Two of the fastest marathon courses on earth, two very different races. Here's every stat, side by side, to help you pick.
Indicative — based on GPX data. Both courses normalised to start at 0m.
✓ marks the better number on that stat.
Spain's two biggest cities produce two very different marathons. Barcelona is comparatively flat (135m of gain) with a strong 2:04:13 course record; Madrid is one of the hillier courses in Europe at 410m of gain, and its 2:08:18 course record reflects the tougher terrain.
Both are open-registration races without Majors status, and both run in spring, making the choice largely about terrain preference and city. If speed is the priority, Barcelona is clearly the faster course; if you want a genuine hill test through Spain's capital, Madrid is the more demanding of the two.