PAINANI
PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

25 · Comunitat Valenciana, Spain

The Valencia Marathon

Run 42.195 km of asphalt between 1.8 m and 18 m above the sea, from the Ciudad de las Artes through the old town and back to a finish on water.

Road runningRoad raceLoop
42.2 kmDistanceEasy mediumSite gradeValenciaNearest base

Site grade

Easy mediumFeatured

A homologated 42.195 km with 16.2 m between the lowest and highest points of the course, at sea level, with a 5 h 30 official time limit and a 12:57 cut at km 25.

The experience

The course asks nothing of your legs except the distance. The official profile stays between 1.8 m and 18 m above sea level. The work is pacing on straights that do not end, and the cold at the start pen if you leave the 9:35 wave.

Sisay Lemma ran 2:01:48 here in 2023 and Joyciline Jepkosgei 2:14:00 in 2025. The organiser lists Valencia as the fourth-fastest marathon course in the world.

The first edition was run on 29 March 1981, with 640 finishers of whom seven were women. In 2011 the race moved from spring to autumn and put its start and finish at the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. The Fundación Trinidad Alfonso began backing the race in 2012 and its name has been on the marathon since.

Where the sources disagreeYou cannot decide to run this in the autumn. The 36,000 bibs for 2026 sold out through a ballot held in January, and the waiting list costs 200 euros. Anyone registering to finish under 3:32 must document a previous result. The time limit is 5 h 30, and a runner reaching km 25 after 12:57 is pulled from the course. Under-18s cannot enter.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartPlaça de la Marató, beside the Ciudad de las Artes y las CienciasFinishWalkway over the water in the Ciudad de las Artes y las CienciasDirectionClockwise city circuit: east toward the port, north past Mestalla and Blasco Ibáñez, west through the old town and the western districts, then back east along the Turia gardens to the finish
  1. 01Plaça de la Marató
  2. 02Avinguda del Port
  3. 03Avinguda de Blasco Ibáñez
  4. 04Estadio de Mestalla
  5. 05Torres de Serranos
  6. 06Mercado Central
  7. 07Palau de la Música
  8. 08Passeig de l'Albereda
  9. 09Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

Route sections

01 · The Wave CorridorPlaça de la Marató to Avinguda del Port
Nine start waves leave between 8:15 and 9:35 by declared time. The first kilometres run wide avenues toward the port on fresh legs, with the first aid station at km 5.5.02 · The Long Straight NorthPort district to Blasco Ibáñez and Mestalla
Avinguda del Port, then the long straights of the university district past the Estadio de Mestalla. Aid at km 10 and 14.5, the first gel at km 16.2.03 · The Half Marathon GateBlasco Ibáñez to the old town
Halfway comes east of the centre. The course then swings into the old city along Carrer de les Blanqueries, passing the Torres de Serranos near km 28 and the Mercado Central after km 30.04 · The Western LoopOld town to the western districts
The one part of the course with no monument to look at: kilometres 31 to 38 through the western districts, with aid at km 33.1 and a gel at km 34. This is where the race is decided for everyone slower than the elite.05 · The Blue CarpetPasseig de l'Albereda to the finish
Back along the Turia gardens, the last aid station at km 40.4, then the finish walkway over the water beside the Hemisfèric.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Mediterranean city in early December. The organiser gives a race temperature of 12 to 17 degrees. Mornings in the start pen are cooler than that, and the course is exposed to wind on the port and Turia stretches.

Season & timing

Managed seasonOne race day a year. The 46th edition is Sunday 6 December 2026.Best windowRace day. There is no other day this course exists: outside the closures it is city traffic.Race timingSunday 6 December 2026, first wave 8:15, last wave 9:35SurfaceAsphalt city streets closed to traffic; a finish walkway over the pools of the Ciudad de las Artes y las CienciasDirectionClockwise city circuit: east toward the port, north past Mestalla and Blasco Ibáñez, west through the old town and the western districts, then back east along the Turia gardens to the finish

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The start on Plaça de la Marató under the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

02

The Torres de Serranos at km 28

03

The Mercado Central and the old town at km 30

04

The Passeig de l'Albereda along the Turia gardens

05

The finish walkway over the water beside the Hemisfèric

COURSE RECORD

2:01:48

The fourth-fastest marathon course in the world

Sisay Lemma's 2:01:48 in 2023 stands as the men's course record, the sixth-fastest marathon ever run at the time the organiser published it. Joyciline Jepkosgei's 2:14:00 in 2025 is the women's record.

Access & logistics

AccessThe start and finish are at the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in the Quatre Carreres district. Official hotels more than 2 km from the start include transfers on race day. Bibs are collected at the Expo 42K at Feria Valencia on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the race.PermitsRace registration only. Entry for 2026 was by a loyalty window in December 2025 and a public ballot drawn on 12 January 2026; the 36,000 bibs are sold out. A waiting list runs at 200 euros plus a 5 euro day licence.BookingsRegistration through tickets.valenciaciudaddelrunning.com, the only authorised seller. Official tour operators bundle bibs with travel. Changes to your entry are free until 6 November and cost 25 euros until 26 November.WaterAid stations at km 5.5, 10, 14.5, 18.7, 23, 28.3, 33.1, 37.1, 40.4 and the finish, with water, an isotonic drink and toilets. Gels at km 16.2, 25.6 and 34. Fruit from km 23.FoodGels and fruit on the course as above. A finisher bag at the finish. Official hotels serve a marathon breakfast from 06:00.Mobile coverageFull city coverage. Do not rely on your phone for the start: follow the wave printed on your bib.DurationOfficial maximum time 5 h 30 from crossing the start line. The race closes at 15:15.

Key hazards

  • ▲Cold start pen before the later waves
  • ▲Wind on the port and Turia stretches
  • ▲Traffic outside race closures
  • ▲Late-race fatigue on the western loop
  • ▲Crowding in the wave corridor for the first kilometres

SafetyOrientation only. Always use the current official race guide, wave assignment and medical advice. Outside race closures these are open city roads.

Read the 2026 regulations →Request this run →

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-025 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Carlesmari · CC BY 3.0