© adidas Stockholm Marathon
How to Register for the Stockholm Marathon?
The adidas Stockholm Marathon is a Northern European marathon with a growing reputation. Founded in 1979, it is approaching its 50th anniversary. It is typically in late May or early June that the Swedish capital opens its streets to tens of thousands of runners for an unforgettable race through the city’s diverse neighborhoods. Honestly, it’s hard to find a more beautiful setting in which to suffer through 42 kilometers. Stockholm is built across 14 islands, between water, greenery, and medieval architecture — and to top it all off, the finish line is inside the 1912 Olympic Stadium, a legendary venue that holds the highest number of ratified world athletics records of any arena: 83 in total. It’s hard to find a finish line with more history. The 2027 edition takes place on May 29 — and it’s already shaping up to be a tight one for bibs: 21,000 spots sold in two weeks at opening, with only 4,000 remaining for the next registration window.
✓ How do you register for the Stockholm Marathon? Here’s everything you need to know.
| An exceptional city-center course, between islands and landmarks
The course covers the Swedish capital thoroughly. It passes through Gamla Stan twice, runs along the Royal Palace, Strandvägen, and Djurgården, climbs through Södermalm with its punishing hills — Katarinavägen, Lundagatan, Västerbron — before returning to the Stadium for a finish inside the grandstands. With 183 meters of elevation gain, the Stockholm Marathon is far from a flat course. You’ll need to be solid to handle the numerous climbs scattered throughout. This is a demanding race, both physically and mentally. That said, since 2026 the organizer has slightly revised the route: the tougher sections now come earlier in the race, which meaningfully changes how effort is managed. The final kilometers are generally more runnable — those who ran the old course will know the difference.
| A late start… at noon
The gun goes off at 12:00 PM from the Olympic Stadium in Östermalm. A midday start may come as a surprise to marathoners used to pre-dawn departures — but here, it’s something of a tradition. It allows Finnish runners, who show up in large numbers, to arrive by ferry in the morning, run the race, and catch the boat back in the evening. And for Swedes living a few hours from Stockholm, there’s no need to book a hotel: leave in the morning, race in the afternoon. From a logistics standpoint, this marathon makes life easier for runners. The flip side: heat-related issues are common during the race, and weather can have a very real impact on performance.
| One distance only: the marathon
No half marathon, no 10K. The adidas Stockholm Marathon offers only the 42.195 km — the full distance. Open to runners aged 18 and over, with a 6h30 time limit and four intermediate timing checkpoints along the route.
| How to register for the Stockholm Marathon
Everything is handled online, on the official race website.
➜ Go to stockholmmarathon.se
➜ Fill in your personal details
➜ Complete payment online
Registration is final — no refunds in case of non-participation. There is no lottery system; it’s strictly first come, first served.
| When should you register?
Don’t wait. Sales take place the year before the target edition. 21,000 bibs in two weeks — that was the pace of the first sales wave in early June 2026. Only 4,000 spots remained at closing — they will become available again when registration reopens on August 24, 2026, at 9:00 AM.
The official website offers an email reminder subscription ahead of that date — probably the most useful thing you can do right now if you want to run Stockholm in 2027. Also follow the race’s Instagram account; the organizer is very active on social media and posts regular updates.
| How much does a bib cost?
Pricing increases with each sales wave. Register early, pay less. For 2027:
➜ Wave 1 (May 25 – June 7, 2026): 1,295 SEK (~€119)
➜ Wave 2 (August 24 – November 1, 2026): 1,495 SEK (~€137)
➜ Wave 3 (November 2, 2026 – April 25, 2027): 1,795 SEK (~€165)
➜ Wave 4 (April 26 – May 29, 2027): 1,995 SEK (~€183)
The gap between the first and last wave is 700 SEK — around €65. Not nothing.
| Bib pickup at the Expo
The Expo runs from Thursday to Saturday before the race, at the Olympic Stadium — the perfect opportunity to soak up the building atmosphere and get your bearings for the start and finish. As always, a valid ID is required. No bib distribution on race day, as with any major event.
Key info – Stockholm Marathon
- Date: May 29, 2027
- Participants: 25,000
- Distance: Marathon (42.195 km)
- Elevation gain: 183m
- Average temperature: 20°C at start
- Start: 12:00 PM, Stockholm Olympic Stadium
- Time limit: 6h30
- Minimum age: 18 years
- Registration: stockholmmarathon.se
- Label: World Athletics
- Registration reopens: August 24, 2026 at 9:00 AM
- Price: €119 to €183
- Men’s record: 2:10:10 (Nigussie Sahlesilassie, 2019)
- Women’s record: 2:28:24 (Grete Waitz, 1988)
| Race day
Start at 12:00 PM, finish inside the Olympic Stadium. Time limit: 6h30.
Pacers are available from 3:00 to 5:45, every 15 minutes. A transport service is in place to bring runners who drop out back to the Stadium — you won’t need it, but it’s good to know when the mind starts to waver at kilometer 30.
At the finish: finisher t-shirt, a medal with a different Stockholm-themed design each year, refreshments, hot showers, and a personalized diploma available for download. The essentials, done well.
| Stockholm and AbbottWMM
The Stockholm Marathon qualifies for the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group world rankings. Runners hitting the standards for their age group can accumulate points toward the Age Group World Championship, to be held in Tokyo in 2027. For masters runners looking for a spring major qualifier, Stockholm ticks a lot of boxes — challenging course and all.
| Running Stockholm in May: Nordic light and crowds everywhere
In late May in Stockholm, the sun sets at 10:00 PM. The weather is mild, everyone is outdoors, and at noon, the moment of truth arrives for every marathoner. The course tells the story of Stockholm better than any guidebook. You pass the Royal Palace three times, cross the cobblestones of Gamla Stan, run along Strandvägen with the archipelago boats behind you, climb Västerbron — and there, with the silhouette of City Hall below and Lake Mälaren stretching out on both sides, you understand why many consider Stockholm a marathon to run at least once in a lifetime. The Swedish crowd lines every kilometer, particularly on the Södermalm hills where the atmosphere is electric. And then there’s the finish. Running into the 1912 Olympic Stadium, with the grandstands packed and roaring — that’s the kind of moment you don’t forget.
The Stockholm Marathon is 42 demanding kilometers through one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, with a finish inside a historic Olympic stadium. No half marathon, no 10K — the full distance gets its own dedicated day of celebration. And with 21,000 bibs gone in just two weeks and only 4,000 spots remaining, you’ll need to move fast on August 24, 2026 to secure yours.
✔ Find all Stockholm Marathon registration details.
Clément LABORIEUX
Journalist
