Valencia Marathon course guide: a flat, fast race in December

Valencia Marathon 2026: date, start, entry

The next race is the 46th Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday 6 December 2026. It starts at Plaça de la Marató and finishes on the blue carpet over the water at the City of Arts and Sciences. It is a marathon only, with wheelchair and other adapted categories, and the time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes.

Entry for 2026 opened in December 2025 with a four-day loyalty period for 2025 runners, followed by a ballot from 16 to 26 December 2025. Ballot places cost €180. An official waiting list fills places left by runners who drop out, at €200. Runners without a current Spanish or Valencian athletics licence or a Runner Plus Card also pay a mandatory €5 day licence.

Entry details for the 2027 race had not been published when we checked.

Official website: www.valenciaciudaddelrunning.com/en/marathon

Checked on 8 November 2026 against the official race website; confirm details there before you enter.

The course

From Plaça de la Marató the route heads out through the city, taking in the El Cabanyal neighbourhood by the sea and the historic centre, before returning to the City of Arts and Sciences. The final stretch runs along a blue carpet that floats over the water.

The organisers describe it as a flat course built for fast running. On our map the line covers about 41.9 km with roughly 85 m of climbing.

What Valencia is known for

The race began in 1981 as the Marató Popular de València. In recent years its course record has been broken several times, and the organisers promote it as the fastest marathon in Spain.

Running it

• Use the flat course to run even splits from the first kilometre.
• Start waves are set by your proven time, so have proof of a recent result ready if you want a faster wave.
• Save a little for the last stretch along the blue carpet.

Frame your Valencia finish

The Valencia Marathon is available as a framed 3D map: the real terrain of the city printed in relief, with the course raised in colour. Add your name, date and finish time and we work out your pace. If you ran with a GPS watch, upload your GPX and we print your exact line.