Races in Girona

Set your sights on Catalonia, a stone’s throw from the Pyrenees and the French border. Girona watches over the Onyar, this river lined with ochre, red and yellow houses straight out of a postcard 🌈. It’s nicknamed the city of four rivers, as water runs through it from every direction. Around it, the province shines: Figueres, Dalí’s town, Blanes resting on the sand, Lloret de Mar with its seaside-resort vibe, Salt, its next-door neighbor. Four towns stitched to the capital by the same vineyards and the same cobbled alleys. That’s the backdrop for your running races in Girona, between medieval old quarters and wide-open Catalan spaces.

The playground starts in stone. The Barri Vell unfurls its cobbled lanes, the city walls walk climbs above the rooftops, the baroque staircase of the cathedral — spotted in Game of Thrones — holds out its ninety steps 🕍. As soon as you leave town, the old railway lines converted into greenways stretch out, flat and gentle, along the Ter. The elevation hides close by: the climb to Rocacorba stands as the ultimate judge, the Gavarres massif rolls toward the sea, the Garrotxa volcanic zone lines up its dormant cones—an open-air nature playground 🌋. Thirty-five kilometers away, the Costa Brava carves out its coves all the way to Cap de Creus 🌊. The Catalan climate looks after your legs: mild winters, bright springs, long dry shoulder seasons. No wonder cyclists from all over the world have set down their bags here.

Time for race bibs, on every surface at once. The Greenways Marathon follows the old rails turned green paths, from 10K to marathon, every May 🏃. Trail runners take on the RunThrough Trails Girona, which climbs the Rocacorba massif and skims the volcanoes, up to 103 kilometers for the ultras. Big-gear calves, meanwhile, fly over the Canyon Girona Gravel Ride and its 79 km of tracks, in the world capital of gravel that also hosts the legendary Traka 🚴. Further north, the Trail Cap de Creus runs along the cliffs near Roses. In Empuriabrava, the 100x100 Half mixes swimming, cycling and running in a triathlon format. That’s your race in Catalonia—from asphalt to trail, from gravel to the waterline.

The area runs on sport, especially cycling. Girona has become the base camp of the pro peloton; its Rocacorba climb serves as a yardstick for the very best—this same steep ramp that trail runners swallow on the RunThrough 🏔️. Culture-wise, the province breathes Dalí: the painter was born in Figueres, where his theatre-museum topped with giant eggs draws crowds, before you go and take in the coves of Cadaqués 🎨. At the table, the Roca brothers make the city shine with El Celler de Can Roca, crowned best restaurant in the world several times. The heritage impresses: the Call Jewish quarter, one of the best preserved in Europe; the red bridge signed by Eiffel over the Onyar; the Arab baths tucked away in the old town. After the effort, you bite into a creamy xuixo, rub your pa amb tomàquet, and clink glasses with a well-chilled Empordà 🍷. Come in May, and the city is completely covered in flowers for Temps de Flors.

So, what terrain are you setting off on? Beginners jog the 10K on the greenways, road runners target the marathon, trail runners take on Rocacorba, track lovers treat themselves to gravel, and sea lovers head for the coves of Cap de Creus. Open the region’s running race calendar, choose your surface, then go for it: in Girona, between road, trail and gravel, it’s all taken care of 🤌.