Barcelona Marathon
Barcelona, Spain
- Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Discover the course of the Zurich Marató de Barcelona. The course is one of the most attractive in Europe. The favorable climatology that characterizes Barcelona combined with a fully urban circuit that passes through the main landmarks of great interest for the runner. Enjoy running in Barcelona and participate in … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Decent production
Back in Europe for another marathon. This race tends to sell out so it's best to sign up early if you can. Expo: Held at the Fira de Barcelona pavilion … MORE
Back in Europe for another marathon. This race tends to sell out so it’s best to sign up early if you can.
Expo: Held at the Fira de Barcelona pavilion Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before the race which was a short walk away from the hotel I was staying at (I went on Friday). Packet included bib, tech shirt, timing chip (to be tied to shoe) and a drawstring bag for the gear check and was supposed to include a one-way transit ticket, but I noticed mine was missing so I stopped by the information booth to pick it up (note: always check your packet before leaving!).
Weather: Started in the 40s and eventually reached the 50s. Perfect running weather – nothing to complain about.
Race Start: Took the subway to Arc de Triomf to drop off gear (also where the finish line is) and then walked about 15 min to the startling line at Catalunya. This arrangement is way better than dragging your tired self after the race to pickup gear (ahem Vegas marathon).
Course: Pretty flat; there were small inclines here and there but nothing major. There were some out and back segments but much of the course was point to point.
Scenery: Passed by Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, and the Columbus Monument and the rest were mainly residential areas, finishing at Arc de Triomf.
Aid Stations: Fuel every 5k for the first 10k then every 2.5k after. Water and Aquarius (my favorite sports drink) at every station and gels/bananas/oranges were provided at latter stations occasionally. Porta-potties were there but not enough – I had to wait for 7-8 minutes to use one about half way through the race which put a damper on my time.
Crowd Support: Spectators throughout the race which was much appreciated.
Post-Race Refreshment: Bottled water, energy bars, and bananas.
Swag: Not much – white tech shirt and the drawstring bag for gear check. Medal was nice and colorful though.
Final Thoughts: My time was not ideal due to long wait for the porta-potties mid-race, but the production was fine overall and a race worth running if visiting Spain.
Nice run
Difficulty: there were some inclines. Nothing significant. But it was at the beginning at end! The road was super slippery… then sticky when going through the aid stations. Elevation map … MORE
Difficulty: there were some inclines. Nothing significant. But it was at the beginning at end! The road was super slippery… then sticky when going through the aid stations. Elevation map uploaded. Nothing technical.
Scenery was nice. Right through downtown Barcelona. You can see the course map. It is a city, so more historically scenic than greenery
Production. Expo was small. The typical sale stuff: clothes, gels, etc. they don’t reserve tshirt sizes so by mid day on the last day of the expo there were no more medium shirts. The shirts themselves were quite nice. Very lightweight. Didn’t like that they were white though. That’s about all that came with the registration. Also a one way metro/ bus pass. But perhaps they ran out of those too bc my friend who picked up packet on the last day didn’t get one.
During the race there were plenty of aid stations with water & electrolytes. Further on they had gels, bananas and oranges. I think they had every km marker posted which I really liked. Miles they had 5 mile increments (I think).
The crowd support was great. Lots of people yelling your name. It was so good i would run during when I was supposed to walk!!
After, they had the medal and a cloth bag with fruit and vitamin drink.
I stayed at hostel 360 which was GREAT location. A block from start line, and Literally right by the finish line. But if you have a car/ need a cab, be careful- bc you’ll have to walk to an accessible point as the road in front of the hotel was blocked.
But the hostel will store your stuff for you after check out if you are not staying another night, and you can still shower.
——
I also did the Bimbo breakfast run. 3k.
There was 2k people on a 3k course. Lots of stop and go points bc it got congested. This isn’t a run you’re going to PR on unless you’re in the very front maybe. Decent amount of incline. The post run breakfast was a cup of coffee and a half a sandwich. But they did have vegetarian arms gluten free option. The line was long but moved decently quick. Took me 15 min to get through. But… the run and breakfast were free. Packet pick up was at the expo. Came with a loaf of bread and some bread sticks. Scenic.
(That run was not accounted for in the ranking).
Beautiful, fun, truly International race
This was one of my best races internationally as a result of a flat course with reasonably cool weather. It was colorful and vibrant, but the organization could have been … MORE
This was one of my best races internationally as a result of a flat course with reasonably cool weather. It was colorful and vibrant, but the organization could have been slightly better. It was challenging to stand in the rain to await bib pickup, but the actual expo (once you got indoors) was not bad. There was some odd issue with a bump in the road at the finish that should definitely be addressed. The encouraging crowd was spectacular!
Relatively flat and fun
Relatively easy and flat course with lots of crowd support along the majority of the route. It was great to run through the city and see the historical sites like … MORE
Relatively easy and flat course with lots of crowd support along the majority of the route. It was great to run through the city and see the historical sites like Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Familia. The race was well organized and I liked how they increased the frequency of hydration stations near the end to ensure you’re well fueled to finish the race strong. The race shirt was ok, a dry fit but it was white so not my favorite color since it’s easy to get dirty.
Seeing the City on Foot!
IT was an amazing race and a beautiful way to see the city. It was had lots of false flats and a few punchy short climbs. Mostly flat so you … MORE
IT was an amazing race and a beautiful way to see the city. It was had lots of false flats and a few punchy short climbs. Mostly flat so you can really have a great time and push the pace!