Maratón de Estepona

The Race

History

Estepona added a full marathon in 2026. The town already had a half marathon, the Media Maratón de Estepona Jardín de la Costa del Sol, and the city council presented the first marathon in April 2026, with the half reaching its fifth edition on the same morning. The organiser is Last Lap S.L., an events company that runs large Spanish road races.

The first marathon is on 11 October 2026, starting and finishing at the town’s Municipal Athletics Stadium. It was planned as a small race: the organiser’s website calls it a boutique marathon limited to 2,000 runners, while the regulations allow up to 3,000. By September more than 1,000 runners from over 50 countries had entered, about 60% from the province of Málaga, with groups from Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Ireland.

The course uses the shore on both sides of the town: east along the coast to Bel-Air, back through the centre, then west past the marina before returning to the stadium. The route was still being validated by the organiser’s technical team a few weeks before the race, and the regulations say it will be homologated by the Spanish federation. The race is on the World Athletics calendar without a label. It has no results or course record yet.

The course

The marathon starts and finishes at the Estadio de Atletismo Municipal on the north side of Estepona. It is a coastal course in two directions, on seafront roads, promenades and a stretch of the coastal path, and almost all of it is below 20 m.

From the stadium the course climbs 14 m in the first 600 m to its high point, 33 m, then drops 25 m to the central seafront on Avenida España at km 3.2. It heads east on Avenida Litoral and the coast road through Resinera-Voladilla, through the streets of Bel-Air, and turns at km 16.6, the furthest point from the start. The return west runs closer to the water, on seaside streets and the Senda Litoral coastal path from km 21 to km 27.

The course passes the central seafront a second time at km 30.4, runs along Paseo Pedro Manrique past the fishing port and the marina at km 32.6, and turns at km 34.9 beside the H10 Estepona Palace. The first climb of the second half follows: 18 m on Avenida del Carmen between km 34.5 and km 36.3, about 1 per cent. A third pass of Avenida España at km 38.8 leads to the last climb, 13 m between km 40.5 and km 41.6, up to the stadium. The half marathon starts 15 minutes earlier and shares the first 6 km.

Kilometre by kilometre

Km 0 to 5: down to the sea. The start at 08:30 comes seven minutes after sunrise. The first 600 m climb 14 m to the highest point of the course, and the road then drops 25 m to the seafront at Avenida España by km 3.2. The half marathon started 15 minutes earlier on the same roads and the two races share the first 6 km, so expect company. The first control, 39:05 at 5 km, is set at the even pace of the 5:30 limit, which leaves little slack for the slowest runners in a crowded start.

Km 5 to 17: east to Bel-Air. The course follows the coast road east past the bus station at km 4.5 and through Resinera-Voladilla, flat and between 8 m and 16 m, with the sea on the right. From km 12 it winds through the residential streets of Bel-Air, the quietest part of the course, and turns at km 16.6.

Km 17 to 30: back west along the shore. The return runs closer to the water, through Bel-Air’s seaside streets and then along the Senda Litoral, the coastal path, from km 21 to km 27, at 3 m to 8 m above the sea. The direction change counts: a breeze that helped on the way east will be in your face on the way back, or the reverse. By now it is mid-morning and the October sun on this coast is strong. Take water at every station.

Km 30 to 35: through town and out past the port. At km 30.4 the course reaches central Estepona again, the busiest section for spectators, and then keeps going west along Paseo Pedro Manrique past the fishing port and the marina at km 32.6. This is the part that catches runners out. Seeing the town centre at 30 km feels like the end; it is not. The turn beside the H10 Estepona Palace at km 34.9 is still more than 7 km from the finish.

Km 35 to 42.2: two climbs home. After the turn the course climbs 18 m on Avenida del Carmen between km 34.5 and km 36.3, about 1 per cent, the longest rise of the day. It comes back east through the centre a third time at km 38.8, and from km 40.5 climbs 13 m in a kilometre to the stadium. Know both are coming and shorten your stride. The finish is inside the stadium.

The course is signed every kilometre. No blue line has been confirmed. A sweep vehicle follows the published cutoffs, and runners outside them can be told to leave the closed road.

Course Map

East along the coast to Bel-Air, back along the shore, west past the port and up to the stadium. Tap a marker for the start and finish, the expo, the turns and the bus station, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.

Pacers

Not confirmed. No pacer programme had been published a fortnight before the first edition. No pen or wave system had been announced either; follow the organiser’s instructions on where to line up.

Entry

Entry is open online, with no ballot, through the organiser’s registration platform. Registration runs until early October or until places run out; if bibs remain, the organiser may take entries at the expo.

The standard marathon entry costs €60, including a €5 one-day federation licence; runners with a valid RFEA licence can reclaim the licence element at the expo with proof. A VIP entry costs €160, also including the day licence; its benefits are not listed in detail. Entries are personal and non-transferable, with no change of runner and no refunds. A cancellation guarantee could be added at registration for €6, covering the full fee if the refund request reached the organiser by 1 October.

The field is small by design: a boutique race capped at 2,000 runners on the website, 3,000 in the regulations, with more than 1,000 entered by September. There is no good-for-age, fast-runner or charity entry. Prize money goes to the top five men and women.

Fast runner standards

There is no good-for-age or fast-runner entry route. Everyone enters the same way.

Race Weekend

Expo

The Feria del Corredor is at the Recinto Ferial, the town’s fairground, which sits 200 m from the stadium in the same sports and fair complex on the north side of town. It opens on the Friday before the race from 16:00 to 20:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00. No bibs are handed out on race day, and the rules are explicit about it.

Bring your registration receipt and an official photo ID: DNI, passport or equivalent. The bib carries a disposable timing chip and must not be folded, cut or altered. Runners with an RFEA licence who want to reclaim the €5 day-licence charge should bring proof of the licence.

Estepona has no railway, and the road transfer from Málaga Airport takes an hour or more, so a Saturday evening flight leaves no margin before the 20:00 close. Arrive by Saturday afternoon at the latest, or Friday if you can.

Getting to the start

The marathon starts at 08:30 at the Estadio de Atletismo Municipal, and the half marathon at 08:15 from the same venue. Sunrise is at about 08:23, so runners walk to the start in the half-light.

Getting there. Estepona has no rail station and no free runner shuttle has been announced. From the old town around Plaza de las Flores the stadium is 1.2 km away, a walk of about 15 to 20 minutes uphill, or a short taxi ride. Streets on the course close on race morning, so taxis from the resorts east and west of town can be slow; plan the journey the day before.

Bag drop. There is a cloakroom at the stadium, which is also the finish. Staff may ask to look inside bags and can refuse a bag if the runner declines. Opening hours are in the race instructions.

Rules. The bib goes on the front, visible and unfolded. No wheeled devices except approved racing wheelchairs, no bikes or unregistered companions alongside runners, and every control must be passed.

The finish. The race ends in the stadium, so bags are a few steps away. Every finisher inside the limit gets a medal, and there is food and drink, medical cover and physiotherapy or podiatry for injured runners only; it is not a massage service. The walk back to the old town is downhill, and roads on the course stay closed until the finish closes at 14:00.

Nutrition on course

There are eight aid stations, one every 5 km, at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 km. Each has water and an isotonic drink, and from 20 km some add solid food. The organiser has not named the sports drink, a gel or the food, or said whether drinks come in cups or bottles, so carry your own gels for the whole race.

Five kilometres between stations is standard spacing but a long way on a warm, sunny October morning with the sun coming off the sea. Drink at every station from the start, and consider a small soft flask to bridge the gaps on the exposed coastal stretches. There is no personal-drinks service.

Spectating

The course passes central Estepona three times and the start and finish are in the same stadium, so a supporter can see a runner four or five times without a car. Streets on the course close to traffic; move on foot.

The best single place is the central seafront on Avenida España, which the marathon passes at km 3.2, km 30.4 and km 38.8. For a runner on four-hour pace, that is roughly 08:48, 11:23 and 12:11. The easiest plan of all is the stadium: the start, the last kilometre and the finish in one place.

Post-race food

The finish is at the stadium on the northern side of town, and the restaurants are down by the sea in the old town, La Rada and the fishing port. Walk back to the hotel first, then go out for a late lunch; Spanish lunch starts after 14:00, which fits a finish around midday.

La Escollera, by the fishing port, which the course passes at km 32, is a well-known seafood restaurant, simple and busy, serving fish from the boats that land there; it is a taxi ride from the stadium for tired legs, and it fills on Sundays. Casa del Rey, in the old town by Plaza de las Flores, serves tapas and sharing plates in the most convenient spot for anyone staying centrally. The old town’s streets between Plaza de las Flores and the seafront have the most choice. Book on race day.

Where to Stay

The start and the finish are the same place, the Municipal Athletics Stadium, so staying near the finish means staying within walking distance of the stadium. The best balance in Estepona is the old town, 1.2 km downhill from the stadium and on the seafront section the race passes three times.

October is still a busy month on the Costa del Sol, and Estepona’s central hotel stock is smaller than the resorts around it. Book a cancellable room in the centre when you enter.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

There is no ballot; enter when ready. Registration opens in spring and runs until early October if places last. Book a cancellable hotel in central Estepona at the same time, because October is still high season on the Costa del Sol and the town centre has fewer rooms than the resorts around it. Decide on the cancellation guarantee when you enter; it cannot be added later.

Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) is the gateway, with a large choice of UK flights. Estepona has no railway, so book the transfer with the flight: Avanza runs direct buses from the airport to Estepona’s bus station, or a pre-booked taxi takes about an hour. Arrive by Saturday afternoon; the expo closes at 20:00 on Saturday and there is no race-day bib collection.

See & Do

The finish is at the stadium, and the sights are downhill in the old town and along the seafront the course runs three times.

After the Race

Mid-October on the western Costa del Sol is still warm enough for the beach and cool enough for walking. Estepona has no railway, so everything below is by bus: Marbella and Gibraltar are day trips along the coast, Málaga suits a night before the flight home, and Ronda, up in the mountains, earns two nights on legs that need a slow day.