Califa Mountain Festival 2027: dates, stages and format

Plan your race pace

The Califa Mountain Festival 2027 will take place from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 October in Córdoba, hosting the FEDME Spanish stage mountain running championship. The national competition will come to a festival that brought together trail races, hiking and family activities in the Córdoba mountains in 2026.

The dates, host city and championship are set, but the 2027 stages have not yet been published. The previous edition’s distances, elevation gains, start times and entry fee give an idea of the format, but should not be mistaken for the conditions of the next event.

Dates and venue for the 2027 championship

The festival will run over three days, from 1 to 3 October 2027, with Córdoba as the host city. The event appears on the calendar of the Spanish Mountaineering and Climbing Federation as the Spanish stage championship, a change from 2026, when it hosted the Andalusian championship in the same discipline.

The previous edition was based around Cerro Muriano and Los Villares, in the Córdoba mountains. The routes and start and finish points for 2027 have yet to be detailed, so those locations should not be presented as confirmed parts of the new programme.

The national calendar identifies the event and the title at stake, but the championship eligibility rules, including age categories and any federation requirements, must be set out in the regulations for the edition. Entering an open race and qualifying for a championship classification may involve different requirements.

The festival stages in 2026

The fifth edition took place from 2 to 4 October 2026. Its programme combined a Friday night race, several distances on Saturday and a time trial on Sunday. That schedule illustrates the event’s character, although the 2027 regulations may change the races and their details.

Friday: a 15-kilometre night race

Competition began at 8 p.m. with a 15-kilometre race and 700 metres of elevation gain. Running at night adds a different demand from a daylight start: visibility affects how runners read the terrain and how long they can maintain a comfortable pace on uneven trails.

For anyone considering a night race, distance is not the only factor. It also matters to know the lighting and equipment requirements set by the organiser for the relevant edition before assuming that equipment used in another race will be accepted.

Saturday: medium and mini races and school-age categories

The main day of the 2026 programme featured a 24.5-kilometre CxM Media with 1,000 metres of elevation gain, starting at 8:30 a.m. The CxM Mini covered 13.2 kilometres with around 500 metres of elevation gain and began at 8:45 a.m. There were also races for school-age categories, with distances adapted to age.

The difference between the medium and mini races goes beyond distance. The longer event’s accumulated climbing adds a workload that is not apparent when comparing its kilometres alone with a road race. In the previous edition, the Mini also hosted the Andalusian championship for provincial teams in that category.

Sunday: time trial and hiking

The final stage in 2026 was a 12-kilometre time trial with 700 metres of elevation gain, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. In a time trial, the individual time taken to complete the course determines the result, so the start and the way runners use others as a reference can differ from a mass start.

Sunday also included a 10-kilometre hike with 350 metres of elevation gain, as well as a family obstacle activity. These were part of the 2026 programme; whether they return in 2027 will depend on the organiser’s announcement.

One stage or three days of racing

In 2026, runners could enter an individual stage or take part in all three. For those completing the full programme, the overall standings added together the times from each day. It was therefore a different proposition from a single race: the result depended on each route and on the ability to perform on consecutive days.

Taking Saturday’s medium race, the three competitive stages of that edition added up to 51.5 km and 2,400 m of elevation gain. The 2026 programme is not an announced 2027 route. It also shows why a predicted finish time based on road-running pace may be of limited use without knowing the profile and terrain conditions.

Before choosing between an individual entry and the full championship, runners will need to check whether the new event retains both options and how a withdrawal or unfinished stage affects the overall standings. A result in one race does not necessarily secure a place in the championship classification.

Registration, price and race entry conditions

The organiser’s website is califamountainfestival.com. The opening date and registration process for 2027 will need to be checked there. At present, no 2027 entry price or registration deadline can be treated as confirmed.

For historical context, the 2026 individual entry for all three stages had a price tier of €55 until 31 July 2026. That fee applied to a specific edition and date: it does not establish the cost of the next event or of an individual race.

The entry conditions also matter if an injury, a change at work or travel plans prevent someone from attending. Before paying, runners should check whether the 2027 terms provide for a refund, transfer to another runner or deferral, and what happens if a day of racing is cancelled. Such rights and deadlines should not be assumed unless they appear in the applicable conditions.

Terrain and preparation for mountain running

The festival takes place in the setting of the Córdoba mountains, where effort is not measured by distance alone. Climbs add to the workload and descents also demand attention and control, particularly on uneven ground. The specific profile of each race will be crucial to assessing its difficulty.

Elevation gain is the total number of metres climbed across all ascents. The 2026 medium race had 1,000 metres of accumulated climbing, not one continuous climb of that height. Two races of equal distance can demand different levels of effort if one has more climbing or divides the ascent into steeper sections.

For a runner used to roads, preparing for this kind of event means considering both time spent moving and the descents. In a stage race, one day’s workload carries into the next; completing the previous programme meant tackling three days with different profiles and start times.

Details of aid stations, checkpoints, cut-off times and mandatory equipment are particularly relevant when calculating how self-sufficient runners need to be. Until the 2027 route is published, there is no confirmed distribution of those services for the new edition.

Travelling to Córdoba for the festival

The Córdoba venue makes the race a travel option for participants from other Spanish regions, including Valencia. However, booking around race day alone can leave out necessary arrangements: race bib collection and its opening hours may affect arrival plans as much as the start itself.

For three days of racing, it is also worth considering journeys between accommodation and the locations chosen by the organiser, as well as the time between stages. In 2026, a night start was followed by early races the next morning; that schedule is not confirmed for 2027, but it illustrates why the complete programme matters when planning a stay.

The final start and finish locations, access arrangements and any parking restrictions are part of the logistics still to be announced. Until they are known, accommodation in Córdoba provides a city base but does not by itself establish the travel time to the race venue.

Trail running’s impact on the city

The festival also has an economic reach beyond its routes. A study by the University of Córdoba and CD Running Series estimated that the 2025 edition generated €363,369.49 in economic impact in the city, combining direct and indirect effects.

The study drew on 241 valid responses from 550 participants and counted more than 730 overnight stays. Bars and restaurants accounted for 33.07% of estimated spending, ahead of leisure activities, shops and accommodation. Those figures relate to that edition, not a forecast for 2027, and show how a mountain race can generate activity beyond the trails.