Behobia-San Sebastián 2026: keys to running it this Sunday

This Sunday, 8 November, 30,000 runners will set off from the Behobia district of Irun towards the Boulevard in Donostia-San Sebastián in the 61st edition of the Behobia-San Sebastián. Runners on foot start leaving at 10:00, in groups, and each will have 2 hours 35 minutes from their own start to cover the 20 kilometres of a race that is won or lost on its three hills.

It is the first edition born of a ballot: 41,533 people applied in April for 17,287 bibs, proof that the Behobia remains one of the most sought-after popular races in Spain. For those with a bib, these are the keys to the coming days.

Before the race: bib, bag and train

Those who chose to collect their bib from the organising club must go to the Kursaal on Friday 6 or Saturday 7. The special train ticket to reach the start on Sunday is also sold there, and you can hand in the bag you want to collect at the finish, although it can also be left at the start that same morning. Those who chose a shop when registering collect it there until Saturday 7.

The bib is more than a number. It shows the group and start time, distinguished by colours, and the organisers disqualify anyone who sneaks into an earlier pen or starts before their time. Moving back to a later group is allowed, which is handy for those running with friends from another group. The time limit always counts from your own start.

It is worth sorting out the logistics calmly the day before. Getting to Behobia on Sunday morning with tens of thousands of people doing the same requires margin, and nobody wants to start a hilly race after a sprint along the station platform.

How to run it: patience until Miracruz

The classic Behobia mistake is starting too fast. The first kilometres beside the Bidasoa are flat, the atmosphere pushes you on and the watch invites you to dream. But between kilometres 6 and 8 comes Gaintxurizketa, about 2.5 kilometres of climbing, and anyone who attacks it on loaded legs pays for it in the second half. The most repeated advice among veterans is to run it by feel, without chasing your flat-ground pace.

The descent towards Errenteria allows recovery and is the stretch to gain time without overspending. Then come Capuchinos, short and sharp between kilometres 13 and 15, and the passage through Pasaia. And at kilometres 16 and 17, the Miracruz climb, the hill that decides how you remember the race: reach it with strength left and you enjoy the descent through Ategorrieta, Gros and the Zurriola to the Boulevard; reach it empty and you suffer it.

In total there are about 192 metres of climbing, little for a mountain runner but a lot for someone used to flat roads. That is why many runners approach the Behobia as a demanding half marathon rather than a 20K: the average pace usually comes out several seconds per kilometre slower than on a flat course.

The 61st edition in numbers

The race is organised by C.D. Fortuna, and last year it celebrated its 60th anniversary with around 28,000 participants. For 2026 the organisers have restored the cap of 30,000 places, with eight drink stations, medical assistance at six points on the course and at the finish, and showers and massages at the end. This year brings a new medal, presented at the Concha clocks, and an official Joma shirt.

At the front, the benchmark is the records on the current course: 59:56 by Chakib Lachgar in 2023 and 1:09:34 by Katherine Tisalema, who set it when winning last year. Lachgar, incidentally, is listed in the elite field for the Valencia Marathon on 6 December, which this year brings together many of Spain’s best marathoners. The 2025 men’s winner was Raúl Celada, in 1:01:28.

A Sunday that belongs to a whole city

What sets the Behobia apart from any other race of its distance is not the course, nor even the hills, but the crowd. Donostia takes to the streets, Errenteria and Pasaia cheer as if every runner were a local, and the last kilometre along the Zurriola is run between walls of noise. Many come back year after year precisely for that, to the point that the organisers reserve a place for anyone who has run three of the last five editions.

To prepare the details, our Behobia-San Sebastián 2026 race guide has start times, the course section by section and services, and in the Behobia cutoff times we explain the checkpoints. The organisers’ final instructions are always the reference.