Register now #1: Leiden, Berlin and Chicago open, Rotterdam keeps us waiting

The next six weeks decide your spring and summer of 2027. Leiden, Berlin, Chicago and Apeldoorn open entries, Challenge Roth runs one last draw, and Rotterdam is keeping everyone waiting. Here is what opens, when, and what you should do about it.

The calendar

All times are Dutch time (CET/CEST). "Expected" means the organiser has not confirmed a date yet.

The Netherlands & Belgium

Leiden: be there on the dot

The 36th Leiden Marathon takes place on 8 and 9 May 2027. On Sunday you can run 42, 21, 10 or 5 km (the last one as a Nightrun); on Saturday you can walk 10, 21 or 42 km. Entries open on Thursday 1 October at 12:00. Several distances went quickly last time, so don't leave it until the weekend.

Midwinter Marathon: 14 October, 20:00

Apeldoorn is the Dutch winter classic: rolling, cold and convivial. The 52nd edition runs from 5 to 7 February 2027, with a 4 km Night Run, the marathon on Saturday and, on Sunday, the 25 km, the 10 English Miles and the 8 km. Entries open on Wednesday 14 October at 20:00.

Rotterdam: a little more patience

This was the surprise of the week. As of 29 September, the official site only says that pre-registration for the 11 April 2027 marathon will open "soon". Last year the window ran from 9 to 22 September, so this is later than usual. The system will probably stay the same: you pre-register for a €5 admin fee, then the 18,000 bibs are drawn at random. A bib costs €155. There is no reason to click in the first minute, but every reason not to miss the window.

Still to come

The NN CPC Loop The Hague (14 March 2027) has no date yet; runners.nl expects early to mid November. The half marathon has previously filled within hours, so join the interest list. The same goes for the HiPRO Utrecht Marathon, whose 2027 date and entry opening are still unannounced. The TCS Amsterdam Marathon 2027 is expected to open in December; the 2026 edition opened on 20 December 2025. That falls outside this window, but it will be in the next edition.

For Flemish readers and border dwellers: last year the Ghent and Leuven marathons served as a safety net for runners who missed out in Rotterdam. More on that below.

Germany

Berlin: lottery from 1 October

According to the official lottery page, you can apply from 1 October 2026. Results arrive by email in early December. No closing date is listed yet; last year the lottery closed in early November. Parts of the page have not been updated for 2027, so double-check the details yourself.

Münster: flat, close by and open on 2 November

The Volksbank Münster Marathon is on 12 September 2027 and entries open on 2 November. Alongside the marathon there is a relay, a 28 km and shorter distances. For runners in the east of the Netherlands it is one of the easiest foreign marathons to reach.

Challenge Roth: the last chance

One of Europe's best-known triathlons sold out for 2027 in no time. If you still want to be on the start line, the late-entry draw is open until Monday 9 November, 23:59 CET. A ticket costs €10, at least 300 individual and 25 relay slots go into the draw, and you can buy several tickets but win only one slot.

Further afield

Chicago (10 October 2027) takes lottery applications from Thursday 8 October at 15:00 to Thursday 29 October at 20:00 Dutch time, with results on 8 December. Non-US residents pay $260. Quick enough? A qualifying time is a separate route: 3:10 for men aged 45 to 49 and 3:40 for women; 3:40 and 4:15 for ages 60 to 64.

Grandma's Marathon in Duluth (19 June 2027), flat along Lake Superior, opens on 1 October at 19:00 local time. In the Netherlands that is Friday 2 October at 02:00.

Boston closed qualifier registration on 18 September. In early October you'll hear whether you're in, and the cutoff will be announced. Last year you needed to be 4 minutes 34 seconds under your standard. New this year: around 1,000 qualifiers who just miss the cutoff will be drawn at random.

For ultrarunners: the Hardrock 100 lottery is open from 1 to 14 October, and Western States takes applications from 1 to 21 November, with the draw on 5 December. Both require a qualifying race.

And for walkers: refuges on the Tour du Mont Blanc open for summer 2027 on 15 October. Book the busiest stages first and build the rest around them. Some refuges are closed in June and September.

About lotteries: do the honest maths

A lottery feels like pure luck, but you can still estimate your chances.

Rotterdam: almost 50,000 pre-registrations for 18,000 places, the organiser reported last year. That is 36 percent at most, and roughly one in three in practice. The good news: runners who missed out last year were offered a guaranteed place in Ghent, Leuven, the National Park Marathon or Utrecht.

London 2027: the one-off two-day "Double" drew 1,338,544 applications for 100,000 places. Results came out in July; if you missed out, charity places are the remaining route.

Western States: 369 runners, and every year you miss out your number of tickets doubles. This is a game of years, not a season.

The lesson for a runner of 45 or 60: enter one lottery, but also plan a race you can definitely run. Leiden, Apeldoorn and Münster are simply bookable, as long as you are on time.

How not to miss a thing

• Create an account in advance on the entry platform. For races that sell out in hours, you'll otherwise lose precious minutes.
• Convert time zones. American races often open in the middle of the Dutch night.
• Join interest lists for races without a date, such as the CPC and Utrecht.
• Use our calendar and newsletter. The Endurance Journal calendar lists every opening by country, and the "Never miss an entry" newsletter gives you a nudge before entries open. The next Register now appears in early November.