Marathon races near Wateringen

The Urk Marathon begins and ends at the harbor in Urk, a former island town on the edge of the IJsselmeer. It takes place on a Saturday in October and includes a full marathon and a half marathon. The full race is Flevoland’s only marathon, with capacity for 500 marathon runners and 200 half marathon runners. Loopgroep Urk arranges the event, affiliated with the Atletiekunie. The course is officially certified and designed for speed. Runners depart the harbor along Urk’s historic boulevard toward the dike, then complete laps: four for the marathon and two for the half. The route also goes by the lighthouse, through wooded areas, and along the IJsselmeer shore. The Saturday timing accommodates runners who prefer not to compete on Sunday, and the event is open to all, from club runners aiming for a personal best to those running their first distance race.

Marathon The Hague is a running weekend in The Hague, featuring a 42.195 km marathon scheduled for November. The program includes a 5 km, a 10 km, a Business 10 km, 1 km and 2.5 km kids’ runs, a City Walk, a four-person Business Relay Marathon, and Marathon4ALL, a 1 km event for participants with physical or mental disabilities. The route begins on Lange Voorhout and concludes on the Plein, incorporating the city, parks, beach, dunes, and Wassenaar into the marathon course. Runners will pass Madurodam, follow the Haringkade towards Scheveningen, go through Westbroekpark, reach the beach at Laan van Poot, run north along the harbor quays, enter the dunes at Wassenaarse Slag, pass near Landgoed Clingendael, and traverse the Haagse Bos before returning to the center. The event revives a Hague marathon tradition dating back to the older Den Haag Marathon, which was the first Dutch marathon held in autumn and previously offered a 60 km ultra, a half marathon, and a children’s race.

The Spijkenisse-SPARK Marathon begins and ends in Spijkenisse, a town near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This road-running event offers four distances: 5 km, 10 km, half marathon, and marathon, with a limit of 1,500 participants. The race has taken place annually since 2010 and is managed by the Atletiekunie, the Dutch athletics federation. The marathon course primarily crosses the open polders of Nissewaard and follows the Bernisse. Consequently, wind and rain can be as significant as pacing. The course offers minimal shelter, adding a challenge beyond what a typical flat Dutch route might imply. Dedicated runners have participated in every edition, and the event attracts participants from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, and the United States.

Rotterdam’s marathon begins at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge and concludes on the Coolsingel, the broad city-centre street historically linked to the event. The NN Marathon Rotterdam takes place annually in April in the Netherlands’ second city, holding the distinction of being the country’s largest and fastest marathon. Its flat course has earned it a strong reputation among runners aiming for quick times; three marathon world records, for both men and women, have been set here. The race ranks among Europe’s largest marathons, contributing to its feel as a significant city occasion rather than a small gathering solely for runners. The weekend centers on the full marathon, but also features a 10 km race, a 4.2 km City Run, children’s races of 1 km and 2.5 km, and walking events covering 5 km, 10 km, and 15 km. The marathon also serves as the Dutch National Marathon Championship, attracting strong domestic competition alongside international elites and mass-participation runners. Rotterdam possesses marathon history dating back to the early twentieth century, with the modern annual race originating after local organizers, inspired by major city marathons in New York, Stockholm, and Cape Town, determined the city was capable of hosting its own.