Behobia-San Sebastián 2026: date, start times, course and bibs

Plan your race pace

The Behobia-San Sebastián 2026 is run on Sunday 8 November and reaches its 61st edition with its usual cap turned into record demand: 30,000 places for some 20 kilometres between the Behobia district of Irun and the Alameda del Boulevard in Donostia-San Sebastián. Runners on foot start at 10:00, in groups, and the time limit to reach the finish is 2 hours 35 minutes from each runner’s own start.

It is not a half marathon and does not try to be. The official distance is 20 kilometres, the course is not certified and it climbs about 192 metres in total, spread over three hills that everyone who has run it remembers: Gaintxurizketa, Capuchinos and Miracruz. It is organised by C.D. Fortuna.

Start times

The morning opens at 9:30 with wheelchairs and handbikes, followed at 9:35 by skaters. The elite women start at 9:55, and from 10:00 the runners on foot set off, divided into seven groups identified by bib colour. Each participant’s start time and group are printed on the bib itself.

The organisers are strict about that order: lining up ahead of your assigned pen or starting before your own time means disqualification, while starting in a later group is allowed. Since the time limit counts from each runner’s own start, those who leave later do not lose any margin to finish.

The course, section by section

The first five kilometres are the gentle part: a flat start beside the Bidasoa river, the climb into Irun and the passage through Ventas de Irun. Between kilometres 6 and 8 comes Gaintxurizketa, about 2.5 kilometres of climbing, the longest of the race, best tackled without looking at the watch. From there, a long descent leads to Errenteria and its boulevard, the flattest stretch of the second part.

Between kilometres 13 and 15 comes Capuchinos, a short, steep climb, before dropping towards Pasaia and passing Buenavista and the port area. The last big obstacle is the Miracruz climb, at kilometres 16 and 17, a ramp that hurts anyone who has spent too much. After that, the descent along Avenida de Ategorrieta, the Gros district and the Zurriola straight lead to the Boulevard finish amid a noise you never forget.

Runner services

The course has eight drink stations between the race and the finish, and medical assistance at the start and at kilometres 7, 13, 15, 18 and 19.5, as well as at the finish. At the finish there is a bag drop, left luggage, toilets, showers and massage service in Plaza Okendo. Timing is by Kronoak with the MYLAPS system, and there is no prize money: the reward is the medal, presented this year at the Concha clocks, and the official 61st-edition shirt, made by Joma.

Bibs: sold out since May

The 2026 registration introduced a ballot for the general phase. First came the regulars, those who had run at least three of the last five editions, for 50 euros. Then, entering the ballot cost one euro, all of it going to the charities the race works with, and on 29 April 17,287 bibs were drawn before a notary from 41,533 applications, about 2.4 per place. Those drawn paid 55 euros and people with disabilities 40.

Places are sold out and the organisers have been releasing bibs from the waiting list. Until 5 November only one route remains open, transferring an already assigned bib to another runner, with a 6-euro fee and only through the official platform; the organisers insist on not paying anything outside it.

Bib collection and getting to the start

Those who chose to collect from the organising club do so at the Kursaal Congress Centre on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November; in 2025 the hours were 12:00 to 21:00 on Friday and 10:00 to 20:00 on Saturday. Those who chose a shop when registering collect there between 29 October and 7 November, and the chosen point cannot be changed. The special train ticket to reach the start on Sunday is also sold at the Kursaal, where you can leave the bag you want to collect at the finish.

Records and winners

Since the current course was introduced in 2014, the records belong to Chakib Lachgar, with 59:56 in 2023, and Katherine Tisalema, who won in 2025 in 1:09:34. On the previous course, Alberto Juzdado ran 59:19 in 1996 and Tirhas Gebre 1:08:07 in 2011. Last year, in the 60th-anniversary edition, the men’s winner was Raúl Celada, in 1:01:28.

If it is your first time, our article on the Behobia cutoff times covers the checkpoints and the pace needed to finish with margin. Times and conditions may change: the final instructions published by the organisers are always the reference.