Chandigarh Marathon 2026: Registration, Cut-offs, the Sukhna Course and How to Train

Chandigarh Marathon 2026: two editions in one year

Chandigarh got its own international city marathon only recently, and 2026 has two editions of it. The first Chandigarh International Marathon, organised by the Chandigarh Administration’s UT Sports Department, was planned for 2 November 2025, postponed, and finally run on 1 March 2026. The second edition is on Sunday 22 November 2026, so if you searched for the “Chandigarh marathon 1 March 2026”, that race is done and the next one is less than four weeks away. As of 27 October 2026, registration for it is open.

Chandigarh marathon 2026 registration: how and by when

Registration is online only, on the official site chdmarathon.chd.gov.in. It opened on 3 September 2026, the early-bird prices ended on 20 October, and the registration deadline is 10 November 2026. Proof of age is needed when you register, and bibs are non-transferable: anyone running on someone else’s bib can be disqualified.

Race kits, with your bib and timing chip, are collected at the Chandigarh Marathon Expo at the Chandigarh Club on 21 November, the day before the race. No kits are handed out on race day. Start times for each category are announced on the official site closer to the day, so check it in race week and plan your travel to the start accordingly.

The course: Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and the Capitol Complex

The official site describes a course through Chandigarh’s landmarks: Sukhna Lake, the Rock Garden, the Rose Garden, Leisure Valley, the Capitol Complex and Sector 17 Plaza. The Capitol Complex, Le Corbusier’s UNESCO World Heritage ensemble, crowns the half marathon loop. The organisers say all four courses were measured and certified by an AIMS/IAAF-accredited measurer, and The Tribune reported in October 2025 that the certification runs until 2029.

FatMarathoner’s course guide (updated 23 October 2026) says the race starts and finishes at the Chandigarh Club in Sector 1, that the full marathon is two laps of the half marathon loop, and that elevation varies by less than 25 metres. Treat those as third-party details until the official route map is published. Either way, this is a flat, fast course on Chandigarh’s wide sector roads, and the organisers’ own description of the 10K is “flat, fast and fun”.

November is a good month for it. India Meteorological Department normals (1991–2020) give Chandigarh an average November high of 27.0 °C and low of 12.3 °C, with about 5 mm of rain all month. The organisers call it “pleasant November weather”. The one thing to watch is air quality: the Tricity’s winter smog season begins in November, so check the AQI in race week.

How the first edition went on 1 March 2026

The first edition drew about 3,500 runners, according to News Arena: 323 in the full marathon, 740 in the half, 1,270 in the 10K and 1,168 in the 5K, including 38 international runners from eight countries and 21 runners with disabilities. Ethiopia’s Olbana Negasa Yadate and Meskerem Tesfaye Fikadu won the full marathon, and India’s Harmanjot Singh and Ethiopia’s Tsehay Desalegn won the half. Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria flagged off the race and ran the 5K himself.

The delay to March had nothing to do with the course: The Tribune reported in October 2025 that a Union Home Ministry letter had withdrawn some approval powers from UT officials before tenders for the event could be issued. For runners, the practical lesson is to keep an eye on the official site, as dates for a government-run race can move.

Chandigarh marathon prize money

For the first edition, The Tribune reported a prize purse of ₹10 lakh, ₹8 lakh and ₹6 lakh for the top three in the full marathon, ₹5 lakh, ₹4 lakh and ₹3 lakh in the half, and prizes for the top ten in the 10K, starting at ₹2 lakh. The official site confirms prizes for the top three in the full and half and the top ten in the 10K for 2026, with medals and certificates for all 10K and 5K finishers, but we couldn’t find the 2026 amounts published.

Other races in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula

The Tricity has a busy calendar beyond its city marathon. The Sekhon IAF Marathon, organised by the Indian Air Force, was held on 4 October 2026 with a half marathon, 10K, 5K, 3K and a 2 km run for runners with disabilities. Smaller organisers fill the rest of the winter. The dates below are from the FatMarathoner race calendar, which is useful but not always right: it listed a “Chandigarh Marathon” on 13 December 2026, for example, while the official date is 22 November.

If you searched for a Mohali marathon or Mohali half marathon in 2026, or a Tuffman half in Chandigarh, we couldn’t find a confirmed official page or date for a 2026–27 edition in October 2026. Check the organisers’ social media before planning a training block around one.

Already entered? Your last four weeks to 22 November

With the race on 22 November, anyone who has entered is about four weeks out, which is too late to build fitness and just right to sharpen what you have. The key is to do your last long run, then cut back. Our half marathon training plan for beginners explains the full build and taper.

A Tricity training week for a spring 2027 half marathon

If you are starting from scratch, the next realistic target is a February 2027 race. A 12-week build for mid-February starts in late November, so your heaviest weeks fall in December and January: cold mornings (average lows of 7–8 °C), often foggy at dawn. Run your long runs after visibility improves rather than at first light, keep them in Sukhna or Leisure Valley rather than on the V-roads, and treat the two strength sessions as the backbone of the week. Our guide to running tracks in Chandigarh and Mohali covers distances and timings, and strength training for runners explains the lifting days.

Race-week food in a Punjabi kitchen

Tricity home food has everything a runner needs; race week is mostly about holding back on butter and fried food. In the last two days, eat familiar, easily digested carbohydrates: rice, phulka, moong or masoor dal, curd, poha and bananas. Save chole bhature, butter-laden parathas and sarson da saag with makki di roti for after the race, as they are heavy and high in fat or fibre. On race morning, eat something small that you have tested before a long run, such as a banana and a slice of toast with peanut butter, about two hours before your start. For a calorie and protein target during training, use our TDEE calculator, and see our guide to healthy food in Chandigarh.

Recovering from a running injury? Once your physio has cleared you, Rehab & Recovery in Chandigarh and Mohali rebuilds strength step by step. Running with friends across the Tricity? Group classes in Chandigarh and Mohali put everyone on one live call. For everything else, see online personal training in Chandigarh and Mohali.