Record-breaking 46,313 participants from 116 countries for the largest Rimi Riga Marathon in history!
17 May 2026A total of 46,313 participants have registered for this year’s Rimi Riga Marathon distances, setting a new participant registration record and reaching a new milestone in international representation. The figures confirm that the goal of placing Riga among Europe’s most sought-after running destinations is becoming a reality.
This weekend, 46,313 participants from 116 countries have arrived in Riga. Riga is the only city in the world to host four World Athletics distances in one weekend, while the Rimi Riga Marathon Kids’ Day can be considered the largest children’s sports festival in Europe.
The running celebration began on Saturday, 16 May, with Kids’ Day, which brought together 9,433 young runners. On 11 November Embankment, children not only enjoyed running but also discovered other sports and took part in a variety of active and entertaining activities. For the first time, participants were also able to try their hand at the Ernests Gulbis Tennis Academy, which made its debut at Kids’ Day.
Meanwhile, 6,780 participants had registered for the Latvian Mile Championships, also known as the DPD Mile, on Saturday morning. The race brought together contenders for the Latvian Championship mile podium and prize money, families with children, participants of the Inclusive Marathon and Latvian School Cup, as well as hundreds of workplace teams. In the men’s race, Artūrs Niklāvs Medveds set a new Latvian record with a time of 04:09.4.
The Rimi Riga Marathon running celebration will continue on the morning of 17 May with the long distances — the half marathon, which has attracted a record 7,142 runners, and the marathon, which will bring together 3,569 runners for the first time. This year also marks the debut of the Signet Bank Relays, where teams of two or four participants will complete the half marathon and marathon distances. A total of 223 teams will take part.
In the afternoon, at 12:30, 8,022 participants are expected to start the 10 km distance. The Baltic region’s largest running event will conclude with starts at 14:30 and 15:30 in the most popular distance — the 6 km distance of 5.7 km — with 11,538 runners. Just like the participants of the longer distances, runners will pass the Freedom Monument on their route.
The total number of registered participants across all distances on Saturday and Sunday has reached 46,313, making this the largest Rimi Riga Marathon in history and surpassing last year’s record of 40,122 participants.
Up to 17,000 international visitors in Riga this weekend
This weekend, the Rimi Riga Marathon is welcoming a significant number of international participants — 6,593 runners from 116 countries, which is 10% more than in 2025. According to organiser survey data, each international participant is accompanied by an average of 1.3 to 1.7 travel companions, meaning the total number of international participants and guests arriving in Riga for the Rimi Riga Marathon weekend is estimated at around 16,000 to 17,000.
Top 15 countries represented at the Rimi Riga Marathon, excluding Latvia
United Kingdom
816
Finland
668
Lithuania
618
