San Sebastián Marathon 2026

With—or in—San Sebastián 😆, you can come and experience an adventure like no other in a region of Spain just a stone’s throw from the French border 🇪🇸.

Alright, let’s get to the point: we’re taking you on a tour of the Zurich Maratón San Sebastián 🕶️, more commonly known as the San Sebastian Marathon. Located in the Basque Country, San Sebastián (Saint-Sébastien in proper French) hosts a race that goes beyond a simple sporting event ! 🏃‍♂️ Beyond the iconic marathon, you can take off the traditional 10 km 🏅. This event is the promise of an extraordinary and unique landscape, just 20 km from France 🇫🇷. As for the climate, the month of November is traditionally rainy and chilly in the Basque Country 💦, so bring something to keep you warm 🥶. With all that, you can imagine you’ll be close to a total change of scenery. Does that whet your appetite ? 🤤 Then we’ll leave you with the rest of the program… 😁

But before you set out to tackle the 42 km, we’re going to tell you a bit more about its history... Know that the San Sebastián marathon is the second oldest marathon in Spain 🥈. It was created in 1978, the year the famous "Alexandrie, Alexandra" by Claude Francois came out 🕺🏼. Yes, that doesn’t make us any younger! Anyway, back to your race! Surrounded by mountains 🏔️, Donostia (the city’s name in Basque) is a truly atypical place. Basque culture will surprise you, its architecture will enchant you, and its landscapes will blow you away 😱. But you’ll have to take off, put your foot down as they say, to try to beat your record 🚀. Yes, you’re about to take on one of the fastest marathons in Spain 💨. In fact, the big names of this event have their record set in stone: 2:09:34 for Timothy Cherigat (KEN 🇰🇪) for the men in 2002 and 2:23:09 for Rebbeca Tanui (KEN 🇰🇪) for the women in 2022 🏆.

You’ll have to complete 42 km, and all that without Sebastián Loeb to show you the way 😂. The course takes place mainly in the city center, and you’ll fall in love with its streets and their typical architecture 😍. During your epic run on the city’s Basque asphalt, you’ll cross the Urumea River before heading off to run alongside the sublime La Concha Bay. With its beach 🏖️, its waves 🌊, and its superb panorama, it’s a little jewel of the Basque coast you won’t be able to miss 💍. As you run along the bay, don’t forget to look up to take in the Sacred Heart statue at the top of Mount Urgull 👀. It might remind you of the statue atop Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, only smaller 🗽. Continuing on, you’ll pass many monuments such as the Miramar Palace, the famous Don Quijote y Sancho sculpture, or the Good Shepherd Cathedral of San Sebastián. The finale will be grand: at the end of your effort, you’ll arrive in the home of the legendary Real Sociedad club, the Estadio Anoeta ⚽.

To wrap up the superhuman effort you’ve just put in, what could be better than celebrating in a nice little restaurant with Pintxos (a variety of tapas) 🥙, paired with a local cider or a Txakoli (white wine) to be enjoyed in moderation, of course 😉. You can also enjoy the "Feria Del Corredor" event, a running expo where you can meet different players in the running world 🎽. Otherwise, you can take a stroll around the city to visit all the monuments 🏛️ you passed during your race. You can also head out to explore the surrounding area: by following the coast, you’ll reach the capital of the Basque Country: Bilbao ⚡. Or, heading inland, you’ll arrive in Pamplona, with its iconic Saint Mary Cathedral ⛪.

After an experience like that, we won’t be surprised if San Sebastián sticks with you for quite a while 😁.