Marathons in Kolkata: Tata Steel World 25K, the IEM-UEM Full Marathon and the Police Half, With a Winter Training Plan

Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata 2026: Sunday 20 December, from Red Road

If you searched for the Tata Steel half marathon in Kolkata, the race you want is the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata. It is not a half marathon: the feature race is 25 km, about 4 km longer than a half, with an Open 10K for shorter-distance runners. The official site counts down to 20 December 2026, and the 25K starts at 5:34 AM from Indira Gandhi Sarani, better known as Red Road, and finishes there too. Organiser Procam International lists seven categories: the 25K Run, Open 10K, Ananda Run, Senior Citizens’ Run, Champions with Disability, a Virtual Run and the elite World 25K.

Registration for the 25K opened on 13 August 2026 and closes at 11:59 PM on Friday 27 November 2026, or earlier if places fill. The 2025 race, the 10th edition, ran on 21 December 2025. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won the men’s race in 1:11:49 and Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw the women’s in 1:19:36, while Gulveer Singh (1:12:06) and Seema (1:26:04) set Indian event records, according to Tata Steel. Seema said the course had changed from previous years and become more challenging.

The 10 km qualifying time is printed on the official page as “01.22:00”, so confirm it with the organiser if your only result is a 10K. Virtual races, trail races and uncertified events don’t count. The organiser says it confirms entries within 10 working days of registration.

For course character, the official site doesn’t publish a description, so this comes from FatMarathoner’s race guide (an aggregator, updated October 2026): the course starts and finishes on Red Road on the Maidan and passes Victoria Memorial, St Paul’s Cathedral, Birla Planetarium, Eden Gardens and Strand Road along the Hooghly. It is essentially flat, with slight climbs on flyover ramps and up to five U-turns. The same guide says bibs are collected at an expo from 17 to 19 December near Eden Gardens and are not given out on race morning; the official rules confirm no bibs after the expo closes at 5 PM on Saturday 19 December.

Upcoming marathons in Kolkata: the 2026–27 calendar

Kolkata’s race season is short and concentrated in the cool months. As of 27 October 2026, two of the city’s three main races have already happened this year, and one is eight weeks away.

IEM-UEM Kolkata Marathon: the city’s full marathon, in February

Kolkata’s full marathon is the IEM-UEM Kolkata Marathon, run by a team of more than 475 students, faculty and alumni of the IEM and UEM institutions. AIMS, the international association of marathons and distance races, lists it as a full member, records the 9th edition on 22 February 2026 with over 3,000 participants, and lists the next edition on 21 February 2027. The official site offers four distances: 42.195 km, 21.098 km, 10K and 5K.

In October 2026, the official site showed early-bird entries as “coming soon”, with listed prices of ₹1,500 for the full marathon, ₹1,300 for the half, ₹950 for the 10K and ₹700 for the 5K, each with a small early-bird saving (for example ₹1,300 to pay for the full). Registration runs through District. The site says finishers must beat the organiser’s cut-off to get a medal but doesn’t publish the cut-off times, and course maps are posted per category, so check both before you sign up.

Kolkata Police half marathon: Safe Drive Save Life

The Kolkata Police Safe Drive Save Life Half Marathon is the race behind the searches for a “Kolkata Police marathon”. The sixth edition ran on 18 January 2026, organised by the Kolkata Police with the West Bengal Transport Department. Its half marathon and 10K were sanctioned by the Masters Athletics Federation of India as qualifiers for the World Masters Athletics Championships 2026 in Daegu, South Korea, which made it a target race for older runners. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) oversaw route planning, with route audits and medical support along the course.

As of late October 2026, we found no announcement for a 2027 edition. If it follows the 2026 pattern, expect it in January, and watch Kolkata Police’s official channels for the date, distances and route.

Race-day weather in Kolkata: cool mornings, fog and winter smog

All three Kolkata races fall in the cool season. IMD normals for Alipore (1991–2020) give December an average high of 26.7 °C and a low of 15.5 °C, with just 6 mm of rain; January is 25.5 °C and 14.3 °C; February warms to 29.4 °C and 18.1 °C. A 5:30 AM start on Red Road in December is close to the overnight low, so most runners start in a light layer and leave it at the start. FatMarathoner’s guide notes that humidity at the start often tops 80% before the morning fog clears.

The bigger issue is air. West Bengal Pollution Control Board data showed PM2.5 averaging 73 µg/m³ in December 2024 and 77 µg/m³ in January 2025, the best readings for those months since 2019 but still nearly double India’s national standard of 40 µg/m³. In the worst recent winter, 2020–21, December averaged 140 µg/m³. You can’t move the race, but you can choose your training mornings: check the AQI before hard sessions in December and January, and do your biggest training weeks in October and November, when the air is cleaner.

Training for a Kolkata winter race: build in the humid months, sharpen in the cool

The hard part of training for a Kolkata race is that most of the build happens before the weather turns. A 12-week plan for the 20 December 25K starts in late September, when Alipore averages 32.6 °C by day, 26.3 °C at night, 325 mm of rain and 82% evening humidity. October is still warm and wet (180 mm), and only in November do nights drop to about 20 °C with very little rain. Three adjustments help:

• Run by effort, not pace, until November. In the humid weeks, the same effort is slower. Let the pace come back as the air cools, rather than forcing it in September.
• Plan around Durga Puja. Puja falls in the middle of the build. Move your long run around the busiest nights, or take an easier week and pick up after Bijoya.
• Treat the 25K as its own distance. It is about 4 km longer than a half marathon, so build the long run to 20–22 km rather than stopping at 18.

The best long-run routes in the city are the Maidan, where the 25K itself is run, and the Rabindra Sarobar lake loop in the south. Our guide to running tracks in Kolkata gives loop lengths, morning timings and the Eco Park pass rules.

A sample Kolkata training week with two strength sessions

This is a sample week for someone eight to ten weeks out from the 25K or a half marathon who already runs about 20 km a week. It uses two strength sessions and Kolkata’s early mornings. Our half marathon training plan for beginners gives the full week-by-week build, and strength training for runners explains the lifting days.

Keep the strength days at least a day away from the tempo run. If a monsoon downpour or a bad-air morning wipes out a run, swap it for an indoor strength session rather than doubling up the next day.

Taper and race-week food, Kolkata style

With fixed race dates in December and February, you can plan the taper from day one. Run less over the final one to two weeks (longer for the full marathon than for the 25K), keep a few short, quick efforts so your legs stay sharp, and keep strength sessions light and familiar. The half marathon training plan for beginners lays out the taper week by week.

Bengali food makes race-week carbohydrate easy. In the last two days, build meals on rice: bhaat with dal, a light maachh jhol and a vegetable, plus doi-chire (flattened rice with curd) or a banana as snacks. Save the mutton curry, biryani and fried telebhaja for after the race, and keep sweets to a familiar portion. On race morning, a bowl of chire with banana and a little gur, or toast with a banana, about two hours before the 5:34 AM start works for most runners. Try it before a long run first. The Bengali diet plan for weight loss and our protein intake calculator help you set up the rest of the training block, and our guide to healthy food in Kolkata covers local dishes.

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