Valencia Marathon 2026 : the course km by km, race week and travel

Valencia is flat in the way that matters for pacing and gently tilted in a way most runners never notice. The 2026 course starts at 9.4 m, runs down to 1.9 m behind the beach by km 4.3, and stays low through the first half. After halfway the road begins to rise, 22.8 m over the next 13.9 km, an average of 0.16%, to the highest point of the race at km 35. Then it only falls: 21.5 m in the last 7.2 km to the finish. A runner who holds an even effort through the long, imperceptible drift from km 21 to km 35 gets the last 7 km downhill.

The course is one loop through the east of the city, the university district, the port, the old town and the western avenues, starting and finishing close together by the City of Arts and Sciences. The kilometres and heights below are measured along the organiser’s 2026 course map. The loop turns sharply 68 times, it crosses four bridges, and none of the bridge decks is longer than 340 m.

Km 0 to 4.7: down to the sea

The start is at the south end of the Pont de Montolivet, by the Plaça de la Marató, and the course crosses the old Turia riverbed on the bridge in its first 400 m. Past the Plaça d’Europa, the Avinguda de les Balears gives a straight 1.6 km, from about km 0.7 to km 2.3, and the route reaches the port at about km 2.6, passing the Edifici del Rellotge, the port’s clock building. The Carrer del Doctor Marcos Sopena and the Carrer d’Eugènia Viñes then run behind the beach. At about km 4.3 the course is at 1.9 m, the lowest point of the race. The first 4 km lose about 7 m, so the opening pace comes easily; with nine waves and up to 36,000 runners, the risk is going out faster than planned.

Km 4.7 to 13.3: the university district and the north

The Avinguda dels Tarongers carries the course west from about km 4.7 to km 7.4, then the Carrer de Ramon Llull, a first stretch of the Avinguda de Blasco Ibáñez and the Avinguda de Catalunya lead north. The Avinguda dels Germans Machado, from about km 9.5 to km 10.9, and the Carrer de Dolores Marqués and the Carrer de Cavanilles, a straight 1.5 km from about km 11.8 to km 13.3, bring the course back toward the river. The road rises a few metres on the way, to about 12 m around km 13. The aid stations in the first half are at km 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Km 13.3 to 21.3: Mestalla, Blasco Ibáñez and halfway

The Passeig de l’Albereda follows the old riverbed from about km 13.3 to km 14.4, and the Avinguda d’Aragó passes the Mestalla stadium at about km 15.0. Then comes the longest avenue of the first half: the Avinguda de Blasco Ibáñez, from about km 15.2 to km 17.9. Back through the Carrer de Ramon Llull and the Avinguda dels Tarongers, the course turns south down the Carrer de la Reina at about km 20.1, and halfway falls on that street at km 21.1. It is back down at about 2 m here, and from this point the long rise begins.

Km 21.3 to 28.5: the port and back along the river

The course passes the Edifici del Rellotge a second time at about km 21.7 and turns onto the Avinguda del Port, the longest straight of the race: 2.2 km, from about km 21.8 to km 23.9, with the road climbing gently away from the sea. The Passeig de l’Albereda takes it back along the riverbed from about km 24.2 to km 26.1. The km 25 check comes on this stretch: a runner who reaches km 25 after 12.57pm is taken out of the race.

Past the Carrer de Sant Pius V and the Pla de la Saïdia, the course crosses the riverbed on the Pont de les Arts at about km 27.8 and runs along the Carrer de la Blanqueria under the walls of the Torres de Serrans, the old city gate, at about km 28.5.

Km 28.5 to 35.0: the old town and the top of the course

The next 2.5 km are the old town: the Plaça de Tetuan at about km 29.3, the Carrer de la Pau and the Carrer de les Barques, and the Plaça de l’Ajuntament, the city hall square, at about km 30.5. The Carrer de Guillem de Castro and the Gran Via de Ferran el Catòlic lead west, and the course crosses the riverbed twice more, on the Pont de les Glòries Valencianes at about km 32.4 and the Pont del Nou d’Octubre at about km 34.5. The Carrer de la Vall de la Ballestera, from about km 32.9 to km 34.1, is a straight 1.2 km.

This is where the rise from halfway comes to a head. The road is at about 12 m at km 30 and about 25 m at km 35, the top of the course, as the Avinguda de les Tres Creus begins. Aid comes closer together here, at km 30, 32 and 35.

Km 35.0 to 42.2: downhill to the City of Arts and Sciences

After km 35 the course never climbs again. The Avinguda de les Tres Creus and the Carrer de l’Arxiduc Carles, from about km 35.0 to km 37.6, are two straight avenues, the second 1.3 km long, and the last two aid stations stand at about km 37.5 and km 40. The Plaça d’Espanya at about km 38.5, the Carrer de Xàtiva and the Carrer de Colón bring the course through the centre to the Plaça de la Porta de la Mar at about km 40. The Avinguda de Jacinto Benavente and the Carrer de l’Alcalde Reig lead to the City of Arts and Sciences at about km 41.9. The final 300 m pass the Palau de les Arts, the opera house, to the finish beside the Hemisfèric, at 3.6 m.

The expo and bib collection

Bibs are handed out only at the Expo 42K at Feria Valencia, on the Avinguda de les Fires: on Thursday 3 December from 5pm to 9pm, Friday 4 December from 9am to 9pm and Saturday 5 December from 9am to 7pm. The English rules misprint the Thursday’s date, and the Spanish pages give 3 December. No bibs or runner’s bags are given out on Sunday. If you cannot go, you can authorise someone else in your Runner Area from 7 November to collect the bib, wristband and runner’s bag for you. Check your chip at the expo stand when you collect it.

Tram line 4 runs from the city to the main entrance of Feria Valencia, and EMT bus 62, between Benimàmet and the Estació del Nord, also serves it. There are 3,000 parking spaces. The organiser advises avoiding the busiest hours, 12 noon to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm.

Waves and box changes

Runners start in nine waves by accredited time, from 8.15am, with each wave about ten minutes behind the one before. Your wave is emailed to you and printed on your bib. Until 6 November you can ask for a faster box free of charge in the Runner Area, with a link that proves the time; from 7 to 26 November a change costs 25 euro, and after that nothing changes, online or at the expo. Your time limit runs from the moment you cross the start line, not from the gun.

The cloakroom

The organiser’s cloakroom page, which carries no year, describes a paid service booked in advance, at 6 euro for one of 8,000 places, on the Avinguda del Profesor López Piñero by l’Umbracle, beside the start and the finish. It showed the places as sold out when read in September 2026. Check the page before race week.

Aid and what is not out yet

The rules promise drinks at about km 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 32, 35, 37.5 and 40, and drinks and food at the finish. The organiser’s race guide page was still empty for 2026 when checked, so start-area opening times, cloakroom hours, pacers and the road closures are not yet published. Runners from abroad must be over 18 on race day.