On Sunday, April 26, 2026, Madrid once again became the main running stage in Spain. The Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid 2026 brought together 47,000 runners across the marathon, half marathon and 10K, with entries sold out since January and another 8,000 people on the waiting list. In the marathon, Kenya’s Mike Chematot won in 2:08:46, while Ethiopia’s Kena Girma claimed the women’s title in 2:26:00. Beyond the headline names, this edition confirmed something runners already know: Madrid remains a race with huge atmosphere, strong depth and a course that rewards control as much as raw speed.
If you are looking for the Madrid Marathon 2026 results, this article gives you the essentials: winners, podiums, top Spanish finishers, what happened in the half marathon and 10K, and what the day taught recreational runners. Full classifications remain available through the event’s official results channels.
Madrid Marathon 2026 winners
- Men’s marathon winner: Mike Chematot, 2:08:46.
- Men’s runner-up: Asefa Mengisa, 2:09:06.
- Men’s third place: Dechasa Alemu, 2:09:10.
- Women’s marathon winner: Kena Girma, 2:26:00.
- Women’s runner-up: Amente Sorome, 2:27:43.
- Women’s third place: Leonida Mosop, 2:32:49.
The men’s race came down to small margins near the front, which makes sense on a course like Madrid’s. This is the kind of marathon where overcommitting early can become expensive once the second half starts to bite. Chematot handled that scenario best and closed out his win with a strong time for a demanding urban route. In the women’s race, Girma was more decisive, winning by almost two minutes over the next finisher.
Top Spanish performances
In the men’s race, the first Spanish finisher was Jorge Puig Malvar, who placed 17th in 2:24:24. In the women’s race, the top Spanish runner was Estefanía Unzu, widely known among runners as Verdeliss, who ran 2:58:22 and finished 13th in the women’s standings. That detail says a lot about the day: the race had elite quality, but it also had huge popular and media pull.
For Spanish fans, the day was not only about the overall winners. It also highlighted stories closer to home: national athletes fighting to stand out, recreational runners managing a demanding morning, and a city fully engaged with a race that has become a fixed point on the European running calendar.
Half marathon and 10K results in Madrid 2026
Although most of the spotlight naturally falls on the marathon, the 2026 edition also produced standout performances in the shorter races. In the half marathon, Kenya’s Gideon Kiprop won in 1:01:47, while Spain’s Isabel Barreiro successfully defended her women’s title in 1:12:25. In the 10K, the winners were Adam Maijó in 28:59 and Águeda Marqués in 33:14.
That spread of winners offers an interesting picture of running in Spain right now. Madrid is not only a big marathon. It is also a showcase for highly competitive Spanish athletes in shorter road distances. Isabel Barreiro’s win, together with the victories by Adam Maijó and Águeda Marqués, gave local running a major presence on a morning when the international elite controlled the marathon but did not dominate every conversation.
A record edition that confirms Madrid’s appeal
According to the organisers, the Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid 2026 included runners from 113 countries, with 28% international participation and 37% women across all entries. Those are meaningful numbers. They show a race that no longer depends only on local or national relevance, but on an identity that is recognisable beyond Spain: big, lively, demanding in places and highly attractive for runners who want both racing and city experience.
The context matters too. With registration sold out since January and thousands of people left waiting, Madrid clearly remains a high-demand event. For organisers that is a success signal. For runners, it is a reminder that planning early matters if they want to line up in 2027.
What Madrid Marathon 2026 taught recreational runners
A useful race report should not stop at the podium. Madrid once again reinforced several lessons recreational runners would do well to remember. First, this race punishes improvisation. The crowd and the excitement at the start can easily pull people above plan, but the course rewards restraint much more than early enthusiasm. Second, accumulated fatigue becomes especially visible later on, so arriving with solid strength work, hill preparation and a rehearsed fueling strategy matters more here than it might on flatter routes.
The third lesson is mental. Madrid offers spectators, music and famous city landmarks, but it also demands patience. For many runners, finishing this race well depends less on chasing a perfect time and more on reading the day correctly: holding pace, not burning matches on climbs and reaching the closing section with enough left to keep pressing.
- Manage the start: the atmosphere can push you beyond your target pace.
- Respect the profile: Madrid rarely forgives too much ambition in the first half.
- Train strength: hills and muscular fatigue matter a lot here.
- Practice fueling: in a marathon with this much rhythm variation, poor feeding decisions can unravel your day.
- Race with discipline: in Madrid, finishing strong matters more than looking sharp at 15K.
Where to check the full results
If you want individual times, age-group classifications or full half marathon and 10K results, the main reference remains the race organisation and its official results platform. This summary captures the key data from Sunday, April 26, 2026, but runners searching for bib-specific results, split times or extended rankings should use the official listings.
Madrid is already looking ahead to 2027, but this year’s edition left an easy conclusion to defend: the Madrid Marathon keeps growing because it combines things that not every major race can deliver at the same time: scale, atmosphere, story and an experience that rewards smart racing.