65K Madrid-Cercedilla 2026: date and route

Plan your race pace

The 65-kilometer race from Madrid to Cercedilla will take place on Sept. 19, 2026, as one of the formats within the Madrid-Segovia event. Starting in the capital and finishing in the mountain town, the race follows a long-distance route through paths, livestock trails and mountain settings, with a 12-hour time limit.

Registration for all distances in the 2026 edition opens on Feb. 16 at noon, according to information released by the organizers. The Cercedilla course works as an intermediate option between the 42- and 100-kilometer distances: it requires specific trail and endurance preparation, but offers a shorter day than the flagship route to Segovia.

The event is listed among the key races in the popular races calendar and can also be viewed on the race map. In this edition, the 21-, 42- and 65-kilometer distances can be completed running, walking or using Nordic walking, an addition that changes the participant profile and the way the day can be approached.

A distance designed as a bridge to ultratrail

The 65 kilometers to Cercedilla occupy a distinctive place within the Madrid-Segovia program. They are neither a short mountain race nor a reduced version of a conventional marathon. The distance requires careful management of effort, food, hydration and equipment over several hours, while the elevation and uneven ground add a difficulty that does not appear in a road race.

The organizers presented this format as an opportunity for runners aiming to complete 100 kilometers who want to test themselves over a shorter distance. That role is significant: 65 kilometers test an ultradistance strategy without requiring the full journey between Madrid and Segovia, which approaches 100 kilometers and allows up to 18 hours in the Xtreme format.

The difference is not measured only in kilometers. In a race of this kind, the final 15 or 20 kilometers often contain much of the fatigue. Participants reach that section after hours of activity, possible temperature changes and repeated climbs, descents and uneven surfaces. The Cercedilla distance therefore offers a genuine ultra experience with a somewhat more approachable finish, although it remains demanding.

Date, schedules and confirmed formats

The race is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. The available reference information does not provide a specific start time for the 65-kilometer distance, so this detail must be confirmed in the organizers’ final documentation. It does confirm that registration for the different formats opens at noon on Feb. 16.

The program includes several distances and formats. The 100-kilometer Madrid-Segovia Xtreme has an 18-hour limit, while the 100-kilometer Peregrino format allows up to 21 hours. The 42-kilometer route between Madrid and Manzanares El Real has an eight-hour limit, and the 21-kilometer section between Manzanares El Real and Cercedilla has six hours.

Within that same schedule, the 65-kilometer race has a 12-hour maximum time. That figure should not be read as an invitation to run the entire distance at one pace. For many participants, alternating running and walking will be the most sensible way to handle climbs, preserve energy and reach the checkpoints within the permitted time.

From the urban setting to the Madrid mountains

The main attraction of the race is its gradual change of scenery. The start is located around Madrid, and the course then enters paths connecting several towns in the mountain area. The full Madrid-Segovia route includes references such as Fuencarral, Tres Cantos, Colmenar Viejo, Manzanares El Real, Mataelpino and Navacerrada before reaching Cercedilla.

For the 65-kilometer format, Cercedilla is the finish rather than a passage point on the way to Segovia. That difference changes the nature of the route. Participants make a long approach from the capital to the mountains but avoid the section after Cercedilla, where the 100-kilometer race continues toward Fuenfría Pass, the Segovia side of the range and the Roman aqueduct.

The landscape changes like a film without cuts. The opening kilometers feature peri-urban areas and easier paths; later, dirt tracks, open spaces and the first mountain slopes appear. The transition between city, countryside and mountains requires a change in stride, and runners should not be carried away by the relative ease of the early kilometers.

What the route to Cercedilla is like

Available information about the full route helps place several landmarks along the course. In the 100-kilometer Madrid-Segovia race, Manzanares El Real is around kilometer 42, Mataelpino near kilometer 49 and the Navacerrada area around kilometer 57. Cercedilla appears at approximately kilometer 65, the distance that gives the format its name and the point where the race finishes.

The approach to the mountains combines tracks and urban linking sections. The route passes near the Santillana reservoir, the La Pedriza area and paths climbing toward Navacerrada. Although the 65-kilometer format ends in Cercedilla, the profile should not be mistaken for a flat course: the accumulated elevation becomes especially noticeable on the approach to the mountains.

The detailed route may change between editions because of safety issues, permits, construction or environmental protection. For that reason, street names and passage points published for the 100-kilometer version provide geographical context but do not replace the official track or the 2026 regulations. The organizers remain the final source for checkpoints, detours and the exact location of the finish.

Terrain, elevation and effort management

The race belongs to the trail and mountain running category, although not all of the distance takes place on technical paths. Livestock trails, forest tracks, dirt roads and urban sections form a varied surface. Each requires a different response: a fast track supports a steady stride, while rocky ground demands that runners look a few meters ahead and reduce the risk of tripping.

Over 65 kilometers, starting faster than one’s ability usually has a high cost. The opening kilometers may encourage a relaxed pace, particularly when the ground is favorable and groups move quickly. The goal should be to preserve a reserve for climbs and the final section, when fatigue affects coordination and makes efficient technique harder to maintain.

Alternating running and walking is not necessarily a failure or a loss of competitiveness. On sustained climbs, walking firmly may use less energy than attempting to maintain a slow, forced run. Economy of movement becomes decisive, especially for those facing a distance of this size for the first time.

Registration and participation conditions

Registration for the 2026 distances opens at noon on Feb. 16. The reference information does not give the entry price for the 65-kilometer race, so it would be unwise to transfer fees published in previous editions for the 100-kilometer event to this format. The final cost should be checked through the organizers’ registration channel.

The requirement for an exercise stress test is expressly mentioned for participants entering the 100-kilometer Madrid-Segovia Xtreme who have not previously completed that race, according to the available records. The reference material does not establish the same specific medical requirement for the 65-kilometer distance. That absence does not remove the individual responsibility to assess one’s fitness for a long-distance event.

The event allows participants in the 21-, 42- and 65-kilometer distances to run, walk or use Nordic walking. This option broadens sporting access, but it does not turn the route into an easy outing. A 12-hour limit still requires planning, the ability to stay active for much of the day and attention to hydration, nutrition and navigation.

Equipment and preparation for a long day

The right equipment does not need to be bulky, but it must be reliable. Trail shoes with a grippy outsole can provide more security than road shoes when the ground becomes uneven. The choice depends on the confirmed terrain, the runner’s experience and the forecast. Wearing new shoes on race day adds an unnecessary variable to a day that already contains enough uncertainty.

Hydration deserves special attention because the effort will last several hours. The final regulations should specify the distance between aid stations and mandatory equipment, but a vest or belt with enough capacity can help runners manage the gaps between checkpoints. Basic autonomy prevents total dependence on the next aid station arriving exactly when needed.

Nutrition should also be tested during long training sessions. Gels, bars, fruit, carbohydrate drinks and salty foods can work differently for each body. Quantities and products should not be improvised during the race. Over 65 kilometers, eating too late is often harder to correct than taking in food gradually from the early stages.

A mountain finish with its own identity

Cercedilla is more than a kilometer marker in a long race. Its location in the Sierra de Guadarrama makes the finish a clear transition between the runner and the landscape. After moving out from Madrid’s urban environment, participants reach a mountain town where terrain, vegetation and temperature have shaped the second half of the day.

The race combines endurance, practical navigation and adaptation. The challenge is not only covering 65 kilometers, but doing so in changing surroundings, within a 12-hour limit and through decisions that begin long before the start. The date, general route and formats are already defined; the final details must be completed with the official regulations and 2026 track.