Zurich Marató Barcelona 2027 Pacing Plan

Yes, with only 86 m of gain and 105 m of loss over 42.3 km, it's largely flat. There are very few real inclines, and much of the route follows Avinguda Diagonal and the Mediterranean seafront past Port Olímpic and Barceloneta, which explains its popularity with first-timers chasing a personal best.

The closest thing to a hill is the gentle rise past the base of Montjuïc in the closing kilometers, close to the finish near the Arc de Triomf. Given the course is otherwise flat, this late rise is the main spot where positive splitting could creep in if you've pushed too hard earlier, so save a bit of margin for it.

The minimal elevation change (86 m gain, 105 m loss) across the whole 42.3 km makes even splitting realistic here, since there's no major terrain forcing a slowdown until the small Montjuïc rise near the end. The seafront and Diagonal sections in the middle offer long flat stretches ideal for holding a steady pace.

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Because the only real terrain challenge, the gentle rise past Montjuïc, comes in the closing kilometers, a negative split approach means you'd be tackling that rise while already fatigued late in the race. Given the course's overall flatness, many runners instead aim for even pacing through halfway and treat the final kilometers past Montjuïc to the Arc de Triomf as the moment to hold pace rather than surge.