Marathons in Bangalore: 2026–27 Race Calendar and How to Train for Them

Bangalore marathon calendar for 2026 and 2027

Bengaluru’s race year has two fixed points. The TCS World 10K runs on the last Sunday or so of April, in the hottest month of the year, and the Wipro Bengaluru Marathon runs in September, in the wettest. Between November and February, when the weather is at its kindest, a string of smaller half marathons and 10Ks fills most weekends. As of 27 October 2026, both big races have already happened this year. Here is where each one stands.

TCS World 10K Bengaluru: April, hot, and qualifying times for the Open 10K

The TCS World 10K is Bengaluru’s largest road race. The 18th edition on 26 April 2026 had over 36,000 participants, according to the organiser Procam International, including 22,189 in the Open 10K and 12,171 in the 4.2 km Majja Run. Senior citizens and champions with disability run a shorter course. The race started from the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground, and the 2026 course took in Vidhana Soudha, Dickenson Road and a full stretch around Ulsoor Lake. The Open 10K started at 6:10 AM.

The next edition is on 25 April 2027. The Open 10K is not a simple sign-up: timed entries are confirmed on the basis of a qualifying time from a certified race held on or after 1 October 2025, by age and gender. For 2027, for example, a man aged 15 to under 20 needs a 10K in under 1 hour 21 minutes and a woman in the same bracket under 1 hour 24 minutes, with more generous limits in older brackets (up to 1:32 for men and 1:35 for women aged 70 and over). Qualifying times from 5K, half marathon and marathon results are also accepted. The shorter 4.2 km Majja Run is the fun-run category; check its entry rules on the official site.

Wipro Bengaluru Marathon: full, half, 10K and 5K from Kanteerava

The Wipro Bengaluru Marathon (previously the Shriram Properties Bengaluru Marathon) is the city’s main full marathon, organised by NEB Sports with the local running community. AIMS, the international race association, lists the 2026 edition on Sunday 27 September 2026, and the official site already links to the 2026 results. The race starts and finishes at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, and the course loops through the centre around Cubbon Park and MG Road, with the full marathon running the loop twice. Check the official route map for the current course.

Runners who miss a cut-off must leave the course and do not get a finisher’s certificate. Registration is online only, through the official site at bengalurumarathon.in; there is no offline registration. The fee covers a timed bib, race T-shirt, finisher medal and breakfast. Category changes and refunds are allowed only up to 60 days before race day, with a ₹250 processing charge on cancellations. As of October 2026, registration for the 13th edition is closed and the 2027 date hasn’t been announced, so watch the official site from early in the year.

Half marathons in Bangalore in November, December and January

If you searched for a half marathon in Bangalore in November or December, you are looking at the right season. Smaller organisers run 21.1 km, 10K and 5K events through the winter. The FatMarathoner race calendar for Bengaluru (updated 24 October 2026) lists, among others, a Bengaluru Half Marathon on 22 November 2026, the Dhash Bengaluru Half Marathon on 6 December, the Times Internet Bengaluru race (21K, 10K, 5K, 3K) on 13 December and the Bengaluru Midnight Marathon on 20 December. Earlier in 2026, the Tuffman Bengaluru Half Marathon ran on 1 February on NICE Road.

Race-day weather in Bengaluru: April heat against September rain

Bengaluru’s two big races sit at opposite ends of its weather. India Meteorological Department normals (1991–2020) show April, the TCS World 10K month, is the hottest month, with an average high of 34.1 °C and a low of 22.1 °C. Early starts help, but the second half of a 10K at 6:30 AM can already be warm, and the organiser noted in 2026 that weather would affect finishing times. September, the Bengaluru Marathon month, is cooler (28.6 °C high, 20.0 °C low) but is the city’s wettest month, with about 208 mm of rain over nine or ten rainy days.

• For April: do some of your March and April runs after sunrise rather than before, so race-morning heat isn’t a shock. Drink at the first water station even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• For September: your peak training weeks fall in July and August, both wet months. Train in the rain when it’s safe, test your shoes and socks on wet roads, and use anti-chafe balm on long runs. If the race morning is wet, start slower than planned.
• For the winter halves: December and January lows of about 16 °C mean you can push the pace from the start. This is the season for a personal best.

Where to do long runs in Bengaluru before race day

Long runs are the hardest sessions to place in Bengaluru, because few routes stay off busy roads for 15 km or more. Three options work well. Cubbon Park sits on the Bengaluru Marathon course itself, and three or four perimeter laps of about 5 km each add up to a half marathon distance before the park’s 8 AM traffic. The Hennur trail gives up to 12 km one way on dirt, easier on the legs for a 20 km out-and-back. And the lake chain off Sarjapur Road lets south-east Bengaluru runners link several roughly 2 km lake loops. Our guide to running tracks in Bangalore covers loop lengths, entry rules and the best months for each.

A Bengaluru training week: runs plus two strength sessions

This is a sample week for someone eight to ten weeks out from a half marathon who already runs about 20 km a week. It uses two strength sessions and Bengaluru’s calmer mornings. Our half marathon training plan for beginners gives the full 12-week build, and strength training for runners explains the lifting days.

Keep the strength days at least a day apart from the hill session. If a monsoon morning washes out the long run, move it to the next dry day rather than squeezing it in on wet, unlit trail.

Taper and race-week food, the Bengaluru way

The taper is where Bengaluru’s calendar helps: both big races have a fixed date months ahead, so you can plan it from the start. Run less in the final week or two (longer for a full marathon than a half), keep a few short, quick efforts so your legs stay sharp, and keep strength sessions light and familiar rather than heavy. The half marathon training plan for beginners sets out the taper week by week.

Race-week eating in Bengaluru is easy because so much of the local breakfast is already the right kind of fuel. In the last two days before a half or full marathon, lean on familiar, easily digested carbohydrates: idli, set dosa, upma, lemon rice, curd rice and bananas. Ragi mudde is a good everyday staple during training, but it is filling and high in fibre, so eat less of it in the last 24 hours. Go easy on bisi bele bath heavy with ghee, spicy military-hotel meals and new foods on the night before. On race morning, eat two or three idlis or a banana with a little peanut butter about two hours before the start, and test that breakfast before one of your long runs first.

To set a sensible calorie and protein target for the training block, use our TDEE calculator and protein intake calculator. Our guide to healthy food in Bengaluru has more on local dishes.

Coming back from a running injury? Once your physio has cleared you, Rehab & Recovery in Bengaluru rebuilds strength step by step. Prefer to train with your running friends? Group classes in Bengaluru put everyone on one live call. For everything else, see online personal training in Bengaluru.