Santa Cruz Half Marathon to welcome more than 4,200 athletes

More than 4,200 athletes of 55 nationalities will take part in the XII Santa Cruz de Tenerife International Half Marathon Fred. Olsen Express on Sunday 15 November 2026 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. According to the organisers, it is the highest number of entrants for a half marathon held in the Canary Islands since 2016.

The 21 km distance has more entrants than the 8 km, while women account for 45% of entries. The race is organised by Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, through its Sports Department, and DADO Eventos.

Starts, pens and bag drop

The 21K Fred. Olsen Express will start at 9:00 and the 8K Bikila at 9:45. The 21K will start on Avenida Marítima, next to Parque de La Gesta, where the finish will also be located.

For the half marathon, the start pens will open at 8:30 and close at 8:55. Bags can be left at the bag drop between 8:00 and 8:15.

For the 8K, the bag drop will be available from 9:00 to 9:15, and the pens will open at 9:15 and close at 9:40. In both races, anyone who does not enter before the pens close will be disqualified.

Half marathon cut-offs and course

The longer race covers 21.097 km through the city on a virtually flat course certified by the Real Federación Española de Atletismo.

There will be two cut-off points: at 11:30 at approximately 14.100 km, before the entrance to the tunnel, and at 11:45 at around 18.800 km, at the Méndez Núñez / Parque aid station.

Bikila and Minze Running Club will provide a group of pacers running at steady paces of 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 minutes per kilometre in the 21K.

Race number collection at Nivaria Center

Race numbers and runner bags will be distributed at Nivaria Center, at Avenida Tres de Mayo, 9. Collection will take place on Friday 13 November from 15:00 to 21:00 and Saturday 14 from 10:00 to 21:00.

There will be no race number collection on Sunday. Someone else may collect a participant’s race number on their behalf by showing the completed authorisation in digital form; there is no need to print it.

Records, prizes and 8K changes

The shorter race will be known as the 8K Bikila for the first time. The official shop, a new sponsor of this edition, will provide runners accompanied by music to cheer on participants at various points along the course.

In the half marathon, Francisco Cabrera Galindo set the men’s record of 1:08:26 in 2025. In the 8K, the men’s best is held by Peter Santagati with 24:44, while Sweden’s Maria Freij lowered the women’s best to 29:06 in 2025.

The overall prizes for both distances will be presented at 11:30 on the main stage. The half marathon category trophies will be distributed between 11:00 and 13:00 in the post-finish area.

Travel from other islands

Fred. Olsen Express lends its name to the event as a whole and to its longer race. The ferry company has signed up for two years for now, according to its head of marketing, Marina González.

The company has also made a special fare for athletes available to those travelling from other islands, particularly Gran Canaria, La Gomera and La Palma.