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Marathon Details - White Nights Marathon

International Marathons > Russian Federation > St. Petersburg > White Nights Marathon

White Nights Marathon

White Nights Marathon & 10K, Relay

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

July 5, 2025

http://www.wnmarathon.runc.run

Marathon Results

Top 3 Finishers by Year

Race Details

The race is held on the summer solstice when the sun barely sets, and the nights are "white."

Contact Information

Name:	Mikhail Andreevich Kochetkov
Address:	"White Nights" Millionnaya st. 22 191186 St.Petersburg, Russia
Phone Number:	+7 (812) 312-90-15
Fax Number:	+7 (812) 493-21-20
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (11)

Course 4.2

Organization 3.2

Spectators 1.5

Write a review

Number of comments: 11 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

G. H. from London, England (6/14/2012) "A nice run through a very special city" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 White Nights Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Completed in 2011, (pulled up after 20km injured in 2010) Love the route, surprise after surprise, jaw dropping sights. Runners are given total occupancy of roads, even if you're at the back doing 4 1/2 hours! Welcoming organisers/stewards/police,especially if you have some words of Russian. Summer in St Pete is perfect marathon weather, either low gentle summer warmth, or a baltic drizzle to keep you cool. Pelmeni for afters!!
J. R. from Ft Wayne, In (7/1/2011) "interesting....." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Okay, where to start... Chose this city for the European leg of my 7 continents For a marathon in a city where probably 99.9% of the people don't care about the marathon or actually upset that you are bothering them they gave it the old college try. The package pick up was easy and fun. We are from the US and it took a few tries to get in the right lines and figure things out but we made it. As for the race. The start is in one of the most historic parts of St Pete, right in front of the Hermitage Museum. The course is completely flat. I Thought it was a pretty typical marathon course. Flashes of some really neat stuff followed by long miles thru neighborhoods and back streets. Did run by lots of canals. As for the crowd, St Petersburg people seem to be sour about everything. Normally in a race i always try to thank the Police and volunteers. I tried to do this 3 times (yes, I tried in Russian) and all they did was glare at me. Running up the main shopping street of St Pete - Novsky Prospeckt was really cool but once again people are glaring at you and ticked off you upsetting there routine. Course was well marked and well regulated. Rest stops are interesting. One every 2.5 miles and you get bread, bananas, and a full bottle of water to take with you. All in all it was a pretty standard run.
D. E. from Chicago, IL (12/30/2009) "I loved it" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran this marathon not for PR or any athletic reason; I'm still recovering from prior injuries. But for me, a native of this great and beautiful city who ran on these streets years ago, it was a joy recognizing it not only with my eyes but also my feet. I "knew" every little uphill over bridge, as well as the taste of that bread at the aid station.
A. O. from moscow, victoria bc (6/29/2009) "Super, Great, Organized Event; Needs Spirit" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 An awesome course takes you past some of the great monuments and landmarks of beautiful St. Petersburg, and winds through green space too! Marshaling is amazing! It's totally safe - a great first marathon in that it's one full loop, with little out-and-back running. It's pretty much a flat run too. The pre-race pasta dinner was fun, delicious, and veggie friendly; and it was fun to start with a smaller pack (about 1000 runners). The only strange thing was running among so many crowds who just walked by with their heads down. It leaves me with some serious ego-centric reflecting to do... but I'm proud to say that I appreciate a few cheers. It's not really in the culture here. Be sure to book a reliable hotel or apartment - we wound up in yucky situation that made the trip less relaxing. Yippee for the White Nights Marathon!
W. D. from Netherlands (7/2/2008) "Great marathon" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This marathon runs past the most beautiful landmarks of St. Petersburg in Russia. After some trouble finding the place for picking up my number, all turned out very well. There was a well organized reporting office and a meeting point for runners in the Zimny winter stadium. It is a fairly small event, with 400 competing men and 40 women. A beautiful course that was well guarded by countless police officers. Water, bananas and bread were available every 5K, making it a great experience.
G. C. from Germany (7/15/2007) "Great city; not-so-great race." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The St. Petersburg Marathon is a very small event and less than professional. The start and finish area is in the palace square; the course is flat and takes you by many of the city's best monuments. The only refreshments were bottled water, bananas, and salted rye bread. I guess the banana and bread were the substitute for not having any sports drinks. There were no intermediate recorded times... only a guy with a stopwatch every 5K yelling out your time in Russian. Almost no fan support and many parts of the course were on streets with traffic. Because the race was such a small event, there were times where I was basically running by myself, which made it a little hard to stay motivated. St. Petersburg is a nice city to visit but I would not recommend this race unless it becomes a larger, better organized event.
Mark Hyder from Vancouver, Canada (11/25/2006) "Course was flat, hot, and windy - but beautiful" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The week preceding the marathon was 30-33 Celsius but dropped to a bearable 23-25 on race day. The race started at 5 p.m. in front of the Hermitage and went through some of the most beautiful streets imaginable. The wind, heat and spartan aid stations all precluded a fast time but it was one of my most memorable races. It was weird to be almost totally ignored by the thousands of locals on busy Nevsky Prospect. It was like we weren't even there. Still I had a great 5 weeks in St. Pete's and running this unusual marathon was easily the highlight.
David Hoffman from Milwaukee (11/22/2006) "Architectual Delight" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 St. Peterburg is a fascinating city and a marathon tour with Kathy Loper is a wonderful way to visit plus Paris and Moscow. There is more police support for the marathon than crowd support and no English at the aid stations but the salted pieces of rye bread needed no translation.
Rusty Millar from Los Angeles (7/26/2006) "Flat, scenic, Russian history course" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran the 1/2 marathon portion of this race and won. Great location to run but organization was a bit short. Not enough water stations. No ceremony for the 5K, 10K or half marathon portion of this race. A good reason to see St. Petersburg. A warm day and lots of police. I recommend it if you want to do a smaller marathon in Europe. Our tour was very good - Kathy Loper Events.
Tim Kellner from Michigan (7/1/2006) "A Michigander's perspective" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the 2006 St. Petersburg Marathon. The course takes you past a lot of the wonderful sights of the city. The weather was very warm for a few days before the marathon, but comfortable on race day. Water stations (and there is only water) are not as frequent as I would have liked. The first water stop is at 10K, then they are at each of the next 5K's. I carried a water bottle with me and filled it at each station. The route is as flat as a couse can be. I would recommend this marathon for anyone willing to travel that far. Tim Kellner

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]



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G. H. from London, England (6/14/2012) "A nice run through a very special city" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 White Nights Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Completed in 2011, (pulled up after 20km injured in 2010) Love the route, surprise after surprise, jaw dropping sights. Runners are given total occupancy of roads, even if you're at the back doing 4 1/2 hours! Welcoming organisers/stewards/police,especially if you have some words of Russian. Summer in St Pete is perfect marathon weather, either low gentle summer warmth, or a baltic drizzle to keep you cool. Pelmeni for afters!!
J. R. from Ft Wayne, In (7/1/2011) "interesting....." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Okay, where to start... Chose this city for the European leg of my 7 continents For a marathon in a city where probably 99.9% of the people don't care about the marathon or actually upset that you are bothering them they gave it the old college try. The package pick up was easy and fun. We are from the US and it took a few tries to get in the right lines and figure things out but we made it. As for the race. The start is in one of the most historic parts of St Pete, right in front of the Hermitage Museum. The course is completely flat. I Thought it was a pretty typical marathon course. Flashes of some really neat stuff followed by long miles thru neighborhoods and back streets. Did run by lots of canals. As for the crowd, St Petersburg people seem to be sour about everything. Normally in a race i always try to thank the Police and volunteers. I tried to do this 3 times (yes, I tried in Russian) and all they did was glare at me. Running up the main shopping street of St Pete - Novsky Prospeckt was really cool but once again people are glaring at you and ticked off you upsetting there routine. Course was well marked and well regulated. Rest stops are interesting. One every 2.5 miles and you get bread, bananas, and a full bottle of water to take with you. All in all it was a pretty standard run.
D. E. from Chicago, IL (12/30/2009) "I loved it" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran this marathon not for PR or any athletic reason; I'm still recovering from prior injuries. But for me, a native of this great and beautiful city who ran on these streets years ago, it was a joy recognizing it not only with my eyes but also my feet. I "knew" every little uphill over bridge, as well as the taste of that bread at the aid station.
A. O. from moscow, victoria bc (6/29/2009) "Super, Great, Organized Event; Needs Spirit" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 An awesome course takes you past some of the great monuments and landmarks of beautiful St. Petersburg, and winds through green space too! Marshaling is amazing! It's totally safe - a great first marathon in that it's one full loop, with little out-and-back running. It's pretty much a flat run too. The pre-race pasta dinner was fun, delicious, and veggie friendly; and it was fun to start with a smaller pack (about 1000 runners). The only strange thing was running among so many crowds who just walked by with their heads down. It leaves me with some serious ego-centric reflecting to do... but I'm proud to say that I appreciate a few cheers. It's not really in the culture here. Be sure to book a reliable hotel or apartment - we wound up in yucky situation that made the trip less relaxing. Yippee for the White Nights Marathon!
W. D. from Netherlands (7/2/2008) "Great marathon" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This marathon runs past the most beautiful landmarks of St. Petersburg in Russia. After some trouble finding the place for picking up my number, all turned out very well. There was a well organized reporting office and a meeting point for runners in the Zimny winter stadium. It is a fairly small event, with 400 competing men and 40 women. A beautiful course that was well guarded by countless police officers. Water, bananas and bread were available every 5K, making it a great experience.
G. C. from Germany (7/15/2007) "Great city; not-so-great race." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The St. Petersburg Marathon is a very small event and less than professional. The start and finish area is in the palace square; the course is flat and takes you by many of the city's best monuments. The only refreshments were bottled water, bananas, and salted rye bread. I guess the banana and bread were the substitute for not having any sports drinks. There were no intermediate recorded times... only a guy with a stopwatch every 5K yelling out your time in Russian. Almost no fan support and many parts of the course were on streets with traffic. Because the race was such a small event, there were times where I was basically running by myself, which made it a little hard to stay motivated. St. Petersburg is a nice city to visit but I would not recommend this race unless it becomes a larger, better organized event.
Mark Hyder from Vancouver, Canada (11/25/2006) "Course was flat, hot, and windy - but beautiful" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The week preceding the marathon was 30-33 Celsius but dropped to a bearable 23-25 on race day. The race started at 5 p.m. in front of the Hermitage and went through some of the most beautiful streets imaginable. The wind, heat and spartan aid stations all precluded a fast time but it was one of my most memorable races. It was weird to be almost totally ignored by the thousands of locals on busy Nevsky Prospect. It was like we weren't even there. Still I had a great 5 weeks in St. Pete's and running this unusual marathon was easily the highlight.
David Hoffman from Milwaukee (11/22/2006) "Architectual Delight" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 St. Peterburg is a fascinating city and a marathon tour with Kathy Loper is a wonderful way to visit plus Paris and Moscow. There is more police support for the marathon than crowd support and no English at the aid stations but the salted pieces of rye bread needed no translation.
Rusty Millar from Los Angeles (7/26/2006) "Flat, scenic, Russian history course" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran the 1/2 marathon portion of this race and won. Great location to run but organization was a bit short. Not enough water stations. No ceremony for the 5K, 10K or half marathon portion of this race. A good reason to see St. Petersburg. A warm day and lots of police. I recommend it if you want to do a smaller marathon in Europe. Our tour was very good - Kathy Loper Events.
Tim Kellner from Michigan (7/1/2006) "A Michigander's perspective" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 White Nights Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the 2006 St. Petersburg Marathon. The course takes you past a lot of the wonderful sights of the city. The weather was very warm for a few days before the marathon, but comfortable on race day. Water stations (and there is only water) are not as frequent as I would have liked. The first water stop is at 10K, then they are at each of the next 5K's. I carried a water bottle with me and filled it at each station. The route is as flat as a couse can be. I would recommend this marathon for anyone willing to travel that far. Tim Kellner

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Marathon Details - White Nights Marathon