Guadalajara Marathon

The Guadalajara Marathon (also known as the Guadalajara International Marathon or Maratón GDL) is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Guadalajara, Mexico, since 1984. The marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race and a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

The event is organized by the Guadalajara Municipal Sports Council, which also organizes the Guadalajara Half Marathon, a separate half marathon event held in February.

History
The inaugural race was held on 1984.02.26 as a half marathon. It was won by Mexican runner Audón Hernández with a finish time of 1:06:16.

The second edition, held on 1985.02.10, was the first to feature a race with the standard marathon distance of 42.195 km. The marathon was won by Mexican runners Eduardo Blake and Esmeralda Gutiérrez, with finish times of 2:22:22 and 3:00:59, respectively.

The event was not held in 2011 due to the 2011 Pan American Games being held in the city that October.

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Course
The marathon begins at the Hospicio Cabañas and ends at the Palacio Municipal de Guadalajara. The course consists of roughly a clockwise loop in the central and southern areas of the city, with an additional out-and-back leg along Lázaro Cárdenas Avenue making up about a third of the course.