Come to Galapagos Marathon

In response to popular demand and in an effort to keep the running field to the limited number we can manage in the personalized style we do; the Come to Galapagos Marathon will be held in August (cool weather here, a “light month” for marathons offered elsewhere in the world) and October (cool weather here, the slow season for tourism and so a good date for the local economy).

The Come to Galapagos Marathon will be held as a private event for international runners, each of whom sponsors a local runner by paying for their entrance fee and optionally sending them running gear before or bringing it with them. The event will be open to international runners that also participate in the Come To Galapagos Marathon Tour Package click here. Race registration and disclaimer form click here.

ESPN featured the 2012 Come to Galapagos Marathon as part of their series, “The Best Marathons on the Planet”.

All of the visiting runners spend the night in a hotel fifty feet from the starting line. This allows them to get an extra hour of sleep (don’t have to be transported up to the start line), use the indoor “facilities” directly before the race, spend some time with the other runners in a communal setting (spaghetti dinner the night before, tour the course the day before).

Each marathon runner is assigned their own personal “driver/caddy”. This man waits two kilometers down the course, hydrates them, drives two kilometers ahead again, stops where ever there is a course change to be sure the runners are on the course, drives two kilometers ahead, etc. until the runners cross the finish line.

This allows runners to have whatever beverage they want, cast off jackets, wet sponges etc. Also allows us to know where every runner is on the course and how they are doing.
In the days that follow the race we show the runners the greatest hits of the Galapagos. Always rave reviews.

Normally our business is customizing private tours of the Galapagos, so over the years we’ve seen many kinds of travelers. I have to say marathon runners as a whole are some of the most gracious, patient, appreciative visitors we have had the pleasure of sharing these islands with.

Ideally, what you want for a marathon course is a 42 kilometer oval on a flat plane, within a high branched pine forest so that it is shady and the pine needles make for a nice cushy running surface. You want the oval so that the race can begin and end at the same point; anything less than that is a compromise.

We have no pine forests, no flats to speak of. The longest mostly paved road on the island is 26 kilometers long, but I came up with the easiest course I could find, one that among other things, crosses five climatic zones, features extraordinary vistas and passes spots where occasionally there are grazing wild giant tortoises and lounging sea lions.

It is a “tough” course. Most runners if they start running to see how fast they can do it, soon give the idea up and settle into the idea of just enjoying the run. Please see results/reviews/photos from previous years.

The marathon course starts at 574 meters above sea level on the highest part of the paved road which crosses the island. It ends at a small beach in town about a hundred yards from your hotel. The course is run on asphalt, cement, inlaid blocks or dirt road. There are two stretches that run along the coast. The runners will pass through 5 vegetation zones (miconia, scalesia, transitional, arid and costal). Figuring in all of the undulations the course has an approximate net downhill of 808 meters (2,650.9 ft.) and an approximate net uphill of 234 meters (767.7 ft.). The last 10 kilometers have a net rise of 75 meters (246 ft.) and fall of 60 meters (196.5 ft.). The last 3 kilometers are relatively flat.

The half marathon is run entirely on asphalt, cement, inlaid blocks or dirt road. It starts at 574 meters above sea level on the highest part of the paved road which crosses the island. It ends at a small beach in town about a hundred yards from your hotel, has an approximate net downhill of 584 meters (1,916 ft.) and an approximate net uphill of 42 meters (137.8 ft.).