Maratón de Logroño

The Race

History

Logroño ran its first marathon on 14 September 2014. The city council’s sports body, Logroño Deporte, presented it that spring, built with the regional government, the local retailer Ferrer Sport Center and the athletics community, and launched it with the former world marathon champion Martín Fiz and the cyclist Joseba Beloki as its public faces. The first edition paired the marathon with a half.

The race has run every year since except 2020. Editions II to VI covered 2015 to 2019, and the numbering picked up again at VII in 2021. A 10 km was added along the way, and the event moved to the first Sunday of October. The course settled into two laps of a city circuit starting and finishing beside the Paseo del Espolón, the tree-lined promenade at the centre of Logroño. The Spanish athletics federation homologates it and places it in the Internacional 1 category of its national calendar; it has no World Athletics label.

By 2025 the three races drew more than 2,500 entrants, close to 1,000 of them in the marathon. Ander Barrio won the 2025 men’s race in 2:29:24, ten seconds clear of Juan Ramón Sánchez, and Ester Rodríguez won the women’s in 2:51:04.

The XII edition ran on Sunday 4 October 2026 after a night of rain, with damp roads and about 16°C at the start. All three races had closed in the first week of September, with the organiser reporting more than 3,000 registrations across them and around 1,000 for the marathon. Iñaki Jiménez won the men’s marathon and Estefanía Unzu, who races as Verdeliss, won the women’s. Local reports give slightly different times for both winners, so the official classification is the source for times and the podium. Jiménez said afterwards that running alone through the second half was the hardest part.

The course

The marathon starts at 09:00 on Muro de la Mata beside the Paseo del Espolón and finishes in the same place, after two laps of a 21.1 km city circuit. The half marathon runs one lap and starts with the marathon. It is all asphalt.

Each lap leaves the centre along Gran Vía and heads west on Avenida Gonzalo de Berceo, climbing 16 m between km 1.5 and km 3.4, just under 1 per cent, to the high point of the course, 411 m, on Avenida de Burgos. It loops through the south-western districts of Yagüe and Prado Viejo, 2.6 km from the start at its furthest, then runs east on long avenues, República Argentina and Avenida de Lobete, past the railway station at km 10, falling 40 m over 9.6 km to the low point, 368 m, at Varea on the eastern edge at km 13.

From there the lap turns north along Paseo del Prior, rising 17 m to km 15.4, then drops to the Ebro and crosses it on the Puente de Hierro at km 16. It follows the north bank, comes back over the river at km 18, and then climbs 32 m over 3.9 km, about 0.8 per cent, through El Cubo and under the arcades of Calle Portales to the Espolón. That climb, repeated from km 39 to the finish, is the longest on the course. The organiser describes the course as not flat, and the chart agrees: nothing steep, but no stretch of more than a couple of kilometres is level.

Kilometre by kilometre

Km 0 to 3.4: out along Gran Vía. The marathon and half marathon leave together at 09:00, so the opening kilometres carry more than double the marathon field. The route runs out along Gran Vía and west on Gonzalo de Berceo, broad enough for the crowd to spread but with corners early on, and climbs 16 m to the day’s high point on Avenida de Burgos at km 3.4. Hold back until the field thins. No pens or waves are published; seed yourself honestly.

Km 3.4 to 13: the long drop east. After a loop through Yagüe and Prado Viejo, where spectators thin out, the course swings east along República Argentina and Avenida de Lobete, straight city avenues that fall 40 m over almost 10 km. Settle into rhythm here and bank nothing: the ground you gain comes back later. The first timing mat is at 5 km, and the 5 km cutoff is 35 minutes.

Km 13 to 18: the Ebro. From the low point at Varea the lap turns north along Paseo del Prior, rises 17 m and drops to the river. It crosses the Ebro on the Puente de Hierro at km 16, follows the north bank past the Franco-Españolas winery and comes back over the river at km 18.

Km 18 to 21.1: up through the old town. The longest climb of the lap, 32 m over 3.9 km, runs from the riverbank through El Cubo and the narrow streets of the old town to Calle Portales and the Espolón, the loudest part of the course. Half-marathon runners peel off to finish here. Marathon runners pass the finish area at 21.1 km and go again.

Km 21.1 to 42.2: the second lap. Everything repeats, including the climb to Avenida de Burgos and the climb from the river. One 2025 runner found the second lap hard mentally because every stretch had been seen once; another ran it faster than the first and finished strongly, using the first lap as reconnaissance. Accounts from 2023 and 2025 praise the organisation, the frequent refreshments and the finish area, and describe quiet residential stretches against much louder support in the old town. The western districts can be quiet now. The last 3 km climb 20 m to the finish.

Timing mats sit at the start, at intermediate points and at the finish; cross every one. No blue line has been documented.

Course Map

Two laps: west to the high ground, east on the long avenues, over the Ebro and back up through the old town to the Espolón. Tap a marker for the start, bib collection, the landmarks and the stations, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.

Pacers

The 2025 runner guide listed pace groups for each race. One 2025 runner could not find the 3:45 group and met 4:00 pacers instead, so check the pacer list in the runner guide in race week and do not rely on a particular group being offered.

Entry

Entry is direct online registration with no ballot. The overall cap is 2,500 across the marathon, half marathon and 10 km, and in 2026 the three races sold out in the first week of September, ahead of the final price window. A marathon-only cap has not been published. The 2027 date, the opening of registration, fees and the cap have not been announced, so none of the 2026 terms below should be assumed to carry over.

For 2026 prices rose in three bands, by date or by number of entries, whichever came first: €25 for the first 500 marathon entries, €36 for entries 501 to 1,500 and €40 for 1,501 to 2,500. As a promotion, the first 500 marathon registrants who finished and met the conditions were promised a refund of the €25 fee. Whether the offer returns for 2027 has not been announced.

Entries are personal and non-transferable. The regulations say fees are generally not refundable but also describe a full refund for injury with a medical certificate; the deadline printed for that clause belongs to an earlier edition, so check it with the organiser. The entry includes an official shirt and a finisher medal. Marathon runners must be 18 or over.

Fast runner standards

There is no good-for-age, qualifying, charity or tour-operator route. Enter as soon as 2027 registration opens: the 2026 race closed within the first week of September.

Race Weekend

Expo

Bib collection and the Feria del Corredor are at Ferrer Sport Center, Calle Siete Infantes de Lara 19, in the south-west of central Logroño, 1.4 km from the Espolón. In 2026 the runner guide gave 10:00 to 21:00 on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, while the regulations split Friday into 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 21:00. Check the guide for the 2027 hours.

Marathon and half-marathon runners who cannot make it can collect on race morning between 07:00 and 08:00 at the Concha del Espolón, the bandstand beside the start. Collecting on Friday or Saturday is the better plan. Bring photo identification; the rules do not describe collecting for another runner. Marathon runners receive two bibs, front and back, and the runner bag includes the official shirt.

Getting to the start

The marathon and half marathon start together at 09:00 on Muro de la Mata beside the Paseo del Espolón. The 10 km starts separately, from the Avenida de Lobete area in the east of the city.

Getting there. Walk. Logroño’s centre is compact, and every recommended hotel area is between a few minutes and about 20 minutes on foot from the start. There is no runner shuttle and none is needed; city buses are diverted around the closed course.

Bag drop. Marathon and half-marathon bags go to the Concha del Espolón, beside the start. Use a small bag labelled with your bib number and hand it in before 08:00. Runners staying close can drop a bag early and go back indoors.

Start area and rules. Red Cross teams are at the start and finish. Wear both bibs, front and back, unfolded. Missing a timing mat, cutting the course or ignoring officials can mean disqualification.

The finish. Marathon finishers get a medal and pass into a recovery area with drinks, fruit and sponsor products. The bag drop is a few metres away. The awards ceremony is at 13:30 on the Espolón, while the course is still open. In 2026 showers were offered at the CDM Lobete and the Colegio Público Duquesa de la Victoria until 15:30.

Road closures and traffic. In 2026 the race overlapped with noon football and basketball fixtures, and traffic queued around Las Gaunas and the Palacio de los Deportes; police advised arriving on foot and allowing extra time. A hotel within walking distance of the Espolón simplifies race morning, and companions should not count on a quick taxi. The fixture list changes each year, so check local notices.

Nutrition on course

The 2026 runner guide and the regulations give 17 aid stations on the marathon plus the finish recovery area, roughly every 2.5 km after the first 5 km, so a bottle is unnecessary. The table follows the 2025 runner guide, the most recent detailed layout. The regulations say drinks come in individual bottles and solid food in individual portions.

Gels appear as icons at two points in the 2025 guide, but the brand and whether they return are not confirmed. Carry your own gels for the whole race. The same stations serve both laps, and the 21.1 km station at the Espolón has the fullest table.

Spectating

Stay at the Espolón. The two-lap course brings runners back past the start at halfway, so a spectator who does not move sees the start, 21.1 km and the finish, with cafés, toilets and the bag drop close by. For more sightings, the centre is compact enough to walk between points on the lap: the busiest stretches are the Espolón, Gran Vía and the old-town return through Portales.

Everything here is on foot; road closures make buses unreliable. The organiser has advertised live tracking on its website; check for the link in race week.

Post-race food

The finish is a few streets from Calle Laurel, Logroño’s pintxo street, so nobody needs a taxi to eat. Eat in two stages: a sit-down lunch first, then Laurel in the evening.

Tondeluna, on Muro de Francisco de la Mata, is almost on the finish line and opens for Sunday lunch, with modern Spanish cooking; book, because the race weekend fills it. DITALY, at Muro de la Mata 6, is also beside the race hub, and pizza and pasta are the obvious choice after a marathon. La Tavina, at Calle Laurel 2, is a wine bar at the start of Laurel for small plates and a glass of Rioja. Calle Laurel and Travesía de San Juan get busier through Sunday afternoon; each bar is known for one or two pintxos, and moving from one to the next is how locals eat here.

Where to Stay

The start and the finish are the same place, Muro de la Mata beside the Espolón, so staying near the finish means staying in the centre. The start, the bag drop, the old town and Calle Laurel are all within about 10 minutes of the Espolón on foot, and the expo is 1.4 km away.

The race has no official hotel partner. The best central rooms are limited and October is also wine-tourism season in Rioja, so book a cancellable room when you enter.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

Registration opens in December and the race has sold out before its final price band, so enter early and book accommodation straight away. Book a cancellable room within 10 minutes’ walk of the Espolón: October is harvest and wine-tourism season in La Rioja, and hotel demand that weekend does not come from runners alone.

Flights need more thought than hotels. Logroño-Agoncillo Airport (RJL) has very few routes. For most UK runners the gateway is Bilbao (BIO), about 1 hour 30 minutes by road, with coaches to Logroño; Madrid (MAD) with a train or coach is the other option. Arrive by Saturday afternoon: bib collection closes at 21:00 on Saturday, and race-morning collection is a narrow hour.

See & Do

The finish is on the Espolón, and the old town, the pintxo streets and the river are all within a 10-minute walk.

After the Race

Early October in La Rioja often catches the tail of the harvest. Briones and the Vivanco museum are an easy day, Haro’s station wineries earn a night, the monasteries of San Millán and the mountain village of Ezcaray suit a hire car, and Bilbao is on the way to the airport.