The Race
| Next Race Date | Sunday 18 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Loop: two urban laps |
| Registration | Open online entry, no ballot |
| Ballot opens | No ballot |
| Start | Ronda de Calatrava at Calle Vicente Aleixandre, 08:30 |
| Finish | Calle Juan Ramón Jiménez, by the Rey Juan Carlos I sports complex |
| Total finishers | Not confirmed |
| Avg race-day temp | About 9 to 22°C (AEMET Ciudad Real October normal) |
| Cutoff time | 5 hours 30 minutes, with a front-loaded sweep |
| Free race-day transport | No |
| Course certification | RFEA homologated |
History
The Maratón Popular de Ciudad Real was first run in 1996. The organiser’s archive lists every year from then to 2019, skips 2020 and resumes in 2021, which is why the 2026 race is the 30th edition. Club Quijote Maratón runs it with the city’s municipal sports board, and the name borrows from Cervantes: this is La Mancha, although the route does not go near a windmill.
It has stayed a club event. The half marathon was added later, and the 10 km later still. A school race on the same weekend brings about 3,000 children to Parque de Gasset. An earlier course started on Ronda de Alarcos and finished in Parque de Gasset; the current race starts on Ronda de Calatrava and finishes by the Rey Juan Carlos I sports complex, over two urban laps.
The men’s record is 2:17:33 by William Ruto Cheboi of Kenya. The women’s record, 2:42:54, belongs to Gemma Arenas of nearby Almagro, better known as a mountain and ultra runner, who in 2025 won for the ninth time, in 2:45:55, fifth overall. Juan Gimeno won the men’s race in 2:27:12, more than 16 minutes clear. For the 30th edition the shared cap rose to 2,000 across the three races.
The course
The marathon starts at 08:30 on Ronda de Calatrava at the junction with Calle Vicente Aleixandre, on the north-east side of the centre, three minutes after the wheelchair start, and finishes on Calle Juan Ramón Jiménez beside the Rey Juan Carlos I sports complex, a couple of hundred metres away. The half marathon and 10 km start with it.
It is two laps of an urban asphalt circuit using the city’s ring roads (the rondas), residential avenues, the centre and the Parque de Gasset district. The second lap is not identical: the organiser publishes a separate map layer showing where it differs, so follow the lap-specific arrows. Every kilometre is marked and the measured line is painted blue.
Ciudad Real stands at about 620 to 640 m on the high plain of La Mancha, and the organiser describes the course as flat. No official profile has been published and no usable route file was available, so the page carries no course map yet.
Kilometre by kilometre
Km 0 to 10: the opening lap. Wheelchairs go at 08:27 and everyone else at 08:30, marathon, half and 10 km together. The speed difference between a 10 km runner and a marathoner is large, so start behind the right pacer. The first timing mats are at 5 and 10 km, and the sweep is tighter than the 5:30 limit suggests: 40 minutes to 5 km and 1:15 to 10 km.
Km 10 to 21: the centre and the end of the first lap. Broad rondas and avenues, the centre, where the crowds and the music groups in the organiser’s animation competition gather, and the Parque de Gasset district. The roads are wide and open to sun and wind. Aid every 5 km, sponges every 2.5 km.
Km 21 to 31: the second lap. At halfway the half-marathon runners finish and the field thins sharply. The second lap differs in places from the first, so watch the blue line and the marshals. The sweep closes halfway at 2:40, 25 km at 3:10 and 30 km at 3:45, about 7:35 to 7:42 per kilometre from the gun.
Km 31 to 42.2: home. The late-morning sun on the plain is the main enemy in a warm October. The sweep reaches 35 km at 4:25 and 40 km at 5:10. Plan to finish inside 5:30.
Follow the painted blue line on both laps, but cones, barriers and officials take precedence. Cross every timing mat (start, 5, 10, halfway, 26, 31 km and finish): missing one can void the result.
Three races leave together. Tuck in behind the right pacer; the sweep is at 5 km after 40 minutes.
Broad, flat and exposed. The crowds and music are in the centre.
The half finishes and the roads empty. Follow the blue line; the second lap differs.
Late-morning heat can arrive fast. Drink early and hold the sweep times.
Course Map
No course map yet. The organiser publishes the route only as Google Earth projects, one for the full 42 km and one showing where the second lap differs; this section will carry the route and the elevation profile once a usable file is available. The start on Ronda de Calatrava and the finish beside the Rey Juan Carlos I sports complex are both on the north-east side of the centre.
Pacers
Marathon pacers run at 3:00, 3:30, 4:00 and 4:30, with half-marathon pacers at 1:30, 1:45 and 2:00, all from the 08:30 start. There are no groups for 5:00 or the 5:30 limit, and the sweep is faster than an even 5:30 pace in the first half.
The time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes, but the closing times are faster than an even pace: 40 minutes at 5 km, 1:15 at 10 km, 2:40 at halfway, 3:45 at 30 km and 4:25 at 35 km, from the gun. A runner planning to walk early and run late will be stopped. Aim to be well inside each time.
Ciudad Real sits at over 600 m on the open plain, and October usually means a cool, dry start and a warm, sunny finish. AEMET’s October normals are about 9°C at night and 22°C by day, so a four-and-a-half-hour runner reaches the last lap as the day warms up.
Start in race kit with an old long-sleeved top for the wait, handed to a friend or dropped only where the organiser collects clothing. Sunscreen, a cap and sunglasses matter more than warmth: the rondas have little shade and the air is dry. Autumn rain and wind are possible, and the open avenues give no shelter.
Entry
Entry is online only, first come, first served, and capped at 2,000 across the marathon, half and 10 km. There is no ballot, charity scheme or good-for-age route. Registration closes at 23:59 on 11 October or when places run out; there are no late entries.
The marathon costs €40 until 31 July, €50 until 11 September and €60 until 11 October. Add a compulsory €5 day licence unless you hold a current RFEA or Castilla-La Mancha road-running licence; overseas runners will normally pay it. Marathon runners must be 18.
Entries are personal and cannot be transferred. Personal-data changes are free until 15 September and cost €20 afterwards. There are no refunds; in a justified case of force majeure a runner can ask for the place to be held for the next edition, at the organiser’s discretion.
Fast runner standards
There is no fast-runner entry route. Prize thresholds exist: invitation prizes under 3:05 (men) and 3:45 (women); full cash prizes under 2:25 and 2:50; half prizes under 2:35 and 3:00.
Official Quijote Maratón site →Race Weekend
Bib collection
Collection is recommended on Saturday, the day before the race. The 2026 venue and hours had not been announced by late September; check the official site in race week.
Bring the registration receipt or QR code and a DNI or passport. A friend can collect with a signed authorisation and the runner’s identity document number. After collecting, pass the chip through the "control del chip" desk to check the details. An emergency collection runs on race morning from 07:00 to 08:00, bib only, with no runner’s bag.
Getting to the start
Wheelchairs start at 08:27 and the marathon, half marathon and 10 km at 08:30, on Ronda de Calatrava at Calle Vicente Aleixandre.
Getting there. Walk. Ciudad Real is compact: Plaza Mayor is under a kilometre from the start, and most central hotels are 10 to 25 minutes away. There is no airport; international runners fly to Madrid and take the AVE, about 50 minutes to an hour from Puerta de Atocha. Arrive on Saturday.
Bag drop. The wardrobe is in the pavilion of the CEIP Ferroviario school from 08:00 to 15:00. That opening is late for a normal race morning; check its position and hours in the final guide. Leave valuables at the hotel.
Rules. No unofficial pacers on foot or on wheels, no bicycles, no pushing or carrying children, no animals. Taking food or drink outside the official aid points is a disqualification offence, as is missing a timing mat.
The finish. Solid and liquid recovery food, medical cover, physiotherapy and podiatry, with the main medical services in Parque de Gasset.
Nutrition on course
Aid stations come every 5 km, with water, isotonic drink and fruit according to the organiser, and sponges every 2.5 km. No gels are listed and no drink brand is named, so carry every gel you plan to use. Personal bottles are only for invited elite athletes; for everyone else, taking supplies outside the official points breaks the rules. On a sunny second lap, use the sponges at every point.
| Km | What is there |
|---|---|
| 5 to 40, every 5 km | Water, isotonic drink, fruit |
| Every 2.5 km | Sponges |
| Finish | Solid and liquid recovery |
Spectating
Two laps make repeat sightings easy on foot, and the start and finish are close together. The one confusion is at halfway, where half-marathon runners finish and marathoners carry on: know the runner’s bib and expected lap time. No live-tracking app is named.
- Watch the 08:30 start on Ronda de Calatrava
- Breakfast around Plaza Mayor, 10 minutes’ walk
- Back to Calle Juan Ramón Jiménez for the finish
- Walk from the start into the centre around Plaza Mayor, where the animation groups gather
- Watch the first-lap pass, then the second an hour or more later
- Walk to the finish
- Base in Parque de Gasset, which has the main medical point and cafés nearby
- See the runner on both laps
- Walk to the finish, 20 minutes; do not drive across the circuit
Post-race food
La Mancha food suits a hungry runner: pisto manchego (a slow stew of peppers, tomato and courgette, often with a fried egg), migas, gachas and roast lamb, with Manchego cheese and pickled aubergines from Almagro on every bar counter.
Mesón Octavio, in the centre, is a traditional mesón for roast meats and pisto. Miami Gastro, a modern restaurant with a set menu built on local produce, suits a quieter Sunday lunch. For something fast, the bars around Plaza Mayor and the Mercado Municipal serve a tapa with every drink. The marathon and the school race fill central restaurants on Sunday, so book.
Where to Stay
The finish is beside the Rey Juan Carlos I sports complex on the north-east side of the centre, a couple of hundred metres from the start. Stay close to it: the city is small, and after 42 km the shortest walk back wins.
North-east centre and Ronda de Calatrava
The streets inside the ring road near the start and finish are the shortest walk of all, 5 to 10 minutes. Exe Doña Carlota, on Ronda de Toledo, is 700 m from the finish.
Plaza Mayor and the old centre
Plaza Mayor is 900 m from the finish, with the best choice of bars and restaurants and a flat walk to the race. Weekend nights can be noisy near the bars.
Calle de Alarcos and the south-west
The south-west of the centre, towards Parque de Gasset, has several hotels 1.3 to 1.6 km from the finish, with the park and the Museo del Quijote nearby.
The AVE station
The streets around the station on the east side suit an early train on Monday.
The cap is small, but the city also has fewer hotels than a large marathon city. Book when you enter, on a refundable rate.
Recommended hotels
Larger rooms and parking, useful for runners driving from Madrid, and the closest of these to the start and finish.
The best position for evening sightseeing and restaurants, beside the main square. Expect some street noise.
A reliable chain hotel in the south-west of the centre. Check its access road against the closures.
Linked to the race as a partner hotel and used to runners. Ask about an early breakfast.
Booking timeline
There is no ballot and the entry price rises twice, on 31 July and 11 September, so enter early and book a refundable central room at the same time. Most international runners fly to Madrid: book flights once entered and the AVE to Ciudad Real when tickets open, checking whether the Renfe discount advertised by the organiser applies. Arrive on Saturday. In race week, confirm the bib-collection venue and the wardrobe position, and download the Google Earth course map.
See & Do
The finish is on the north-east side of a compact centre, and the city’s sights are a flat walk of a kilometre or so.
Iglesia de San Pedro
A fourteenth-century Gothic church in the centre, one of the oldest buildings in the city. Check visiting times around services.
Plaza Mayor
The main square, with a clock whose figures of Cervantes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza move on the hour. Cafés on every side.
Museo de Ciudad Real
The provincial museum: archaeology from the plain and regional art. A quiet, level hour.
Museo del Quijote
A small museum on Don Quixote beside Parque de Gasset, with a Cervantes library. Indoors and on the level.
After the Race
October on the La Mancha plain brings the end of the grape harvest and cool, clear mornings, with the AVE running south to Andalucía. The flat towns and wetlands nearby suit tired legs.
The Corral de Comedias, a surviving Golden Age playhouse, off an arcaded Plaza Mayor with green galleries. Flat, compact and quiet in October.
A wetland national park in the middle of the dry plain, crossed by level boardwalks.
A ridge of white windmills and a castle above the plain, the picture of Don Quixote’s La Mancha.
The Mezquita-Catedral and the flat old town by the Guadalquivir. October is warm and dry.