From potential record attempts to big city marathons around the world, an exciting month of road racing awaits beginning with the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday (29) morning.
This is where many of Europe's leading long distance runners will be competing over the next month.
Berlin Half Marathon - 29 March
Can world marathon silver medallist Amanal Petros become the first German winner of the men’s race in the Berlin Half Marathon since 1993?
And if the conditions allow, there is even speculation Petros could even chase Andreas Almgren’s European record of 58:41 on Sunday morning. “That time is one second faster than our course record. But it is still far too early to speculate about record attempts. Many factors have to come together,” said race director Mark Milde with a note of caution last month.
From a European standpoint, the men’s line-up also includes European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu from Switzerland who recently finished second in the Barcelona Half Marathon in 59:26 as well as a strong British contingent including Marc Scott and Phil Sesemann.
The women’s line-up features reigning European half marathon champion Chloe Herbiet from Belgium who made a big improvement with a 2:20:38 clocking in the Valencia Marathon last year. Her half marathon PB of 70:04 is overdue for revision.
However, the favourite for the women’s race is Spanish-based Ethiopian Likina Amebaw who won in Copenhagen last year with 64:44.
Urban Trail de Lille - 4 April
One year after breaking the European 5km record with 12:57 in Lille, world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier is planning to attack the world record this year. The mark stands at 12:49 to Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi.
"I don’t know if I’ll succeed, but I know I’ll do everything I can to reach the very top. I’m careful about what I eat, I go to bed early, I stay well hydrated, and I think only about running. Nothing else can distract me! That’s my mindset. I’m chasing the holy grail,” said Gressier as quoted by RunIX.
European 10km champion and record-holder Yann Schrub is also due to race in the 5km while Etienne Daguinos, who briefly held the European 10km record in 2024, is looking to break the 27 minute-barrier in the 10km for the first time.
Drammen 10K - 11 April
Andreas Almgren began his year by smashing his European 10km record with a 26:45 clocking for back-to-back victories in the Valencia 10K Ibercaja only to lose the record one month late to Yann Schrub who clocked 26:43 in Castellon, beating the Swede in the process.
Almgren admitted his legs “felt quite flat” having missed a couple of training sessions but the Drammen 10K near Oslo offers the world 10,000m bronze medallist another chance of reclaiming the record before he shifts his focus to the upcoming track season.
Almgren won the 5km in Drammen last year in a Swedish record of 13:05.
Rotterdam Marathon - 12 April
Two-time Olympic marathon medallist Bashir Abdi is seeking a third victory in the Rotterdam Marathon. Abdi set the European record of 2:03:36 in this race in 2021 and the 37-year-old has stated his ambitions of improving this mark.
"I feel many athletes are getting close to that record. If I want to hold on to it for a few more years, I have to go faster. Whether it's for this edition or another time, I don't know. But my ambition is to break that European record," said Abdi.
And after a season to forget in 2025 due to injury, Abdi is back in competitive form again. He set a national record of 59:28 in his hometown of Gent earlier this month on the road to the Rotterdam Marathon.
Paris Marathon - 12 April
Just two months after winning the Seville Marathon in 2:20:39, the prolific Finn Alisa Vainio will be embarking on her second marathon of the year in the Paris Marathon, and her fifth marathon in seven months.
Vainio’s breakthrough came at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where she finished a surprise fifth in stultifying heat and humidity. Since then, she has broken the Finnish marathon record three times, culminating with a 2:20:39 clocking in Seville which puts the 2:20-barrier even closer into view.
"I knew from training that I was in slightly better shape than in Valencia but many other things also affect the final result. I would have had a pretty good chance of running under 2:20, but that's in the future now. Of course I'm not disappointed with this run. This was really good," said Vainio after the Seville Marathon.
There is also a plausible chance of a French record in the women’s race with Mekdes Woldu, Meline Rollin and Melody Julien all due to compete. The French record stands to Woldu at 2:23:13 from the 2025 Barcelona Marathon.
The in-form Yemaneberhan Crippa will be looking to convert his fine half marathon form to the full marathon distance. The Italian took an excellent win in the Naples Half Marathon last month in 59:01, the second fastest time in history by a European, although he hasn’t broken the 2:10-barrier for the full marathon distance in two years.
Also watch out for Norway’s Awet Kibrab who ran the fastest ever marathon debut by a European last year with a 2:04:24 national record to finish third in the Valencia Marathon.
Boston Marathon - 20 April
2022 European marathon champion Richard Ringer, 2020 Olympic marathon silver medallist Abdi Nageeye and former European marathon record-holder Sondre Nordstad Moen are among the notable European entrants for the men’s race in the Boston Marathon.
London Marathon - 26 April
World marathon silver medallist Amanal Petros from Germany is part of a high octane men’s field in the London Marathon which is headed by reigning champion Sabastian Sawe from Kenya, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia and world half marathon record-holder Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda.
Meanwhile, Emile Cairess and Patrick Dever will shoulder the domestic expectations. Cairess was an excellent third in the 2024 London Marathon while Dever made an auspicious marathon debut in New York last November with a fourth-place finish.
With Olympic champion Sifan Hassan absent due to an Achilles injury, home favourites Eilish McColgan and Jessica Warner-Judd will lead the European interest in the women’s race.
McColgan was eighth last year on her debut in 2:24:25 and began her racing season by breaking the European 10km record with 30:08 in Valencia.