2024

http://www.edprocknrollmadrid.com

More Info:	News
Results:	Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:
Address:	MAPOMA C/Galilieo, 74 - 28015 Madrid Spain
Phone Number:	Espana: (0034) 91 354 03 89 or (1) 858 450 6510
Fax Number:	(0034) 91 447 94 11
Email:	Email the organizers



Become a Verified Race, and stand out from the crowd. We feature a blue check next to verified races on our calendar, and feature your race on the Verified Races section of the website.	Get Verified Now



Getting ready for this event? Get a personalized adaptive training plan and 1:1 coach assistance.	Get Your Plan

Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.2

Spectators 4.3

Write a review

Number of comments: 49 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

W. e. from San Diego, California (5/30/2018) "outstanding race and id do it again!" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 100th Marathon and being in beautiful Madrid made it even more special. Course, volunteers and spectators were fabulous. As a back of the packer having not trained, due to an injury, I knew of the time cut off but navigating the green line thru huge Madrid Traffic was not safe nor easy to find the finish line! But you covered so much of this beautiful city that it was all well worth it. Bravo! EPE
F. F. from Porto, Portugal (5/12/2016) "Great" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great Marathon, just loved it.
Victoria Hare from Scotland (4/26/2016) "Beautifully scenic with wonderful weather" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having visited the Expo on Friday I was pleasantly surprised as it was easy to find by subway, very well organised and not busy at all! The run itself was also very easy to find. It was busy at the start as to be expected but not any more than any other major race. Having read other reviews prior to running the marathon I was very apprehensive as there were numerous comments about how it was 'one of the toughest in Europe' with ' killer hills and heat' etc. Having raced in cross country races prior to Madrid to be honest I didn't really notice these unbearable mountains so don't be put off! As long as you are not a treadmill only runner you will be fine! Yes the sun was shining at it was 20 degrees but I still achieved a PB by 25 minutes and the enthusiastic crowds and beautiful surroundings made it extra special!
K. S. from Maryland, US (5/1/2015) "Big City Marathon with long, steady inclines" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Nice marathon tour of Madrid passing all the major sights. Long, steady ascents and descents. Six kilometer uphill at the start and maybe 8-9 K climb at the end. Just a steady uphill: not killer hills but you know you are climbing. My thighs were sore for four days which is unusual. Portable toilets at various locations on the course were convenient and generally line-free but obviously the ones toward the end were at capacity. Plenty of aid stations, well-manned, with sufficient supplies. Good music from the bands - a mix of styles and English and Spanish language singers. Marathon and half marathon start together, but that was less chaotic than it sounds. Easy to get to the start (Madrid has excellent public transportation). No big crowds until near the end, but the weather may have been a factor - on and off rain (steady at the end) and temps in the 50s F (15 C?). Near hypothermia after finishing wet and the rain coming down. Provided with plastic sheeting at the finish but thermal blankets would have been much better. No directional signage for exiting the finish area. That was a big problem for non-Madrileños. Five minute line to get into expo on Friday. Very easy packet pick-up, decent expo. Easy to get to via Metro. I didn't go to the Pasta Meal. Madrid has plenty of places to eat including enough Italian places if you had to have pasta. But you're in Madrid - eat tapas!
S. F. from USA (4/27/2015) "Madrid...Great place for a race" (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was a very fun race even though the weather in 2015 was terribly cold and wet. The course runs past several beautiful monuments and the entire city itself is gorgeous and clean. There is an uphill portion near the end of the course but it's pretty negligible and any one who complains about that is just looking to say something negative. The organization was pretty terrible. The expo was a mess with security and there were hardly any mile markers along the route. Also, there power gel stations were not in the spots as described on the course map. The fans are amazing. The Spaniards are friendly and incredibly animated. I loved running here and would recommend this race anytime.
B. M. from Madrid (6/5/2014) "One of Europe´s toughest marathons" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race has grown a lot since I ran it in 2010, numbers are up by around 40% and about 12,000 finished this year. The course has some new parts, in a bid to try and take out the hilliest parts of the city. The marathoners and HM´s start together and separate around the 16km mark, only about 20% do the HM. The start was chaotic, corral 1 and 2 were mixed so the 3.15 pace group and 3.45 were together, there was no one controlling the corrals. Fortunately the start of the race is in a wide road and doesn't take too long to get to your MP. The first 6km are all slowly uphill, then it´s nearly all downhill or flat till around the 25K mark. One of the changes this year was less kilometers in the casa de campo park, as crowd support was very low. However the new part involves a steep hill and the park isn't flat. By the time you arrive at the 25K mark you're at the lowest point in the city and have to climb 12K to get to the finish line, there are some very long, energy sapping hills that are very tough. Especially as the marathon is held in the last 2 weeks of April, no other major city in Southern Europe has their marathon this late in spring. Temps are around 10C-15C at the start and around 20C a few hours later. The last 12K doesn't have much shade either, sunglasses and sunblock are essential and a cap/visor highly recommended. The organisers have tried to remove the steepest hills, but have exchanged them for long inclines instead, making the last third of the marathon very difficult indeed. The last 10K of a marathon are always the toughest, so to make them even tougher by running uphill makes for one of the most difficult marathons in Europe. Crowd support has improved considerably since 2010, though still patchy in parts. The expo is about 4 times the size too. The live groups dotted around the course are good, but they only play Spanish rock music, no music in English and they are the only music you will hear in 42K. This is not a PR course, if you want a fast and flat course in Spain, head for Barcelona, or even better Valencia. It will be interesting to see if RNR change the course in the future, to make it flatter especially to attract more for foreign runners.
E. M. from Athens, Greece (11/7/2013) "Great route, uphill battle near the end" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course was great, combining a bit of everything and passing in front of most sights in beautiful Madrid. Descent into Placa Del Sol with the crowd cheering was an amazing feeling, even though the last 5-6 km were tough uphill climbs as we approached from the south. Be prepared for any kind of weather, this year the temperature dropped sharply as a cold front fell on the town giving us 5C (41F) in the morning and rising only up to 12C (53F) at noon (it even snowed lightly two days later!). The organization was kinda chaotic with huge lines in the expo on Saturday morning and also large crowds at the bag area at the start of the race. As Spanish cuisine has no large selection of pasta dishes we faced some queues in all Italian restaurants on the day before the race, so it might be wise to book a table ahead. It was lovely overall and I do recommend it.
M. L. from London (4/30/2013) "Have to do at least once" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall a good marathon but a little chaos when handing bags in ie long queues and not helped by the 10k and half marathon and full all starting at the same place. Crowd support was excellent and would have been great to have seen some fruit or other quick fix food at the drink tables escpecially the later part of the marathon when uphill. Otherwise the whole course was only drinks
P. G. from New York, NY (4/29/2013) "Beautiful City, Hilly Course, Poor Organization" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Pros: Madrid is an elegant and beautiful city and the course is probably THE MOST comprehensively scenic urban marathon I've run (including other cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam, New York, Washington DC, Boston and Chicago) in terms of capturing the scenery, landmarks, not to mention being at the perfect, most colorful time of the year for springtime foliage, flowers, and weather. The Spaniards are friendly and supportive and the immaculately-clean city is easy to navigate re: hotels and spectator friends. CONS: 1) without a doubt, organization by Rock'n Roll sponsors/franchise is the WORST I have ever seen in 13 worlds marathons I've done in past 5 years including all the World Majors, with 2) Virtually no communication in any language leading up to the race, terrible instructions on race weekend, 3) No One seems to be in charge at the Expo with its long lines and no guidance, 4) near-riot conditions at the ridiculous Bag Drop-off (such that a thousand runners missed the start gun and their corrals while trapped in line for an hour while the bag check process dragged on! 5) the Finish line is total chaos with zero guidance, long lines for rock-hard, inedible Green bananas, no family area...and the dumbest, most disappointing aspect: 6) even with the scenic course, the last 5-6 miles are totally ALL UP-HILL right up to the finish line! (Not something you look forward to at the 20th mile.) **SHAME on the American Rock 'N Roll sponsor franchise; this lack of organization and horrific planning is downright amateurish and Madrid deserves better!
Cespedes Juno from La Verne, California USA (11/5/2012) "challenging hills" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I like to do things out of the spur moment: Wanting to do two inaugural, international Rock N Roll series, I picked half marathon in Edinburgh follow by the marathon in Madrid (a week apart). Never did it occur to me to search the level of difficulty of the Madrid marathon. I was blown away by how the Spaniards do thingswith enthusiasm and mirth. Well organized,and thought through in making all runners finish the race with roller blade first-aid assistance. Thanks to the fans which surrounded the streets, I finish with a very best PR at 3:49. There was only one glitch: checkin stations were not at the start line but rather at the end. I highly recommend this marathon to all of those who do the RocknRoll series.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

Become an Advertiser

W. e. from San Diego, California (5/30/2018) "outstanding race and id do it again!" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 100th Marathon and being in beautiful Madrid made it even more special. Course, volunteers and spectators were fabulous. As a back of the packer having not trained, due to an injury, I knew of the time cut off but navigating the green line thru huge Madrid Traffic was not safe nor easy to find the finish line! But you covered so much of this beautiful city that it was all well worth it. Bravo! EPE
F. F. from Porto, Portugal (5/12/2016) "Great" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great Marathon, just loved it.
Victoria Hare from Scotland (4/26/2016) "Beautifully scenic with wonderful weather" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having visited the Expo on Friday I was pleasantly surprised as it was easy to find by subway, very well organised and not busy at all! The run itself was also very easy to find. It was busy at the start as to be expected but not any more than any other major race. Having read other reviews prior to running the marathon I was very apprehensive as there were numerous comments about how it was 'one of the toughest in Europe' with ' killer hills and heat' etc. Having raced in cross country races prior to Madrid to be honest I didn't really notice these unbearable mountains so don't be put off! As long as you are not a treadmill only runner you will be fine! Yes the sun was shining at it was 20 degrees but I still achieved a PB by 25 minutes and the enthusiastic crowds and beautiful surroundings made it extra special!
K. S. from Maryland, US (5/1/2015) "Big City Marathon with long, steady inclines" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Nice marathon tour of Madrid passing all the major sights. Long, steady ascents and descents. Six kilometer uphill at the start and maybe 8-9 K climb at the end. Just a steady uphill: not killer hills but you know you are climbing. My thighs were sore for four days which is unusual. Portable toilets at various locations on the course were convenient and generally line-free but obviously the ones toward the end were at capacity. Plenty of aid stations, well-manned, with sufficient supplies. Good music from the bands - a mix of styles and English and Spanish language singers. Marathon and half marathon start together, but that was less chaotic than it sounds. Easy to get to the start (Madrid has excellent public transportation). No big crowds until near the end, but the weather may have been a factor - on and off rain (steady at the end) and temps in the 50s F (15 C?). Near hypothermia after finishing wet and the rain coming down. Provided with plastic sheeting at the finish but thermal blankets would have been much better. No directional signage for exiting the finish area. That was a big problem for non-Madrileños. Five minute line to get into expo on Friday. Very easy packet pick-up, decent expo. Easy to get to via Metro. I didn't go to the Pasta Meal. Madrid has plenty of places to eat including enough Italian places if you had to have pasta. But you're in Madrid - eat tapas!
S. F. from USA (4/27/2015) "Madrid...Great place for a race" (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was a very fun race even though the weather in 2015 was terribly cold and wet. The course runs past several beautiful monuments and the entire city itself is gorgeous and clean. There is an uphill portion near the end of the course but it's pretty negligible and any one who complains about that is just looking to say something negative. The organization was pretty terrible. The expo was a mess with security and there were hardly any mile markers along the route. Also, there power gel stations were not in the spots as described on the course map. The fans are amazing. The Spaniards are friendly and incredibly animated. I loved running here and would recommend this race anytime.
B. M. from Madrid (6/5/2014) "One of Europe´s toughest marathons" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race has grown a lot since I ran it in 2010, numbers are up by around 40% and about 12,000 finished this year. The course has some new parts, in a bid to try and take out the hilliest parts of the city. The marathoners and HM´s start together and separate around the 16km mark, only about 20% do the HM. The start was chaotic, corral 1 and 2 were mixed so the 3.15 pace group and 3.45 were together, there was no one controlling the corrals. Fortunately the start of the race is in a wide road and doesn't take too long to get to your MP. The first 6km are all slowly uphill, then it´s nearly all downhill or flat till around the 25K mark. One of the changes this year was less kilometers in the casa de campo park, as crowd support was very low. However the new part involves a steep hill and the park isn't flat. By the time you arrive at the 25K mark you're at the lowest point in the city and have to climb 12K to get to the finish line, there are some very long, energy sapping hills that are very tough. Especially as the marathon is held in the last 2 weeks of April, no other major city in Southern Europe has their marathon this late in spring. Temps are around 10C-15C at the start and around 20C a few hours later. The last 12K doesn't have much shade either, sunglasses and sunblock are essential and a cap/visor highly recommended. The organisers have tried to remove the steepest hills, but have exchanged them for long inclines instead, making the last third of the marathon very difficult indeed. The last 10K of a marathon are always the toughest, so to make them even tougher by running uphill makes for one of the most difficult marathons in Europe. Crowd support has improved considerably since 2010, though still patchy in parts. The expo is about 4 times the size too. The live groups dotted around the course are good, but they only play Spanish rock music, no music in English and they are the only music you will hear in 42K. This is not a PR course, if you want a fast and flat course in Spain, head for Barcelona, or even better Valencia. It will be interesting to see if RNR change the course in the future, to make it flatter especially to attract more for foreign runners.
E. M. from Athens, Greece (11/7/2013) "Great route, uphill battle near the end" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course was great, combining a bit of everything and passing in front of most sights in beautiful Madrid. Descent into Placa Del Sol with the crowd cheering was an amazing feeling, even though the last 5-6 km were tough uphill climbs as we approached from the south. Be prepared for any kind of weather, this year the temperature dropped sharply as a cold front fell on the town giving us 5C (41F) in the morning and rising only up to 12C (53F) at noon (it even snowed lightly two days later!). The organization was kinda chaotic with huge lines in the expo on Saturday morning and also large crowds at the bag area at the start of the race. As Spanish cuisine has no large selection of pasta dishes we faced some queues in all Italian restaurants on the day before the race, so it might be wise to book a table ahead. It was lovely overall and I do recommend it.
M. L. from London (4/30/2013) "Have to do at least once" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall a good marathon but a little chaos when handing bags in ie long queues and not helped by the 10k and half marathon and full all starting at the same place. Crowd support was excellent and would have been great to have seen some fruit or other quick fix food at the drink tables escpecially the later part of the marathon when uphill. Otherwise the whole course was only drinks
P. G. from New York, NY (4/29/2013) "Beautiful City, Hilly Course, Poor Organization" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Pros: Madrid is an elegant and beautiful city and the course is probably THE MOST comprehensively scenic urban marathon I've run (including other cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam, New York, Washington DC, Boston and Chicago) in terms of capturing the scenery, landmarks, not to mention being at the perfect, most colorful time of the year for springtime foliage, flowers, and weather. The Spaniards are friendly and supportive and the immaculately-clean city is easy to navigate re: hotels and spectator friends. CONS: 1) without a doubt, organization by Rock'n Roll sponsors/franchise is the WORST I have ever seen in 13 worlds marathons I've done in past 5 years including all the World Majors, with 2) Virtually no communication in any language leading up to the race, terrible instructions on race weekend, 3) No One seems to be in charge at the Expo with its long lines and no guidance, 4) near-riot conditions at the ridiculous Bag Drop-off (such that a thousand runners missed the start gun and their corrals while trapped in line for an hour while the bag check process dragged on! 5) the Finish line is total chaos with zero guidance, long lines for rock-hard, inedible Green bananas, no family area...and the dumbest, most disappointing aspect: 6) even with the scenic course, the last 5-6 miles are totally ALL UP-HILL right up to the finish line! (Not something you look forward to at the 20th mile.) **SHAME on the American Rock 'N Roll sponsor franchise; this lack of organization and horrific planning is downright amateurish and Madrid deserves better!
Cespedes Juno from La Verne, California USA (11/5/2012) "challenging hills" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I like to do things out of the spur moment: Wanting to do two inaugural, international Rock N Roll series, I picked half marathon in Edinburgh follow by the marathon in Madrid (a week apart). Never did it occur to me to search the level of difficulty of the Madrid marathon. I was blown away by how the Spaniards do thingswith enthusiasm and mirth. Well organized,and thought through in making all runners finish the race with roller blade first-aid assistance. Thanks to the fans which surrounded the streets, I finish with a very best PR at 3:49. There was only one glitch: checkin stations were not at the start line but rather at the end. I highly recommend this marathon to all of those who do the RocknRoll series.

Become a better runner

Marathon Details - Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon