LOTTO Poznań Maraton Pacing Plan

With only 100 m of elevation gain and 93 m of loss over 42.3 km, the course is essentially flat, with net elevation change of just 7 m. This makes it well suited to an even-paced or slightly negative-split strategy without needing to bank time for climbs.

Since the route is largely flat aside from minor undulations totaling under 100 m of gain, runners can hold a consistent, even pace through the city-centre sections around Stary Rynek and Plac Wolności rather than adjusting for terrain. The main pacing consideration is the crossing of the Warta river and transitions between wider avenues and denser urban streets, which may affect rhythm more than gradient.

Typical race-day conditions are around 10.0°C with wind near 13.7 km/h, which is cool and favorable for marathon pacing. Runners should still account for the moderate wind, especially in open stretches like ul. Grunwaldzka and near Ławica airport, where exposure may be higher than in the sheltered city-centre sections.

The minimal elevation change (100 m gain, 93 m loss) removes terrain as a major obstacle to negative splitting, since there are no sustained climbs late in the race to slow you down. A negative split is realistic here, provided pacing discipline is maintained through the early out-and-back sections near Park Sołacki and Aleja Armii Poznań.

The closing kilometers pass through the Łazarz and Górczyn districts and near Ławica airport before finishing at MTP's Plac Marka, all within the course's flat overall profile. Since there's no significant late climb, fading in these final kilometers is more likely tied to pacing errors earlier on than to elevation demands.