Abades Stones Loja 2027: date and Spanish championship

Plan your race pace

Abades Stones Loja 2027 will take place on Sunday 14 March in Loja, Granada, hosting Spain’s individual and regional team mountain running championships. Organised by Mala Cara Club Running, the event moves forward from its April date in 2026.

The date, venue and titles at stake appear on the 2027 FEDME calendar. Distances, elevation gain, start times and entry fees for the new edition have yet to be confirmed; the 2026 figures illustrate the nature of the event rather than establish the 2027 programme.

A national event in the Sierra de Loja

The 13th Abades Stones, also known as Abades Stone Race, will bring a national competition to Loja with two elements: the individual mountain running championship and the regional team championship. The calendar places the race in this town in western Granada province, close to the Sierra de Loja.

The individual event is a mountain race over a course from start to finish, rather than a vertical race format. The regional team championship adds a team classification alongside the individual competition. The edition’s regulations will set out the specific participation and classification conditions.

Mala Cara Club Running is responsible for organising the event. Hosting a national championship gives the 2027 race a different context from an ordinary community event, although the race categories and registration arrangements have yet to be established.

Distances in the 2026 edition

The 12th edition took place on 19 April 2026. Its main race covered 33 kilometres with 2,028 metres of elevation gain, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,608 metres in the Sierra de Loja. The start was at the Alfeia sports hall.

The programme also included a middle-distance race of 16 kilometres with 878 metres of elevation gain, as well as a 12.91-kilometre hiking event. These figures help illustrate the previous edition but are not a list of confirmed events for 2027.

Elevation gain is the total of the climbs along a course, not the difference between the start and its highest point. In the main 2026 race, the accumulated 2,028 metres show why distance alone did not capture the challenge: runners also faced mountain climbs and descents.

The middle-distance event was not equivalent to running 16 kilometres on flat ground either. Its 878 metres of climbing required runners to account for both the uphill effort and time spent descending. The hike, meanwhile, was part of the 2026 programme and should not be mistaken for a confirmed championship event.

Course and terrain: what the previous edition tells us

The area around Loja combines mountainous relief and rocky terrain, with limestone formations characteristic of the region. In this type of race, gradient and surface can substantially change a runner’s pace compared with road running, even when the total distance looks manageable.

For runners coming from road races, descents deserve as much attention as climbs. Foot placement on rock, changes in gradient and accumulated fatigue all affect split times and muscular effort. An estimate based solely on minutes per kilometre in a flat race may prove unrealistic.

The exact 2027 route, its checkpoints and the distribution of its climbs are still to be confirmed. The maximum altitude and Alfeia start refer to the 2026 course and should not automatically be applied to the next edition.

Registration, entry fees and bib conditions

The calendar places the race on 14 March, but does not establish the entry fee or registration deadline. Entry limits, start times and the registration procedure for 2027 have not been confirmed either. Fees or dates from a previous edition should not be treated as conditions for the new one.

Before committing to travel or paying for a bib, runners should check whether the regulations distinguish between championship participation and any other open events. Entry through a regional team, in particular, may have different requirements from a community race; the 2027 conditions will need to set out those details.

The cancellation and bib transfer policy also matters. If injury or an unexpected event prevents someone from attending, the possibility of a refund, transferring the bib or changing event will depend on the rules published for that edition.

Equipment and preparation for a mountain race

In the Sierra de Loja, trail shoes with suitable grip on rocky surfaces are a more useful starting point than choosing footwear on distance alone. Fit and downhill stability also matter: the foot can move inside a shoe as the gradient changes.

A pack or vest allows runners to carry water and other items during the race. The amount needed will depend on the course and aid station locations; the organisers will need to set out the mandatory equipment list, along with any rules on poles, in the 2027 regulations.

To judge whether the race fits their preparation, runners should look beyond the distance and consider their previous experience on sustained climbs and descents. Until the course profile is published, the 2026 figures are a comparison point, not an exact training target.

Travelling to Loja and the date change

Loja lies in Granada province, between Granada and Málaga, and is accessible via the A-92 motorway. For runners travelling from the Valencia region, transport and accommodation planning will be important alongside the final start time.

The bib collection location and opening hours, together with the start and finish venues, will be important when deciding where to stay. Alfeia sports hall was the 2026 start; booking on the assumption that it will be used again could add extra travel if the organisers change the event base.

The move from April to mid-March also changes the context of the race. Mountain conditions can vary with altitude and from one day to the next, so a forecast close to race day will be more useful than assuming the weather will match a previous edition.

The calendar comes before the final course

The 14 March 2027 date places Abades Stones in the season and explains Loja’s prominence on the national calendar. The missing information, however, affects practical decisions: which distance to run, what it will cost and how to enter the championship.

The regulations will connect the announced national title with the participants’ actual experience: route, categories, times, checkpoints and bib conditions. Until then, the 2026 edition provides a picture of the mountain setting but does not replace the programme for the new event.