Endurance racing in Andalucia

 
© Michelle Chaplow Men's Category winners
Men's Category winners in Desafio Doñana Triathlon 2011

Endurance running and biking  

Information on the main endurance running and cycling events held each year in Andalucia. Includes the Malaga and Seville Marathons, important triathlons, Iron Man and other established events.

Marathon

There are two road running full marathons in Andalucia each year. 

Seville Marathon 2025


23rd February 2025

(Confirmed by Official website) 

Seville Marathon, the third largest in Spain, with 14,000 runners taking part. It is traditionally held on the third Sunday in February. The Seville Marathon is usually very fast due to the flat course and (often) good weather. Race record is 2 hrs 04min 43 sec. The XXXIX Zurich Marathon de Sevilla will take place on 18th February 2024. More info and Streamed online. #ZurichMaratónSevilla24

Malaga Marathon 2024


15th December 2024

(Confirmed by Official website) 

Malaga Marathon; sixth most popular in Spain with about 3.000 runners taking part.  This traditionally takes place on the second Sunday in December. Was 10th December 2023 and will be 15th December 2024. More info at generalimaratonmalaga.com/

Ultra Sierra Nevada Marathon for up to 450 runners takes place om Saturday 6th April 2024 from village Cenes de la Vega east of Granada city up to Pradollano, the Sierra Nevada Ski resort. Dont expect fast Marathon times as the route includes a total climb of 2.900m. See below for more info on Ultra Sierra Nevada.

In Andalucia there are also many half marathons and 10km road races. To many to list here.

Triathlon

There are actually about 30 triathlon events every year in Andalucia, which are held between February and November, including during the hot summer months. Desafio Doñana is the flagship event organised by the regional government. This is 90km cycle, 1.8km swim and 30km beach run.

Others take place in locations in western and central Andalucian coastal areas.  Some, such as El Chorro are Half Ironman with 1.9km swim, 90 km cycle and 21km run. Others such as the Triathlon de Sevilla are less demanding with a 1.5km swim, followed by a 40km cycle, and finally a 10km run. More info on our Triathlon page >

 

 

 

 

101KM DE LA LEGIÓN

101 km de La Legion Dates 2024


11th and 12 May 2024

(Confirmed by Official website) 

This is 101 km cross-country running or mountain bike race over 24 hours.   It is organised by the famous Foreign Legion based in Ronda and the first edition was in 1995 to celebrate the 75 aniversary of the legion.  The route passes by Ronda, Ariate, Alcala del Valle, Setenil de las Bodegas, Montejaque, Benaojan.   It takes place on the first or second Saturday in May. The race starts and in the Ronda Football Stadium and following the Legions heart warming chant and salute to the Comander in Chief. It finishes at the Alameda del Tajo in the centre of Ronda. In 2018 the winning mountain bike time was 3 hrs 53 mins 49 seconds and the winning running time was 8 hrs 51 mins 18 seconds. There was an event in 2022 but the 2023 event was cancelled as the Legion were on operations in Lebenon. 2024 date is 11th and 12 May 2024. Official website (Spanish)

ULTRA SIERRA NEVADA

Ultra Sierra Nevada 2024


5th, 6th and 7th April 2024

The tenth edition of the Ultra Sierra Nevada will be held the weekend of 5th to 7th April 2024. It will again include: the Half Marathon (25 km), the Marathon (40 km), the Trail (62 km) and the Ultra (100 km). The race is centered around the Pradollano Sierra Nevada Ski resort. The purpose of the different trail races is so that trail runners of all levels and profiles can take part.

ULTRA SIERRA NEVADA is a mountain race of 100 kilometres of continuous ascent on paths and tracks from Granada city to Pico Veleta mountain summit and then decent to Pradollano Ski Resort. The ULTRA SIERRA NEVADA starts at 22:00 hrs on the Friday evening in 'Paseo de Salon' in Parque De Las Alquerías near Granada city centre. From there, the route will take participants through the Generalife pastures and, after following the Darro river basin, to the village of Beas. From here, the route heads towards Quentar and the town of Pinos Genil. The Genil River marks the beginning of the most demanding part of the race: the climb through the Sierra Nevada National park; 40 kilometres of climbing over 2,500 metres through Pradollano and zig-zag up La Valeta mountain to reach the summit at 3,100 metres above sea level. From there, a direct decent down the valley descent leads to the finish line in the Pradollano ski resort at 2,100 metres. The winning athletes will cross the finish line shortly after 11.00 hrs on Saturday recording race times over slightly over 13 hrs. This is the highest ultra mountain race in the Iberian Peninsula. The ULTRA SIERRA NEVADA has a climb of 5,480m and a decent of 3,900m. It is a semi-self-sufficient race with a maximum time of 23.30 hours. The maximum number participants is 350. Route on Wikilocks.

The first edition of the Ultra Sierra Nevada was a trial took place on the 13 September 2014. The 80km course was won by Igncio Moron Gonzalez of Granada who reached the peak of La Valeta in 9hrs 34 mins and finished in Pradollano in 10 hrs 15 mins. In 2016 the dates were 15th and 16th July with the main run extended to 100km and starting from the village of Beas de Granada. Previous editions dates were 13th to 15th July 2018, 12th to 14th July 2019, 1st to 3rd April 2022, 14th to 16th April 2023. Dates for the next edition are usually anounced in September. 

ULTRA SIERRA NEVADA R3LEVOS is a three person relay team race over the same Ultra Sierra Nevade route has been introduced for the 2024 edition. . Three sections are Granada to Quentar (51km +2.162m), Quentar to Dornajo (25km +2.024m) and Dornajo to Pradollano (25km +1.555m).

There is also a reduced version of the race called the Ultra Sierra Nevada Trail of 62 km which starts off from Granada on the Saturday at 06.00 hrs initialy following the same route. It used to finish in the village of Güejar Sierra. but now also finishes in Pradollano shortly after 12.30 hrs Saturday. The Ultra Sierra Nevada trail also even had a barefoot category in its early years.

In 2016 a 42 km and Ultra Marathon was introduced leaving from from Granada at 08.00 Saturday arriving at Pradollano after 11.00 hrs. In 2016 a Granada Urban Trail was added to the races but was replace post Covid with Ultra Sierra Nevada Media, a 21k Half Marathon leaving Pinos Genil village at 09.00 Sunday and arriving in Pradollano after 11.15 hrs.  In 2022 the 100 mile ( 158km) Ultra Sierra Extreme was inaugurated and also run in 2023 but is ot on the 2024 chedules.  

ultrasierranevada.co

 

 

GRAN VUELTA  Valle de Genal

La Gran Vuelta Valle del Genal is a long-distance overnight trail race, inaugurated in 2013, that links the villages of the Genal valley in the Serrania de Ronda. The route is mainly on tarmac roads and forest tracks through chestnut woods. It does not climb any peaks or follow any tricky mountain paths. It takes place over two consecutive weekends, traditionally in mid or late October. In 2023, the dates for the individual and relay overnight road races were 4-5 November 2023 and the daytime trail race was 11 November 2023. This is a wonderful time of year when the forest trees are losing their leaves and the chestnuts are falling.

TRAIL - 55km
A circular route through the lower Genal, with start and finish line in a different village each year (Benadalid in 2018, Cartajima in 2019). The majority of the route follows the same track than the Ultra Trail, passing by villages of Benalauría, Algatocín, Benarrabá, Gaucín, La Escribana y Venta San Juán. The participants leave at about 09.00 hrs Saturday. Winning time is about 6 hrs. Competitors have a maximum of 12 hours to complete the 55 km.

RELAY - 150 km
Teams of three runners take part, each one must run a defined quarter section of the race of about 40km. Finally, the three members of the team must complete the last section of approximately 20 km to cross the finish line together. The participants leave at about 18.00 hrs Saturday. Winning time is about 18 hrs. Competitors have a maximum time to complete the race of 32 hours.

ULTRA TRAIL - 130km
The Ultra Trail is the main race of the Gran Vuelta Valle del Genal, it is a circular route along the Genal Valley of almost 130 km with about 6.000 m total climb. The route crosses all the 15 villages of the Genal. The participants leave at about 18.00 hrs Friday. Mens winning time is about 16 hrs and Womens 19 hours. Competitors have a maximum time to complete the race of 32 hours. There are 17 refreshment points and checkpoints.
There is also a team version, in which the 4 members of the team must complete the race together.

More information at www.granvueltavalledelgenal.com

LA DESÉRTICA

This endurance event is both for cross country runners and mountain bikers is organised by the Almeria Legion and is open to both military personnel and civilians male and female and teams. It was founded in 2019 and traditionally takes place on a Saturday in mid-October. (2023 was 21st October) As the name suggests it is an arduous course over mainly desert and arid terrain. There is also a Minidesertica for minors. The running event ‘marchadores' is 73km long and the mountain bike MTB is 103km. the race starts at 09.00 in Almeria city and passes Huercal de Almeria, Baños de Sierra Alhamilla, Pechina, Atenas (800m), (Enix, Marchal de Enix, Felix 1200m- MTB only) Bodegas (Runners only), and down to the coast at Roquetas del Mar.

Benemitra Trail

The Benemérita Trail running has been held in the village of Alfacar since 2016, specifically in the Sierra de la Alfaguara. In 2019, its IV edition will take place on the 6th of October, starting at 8.30 am. There were two different competitions, a trail of 32 km and an open of 12 km. It is a fundraising event, with all the proceeds going to the Cancerous Stem Cells Research Unit of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Granada.

La Valiente

The La Valinete (The Valliant) race in Andex and Santeponce near Seville can be undertaken by running, by cycling or on horseback.

La Sufrida

Cicloruta Internacional Serrania de Ronda or La Sufrida (The Sufferer or The Pain), as it is aptly locally known, is without doubt one of the most important long-distance cycle races in Andalusia. The event used to be held on the first Saturday in June and consisted of a 196-kilometre "Gran Fondo" (with a 125-kilometre option) around the Ronda countryside on country roads. Since 2006, the event has been organised by a local running club. Each year it starts in a different village. In 2015 the 17th edition was started at 08.00 from the main square in El Gastor. This typical route was Zahara de la Sierra, Puerto de las Palomas, El Bosque, Puerto del Boyar, Grazalema, Los Villalones, Arriate, Ronda and Montejaque. The winning time is under 7 hours. The race will stop at 11 hours. The police will provide a safety zone for the race within a 21km/h and 25km/h window. We understand that the last edition was on 25 May 2019.

Jarapalos

The Maratón Alpino de Jarapalos (MAJ) is a mountain cross-country race that has been held for over a decade. Every year in November, several hundred athletes take part. The route, which starts in Alhaurin de la Torre and runs through the mountainous areas of Benalmádena, Mijas and Alhaurín el Grande, offers spectacular views of the Costa del Sol, the Mediterranean Sea and the North African coast. It traditionally takes place on the third Saturday of November (19 November 2016) and includes four different levels. Ultra (64 km), Marathon (42 km), Open (18 km) and Mini Juniors (12 km). There has not been an event post Covid.

See and Do