MarathonStay — new and updated guides https://marathonstay.com Verified race-morning logistics and the accommodation that works around them. Re-verified guides reappear here, because a re-check can mean the times changed. en-gb Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:22:35 GMT Big Sur Marathon: the bus is compulsory, and where you sleep decides whether you get up at 2:45 or 4:15 https://marathonstay.com/marathons/big-sur-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/big-sur-marathon/ Highway 1 closed to private cars, seven bus pick-ups boarding from 3:30am, and a peninsula that barely marks up. The premium is the alarm clock, not the price. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Comrades 2027 is a Down Run, so you sleep in Pietermaritzburg, where 2 rooms are left https://marathonstay.com/marathons/comrades-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/comrades-marathon/ The direction alternates yearly and 2027 runs Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The 100th edition. Verified starts, the 12-hour gun, and why the start city is empty. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT South Africa Dublin Marathon: start and finish are 850m apart, the bank holiday is the only reason to book early https://marathonstay.com/marathons/dublin-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/dublin-marathon/ Five waves from 08:40, a seven-hour course clock that starts with the last runner, and a city that barely notices the race. Verified 2026 logistics. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ireland Gold Coast Marathon: your start wave is set at entry, and the whole race lives in one precinct https://marathonstay.com/marathons/gold-coast-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/gold-coast-marathon/ Four marathon waves from 6:15am, start zones fixed when you enter, and everything at Broadwater Parklands. Verified structure and where to sleep in Southport. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Australia Grandma's Marathon: you must take the provided bus, and only one pickup lets you park near the finish https://marathonstay.com/marathons/grandmas-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/grandmas-marathon/ Two Harbors to Duluth, mandatory race transport, seven pickup points and corral-timed boarding from 6:00am. Where to sleep in a city with 19 rooms left. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Honolulu Marathon starts at 5am and never closes the course, the heat is the real cut-off https://marathonstay.com/marathons/honolulu-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/honolulu-marathon/ A 5am gun, no entry limit and no time limit at all. Verified start and finish, why Waikiki works for both, and what low-80s by 10am does to a slow finish. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Loch Ness Marathon: you cannot reach the start yourself, and 88% of Inverness is already booked https://marathonstay.com/marathons/loch-ness-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/loch-ness-marathon/ A moorland start with no public access, one coach out of Inverness, and no return transport to the loch. Verified 2026 times, pickups, and where to sleep. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United Kingdom Marine Corps Marathon: you are screened at both ends, and your bag finishes in a different neighbourhood https://marathonstay.com/marathons/marine-corps-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/marine-corps-marathon/ A Pentagon start, an Iwo Jima finish 2.5km away, and baggage that ends up in Rosslyn. Verified 2026 times, the 14-minute-mile rule, and where to sleep. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Twin Cities Marathon finishes in a different city, and the buses are free both ways https://marathonstay.com/marathons/twin-cities-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/twin-cities-marathon/ Minneapolis start, St Paul finish, 12.8km apart. Verified 8:00am gun, the 2:50pm cut-off, free participant buses, and why one city has four times the beds. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Two Oceans splits into two days for 2027, and the ballot opens in August, not January https://marathonstay.com/marathons/two-oceans-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/two-oceans-marathon/ The 56km ultra moves to Sunday, capacity jumps 50%, and everything finishes at UCT. Verified 2027 dates, entry routes and where to sleep in the southern suburbs. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT South Africa Walt Disney World Marathon starts at 4:30am, and race weekend is cheaper than an ordinary one https://marathonstay.com/marathons/walt-disney-world-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/walt-disney-world-marathon/ The earliest gun of any major, a compulsory expo, and a proof-of-time deadline months out. Verified 2027 logistics, and why January is Orlando's bargain. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Athens Marathon buses, your wave decides which bus you can catch https://marathonstay.com/marathons/athens-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/athens-marathon/ The start town has no beds, so you sleep in Athens and bus out. Verified boarding points, the 06:15 Syngrou-Fix trap, and the bag you must drop days early. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Greece Berlin Marathon entrance times, your block decides when your morning starts https://marathonstay.com/marathons/berlin-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/berlin-marathon/ Start and finish are metres apart, so geography is easy. Entrance is staggered by block from 07:00, and one of the two gates is closed to you if you carry a bag. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Germany Boston Marathon bus loading times, and where to sleep to make them https://marathonstay.com/marathons/boston-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/boston-marathon/ The start is 26 miles from where you should sleep. Verified B.A.A. bus loading waves, the 9:30am last bus, and the three zones that actually work. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Cape Town Marathon has two start lines, the hard part is getting into Green Point at all https://marathonstay.com/marathons/cape-town-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/cape-town-marathon/ Two start areas 600m apart, assigned by your seeding. Verified road closures, the Friday parking ban, park & ride cutoffs, and where to sleep inside the ring. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT South Africa Chicago Marathon corral closing times, and where to stay to beat them https://marathonstay.com/marathons/chicago-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/chicago-marathon/ Loop course, so geography is easy. Corral closes are not. Verified gate times, the 7:20 cutoff, and why the walk out of Grant Park is the part people forget. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Edinburgh Marathon finishes in Musselburgh, plan the way back, not the start https://marathonstay.com/marathons/edinburgh-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/edinburgh-marathon/ It starts in Edinburgh and finishes six miles east in Musselburgh. Verified return options, the Park & Ride buses, and why the afternoon is the hard part. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United Kingdom London Marathon 2027 is two days, and you don't get to choose which one https://marathonstay.com/marathons/london-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/london-marathon/ The 2027 Double runs Sat 24 and Sun 25 April, 100,000 runners. Your day is drawn and fixed. Verified start areas, the 11:30 cutoff, and how to book around it. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United Kingdom NYC Marathon transport selection, the choice that decides where you stay https://marathonstay.com/marathons/new-york-city-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/new-york-city-marathon/ You pre-book your ride to Staten Island, and the departure points are miles apart. Verified NYRR options, the 7am bridge closure, and how to book around it. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Philadelphia Marathon has no race-morning bib pickup, your hotel has to work for two addresses https://marathonstay.com/marathons/philadelphia-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/philadelphia-marathon/ No race-day packet pickup, a 05:00 security gate that will not hold the gun, and an expo 1.85km from the start. Where to sleep so both trips work. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT United States Sydney Marathon start cut-off, and why the harbour decides where you sleep https://marathonstay.com/marathons/sydney-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/sydney-marathon/ You start on the north shore and finish at the Opera House, with the bridge shut from early morning. Verified start times, the 8:40am cut-off, and the three zones. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Australia Tokyo Marathon's 7-hour limit runs on gun time, not your chip https://marathonstay.com/marathons/tokyo-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/tokyo-marathon/ Start in Shinjuku, finish at Tokyo Station, and the cut-off runs on gun time. Verified times, the mandatory expo window, and where to sleep between them. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Japan Valencia Marathon opens a four-day Spanish holiday, which is why the hotels went first https://marathonstay.com/marathons/valencia-marathon/ https://marathonstay.com/marathons/valencia-marathon/ Race day is Día de la Constitución, with two more holidays behind it. Verified waves, the km-25 cutoff, the expo 8km out, and what the calendar does to beds. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Spain