Toledo Marathon: 16 Hills and the Climb to the Old Town at km 37

Toledo-born former athlete Ricardo Ortega reckons the course of the 1st Imperial Toledo Marathon has “about 16 hills” and rates its difficulty at six out of ten. The first edition of the Toledo Marathon takes place tomorrow, Sunday 15 November 2026, starting at 9:00 at the Mirador del Valle and finishing at the Parque de la Vega, on the Paseo de Merchán.

It is the first marathon ever held in the city. Ortega, together with fellow Toledo-born former athlete Juan Francisco Romera, agrees that the hills and the changes of surface can take their toll, especially once fatigue sets in.

Start, timings and time limit

The race starts at 9:00 with the Old Town in front of the runners. According to the course profile, the start has two pens: under 3 hours and over 3 hours. The finish line closes at 14:30, which gives a maximum time of 5 h 30 min.

There is also a cut-off at km 25, which must be passed before 12:35. Registration, which was handled through RunRun Sports, closed on 10 November or when the bibs sold out, so no more participants can be added. The race is backed by the City Council, the Toledo Provincial Council and the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha.

The organisers present the marathon as a route “from the Tagus to the Alcázar, from the Cathedral to the neighbourhoods that preserve Mudéjar memory”, with 42.195 km full of symbolism. Their website lists among the symbols the towers of the Alcázar, the Alcántara and San Martín bridges, the Cathedral, the Mudéjar towers and the five kingdoms: Roman, Visigothic, Muslim, Christian and Jewish.

The course, from the descent to the Tagus to La Peraleda

The circuit combines urban sections with dirt tracks and tarmac, with continuous ups and downs, and passes through Santa Bárbara, Santa María de Benquerencia, La Peraleda and the university area before returning to the Old Town. According to the course profile, it has around 250 m of elevation gain and 286 m of elevation loss.

The first 2.5 km descend to the Tagus, with about 55 m of descent in the first kilometre along the Carretera de Circunvalación. Runners cross the river next to the Alcántara Bridge towards the Ronda de Juanelo and cross it again over the Azarquiel Bridge. A flat stretch follows, from km 2.5 to 6.5, along the Paseo de la Rosa, next to the train station, and the eastern access road.

The longest loop, from km 6.5 to 17, runs through the Polígono district (Santa María de Benquerencia): the Camino Natural del Tajo and the streets Río Jarama, Río Marchés, Río Alberche and Avenida Río Boladiez. It climbs about 30 m up to km 13.5, the highest point of the first half. Between km 17 and 21.5 runners return to the station along the eastern access road, on a gentle descent.

Between km 21.5 and 25 runners cross the Azarquiel Bridge again and the urban section begins, along Avenida de Castilla-La Mancha, the Salto del Caballo roundabout, Avenida de Madrid and the Plaza de Toros (km 24), with about 30 m of climbing between km 22 and 24. From km 25 to 29.5 there is a short rise of about 20 m along Avenida de Europa up to km 26.5, then a long descent along General Villalba and Avenida de Barber to one of the lowest points of the course, at 446 m.

Avenida Adolfo Suárez, between Buenavista and Vistahermosa, covers km 29.5 to 33 and includes a rise of about 25 m up to km 31. Then, between km 33 and 37, La Peraleda is the flattest and lowest section, next to the river, along the Carretera de la Peraleda, Calle San Pedro el Verde and Avenida Carlos III.

The finish: the climb via the Puerta del Cambrón

The decisive stretch comes between km 37 and 40.6, with a continuous climb of about 80 m up to the Old Town along Avenida de Mas de Ribero, Avenida de la Cava and the Paseo de Recaredo. About 60 m of that ascent is concentrated between km 39 and 40.5.

Runners enter the Old Town through the Puerta del Cambrón (km 39.6) and continue along Reyes Católicos, past San Juan de los Reyes and Santa María la Blanca, to Santo Tomé. Between km 40.6 and the finish, the route passes the Cathedral (km 40.8) and the Plaza de Zocodover (km 41.3), exits through the Puerta del Sol and drops down Calle Real del Arrabal, with 39 m of descent to the Parque de la Vega.

Certification and comparisons with other marathons

Ortega and Romera warn that, in their opinion, the course is not certified, so times could not be considered official marks or count for records. Romera adds that the constant switching between dirt and tarmac forces runners to adapt their stride and can reduce momentum.

Both rank the Madrid Marathon above Toledo in toughness and consider it the most demanding in Spain; in their experience, it is harder than Barcelona. Ortega names New York as the most difficult in the world, because of its elevation changes and uphill bridges, and Romera points to Boston, whose conditions also rule out certified marks. Both agree that the big races demand specific preparation and experience.

Aid stations, pacers and relays

Aid stations are spaced every five kilometres:

• Km 5, Santa Bárbara roundabout: water.
• Km 10, IES Juanelo Turriano: water.
• Km 15, Santa María de Benquerencia indoor pool: water.
• Km 20, Santa Bárbara roundabout: water and isotonic drink.
• Km 25, Defence Delegation (Calle Duque de Lerma): water, isotonic drink and fruit.
• Km 30, Avenida Adolfo Suárez: water, isotonic drink and gel.
• Km 35, La Peraleda grounds: water, isotonic drink and fruit.
• Km 40, Paseo de Recaredo: water, isotonic drink and salts.
• Finish, Parque de la Vega: water, energy bars, fruit, isotonic drink and sweets.

There will be pacers for 2:45, 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45 and 4:00. The organisers offer three formats: individual marathon, pairs marathon (two half marathons) and a marathon for teams of four, or Ekiden, with legs of 10.5 km each.

The pairs’ changeover is on the Paseo de la Rosa, inside the train station. In the Ekiden, the first changeover is in the Santa María de Benquerencia district, at km 10, level with the IES Juanelo Turriano; the second is in the car park on the Paseo de la Rosa between the station and the Azarquiel Bridge; and the third is on Avenida Adolfo Suárez, level with Chuletero Las Brasas.

Relay runners will get free public transport on showing their bib, a free baggage drop with bags supplied by the organisers and a dedicated aid station, separate from the marathoners’. They can go to the Puerta del Sol (km 42) and cross the finish line alongside their teammates through the relay arch.

Bibs, race bag and tracking

Bibs are collected at the Runners’ Expo, in the sports hall of the Colegio Internacional San Patricio. Today, Saturday 14, is the last day, from 11:00 to 20:00; no bibs are handed out on Sunday. On the previous two days the hours were 17:30 to 20:30.

The race bag includes a technical T-shirt, a medal, a belt, a buff and a baggage-drop bag. The marathon price was €40 in the first registration window, open from 5 December 2025, €50 in the second and €60 in the last.

The race app lets you track runners with times recorded every 5 km along the whole course, and it can be downloaded in the days beforehand. Results can be checked in the app and on the Toledo Marathon website. Lost property should be reported by email to the organisers, who will arrange its return. A second edition is planned for November 2027.

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