CEC-Collserola returns in December 2026

Plan your race pace

The CEC-Collserola Race is set to return to the Collserola Natural Park over the weekend of Dec. 12-13, 2026, after its previous edition had to be cancelled because of restrictions related to an African swine fever outbreak. The organization announced the new date as the target for bringing back an event that combines a mountain race with activities for young runners.

The known program includes a main race of about 22 kilometers and races for children and teenagers. However, the available information does not yet provide the final route, start times, entry fee or registration opening date for 2026. The weekend has been announced, but these practical details will need confirmation before participants can plan travel and training precisely.

A new date after the previous edition was cancelled

The decision to cancel the edition scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 13-14 followed restrictions in force because of African swine fever. The measures affected large events organized inside the natural park, leaving no viable way forward for a race that depended on health conditions and the rules governing the protected area. This was not a postponement by a few days: the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya announced the definitive cancellation of that edition.

The organizers said they had looked for alternative dates but could not ask more than 50 collaborators, volunteers and suppliers to make the effort again without adequate certainty that the race could go ahead. A mountain race requires more than a start-line arch: people must be stationed along paths, the surroundings must be coordinated and services must be provided to participants. Without confidence that permission would be granted, recalling the entire operation would have created an organizational risk that was difficult to justify.

The statement also said entry fees would be fully refunded in the following days. Solidarity donations for La Marató de TV3, however, would be retained for cancer research, as planned. The distinction between the entry fee and voluntary donations matters: it allowed the charitable purpose to continue without confusing it with the costs participants had paid to take part in the race.

The new date, announced for the weekend of Dec. 12-13, 2026, opens a different chapter, but it does not erase the previous cancellation. The event is being planned as the race’s return, not as an edition that went ahead in part. For runners and families, the most useful information for now is to distinguish what is known — the planned weekend — from details that are still unavailable, including the course, schedule and registration arrangements.

What the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya is planning

The event combines a mountain race for adults with activities adapted for children and young people. The main distance has been described as a half marathon of approximately 22 kilometers, a substantial challenge that remains shorter than a full marathon. The half-marathon label should not lead anyone to assume that the course will be exactly 21.097 kilometers: the reference information gives a distance of 22 kilometers and does not provide an official measurement for the 2026 edition.

The children’s program is associated with the Cursa dels Raions, intended for participants ages 5 to 12. Information from earlier editions describes age-group categories and courses designed around their abilities, combining tracks and trails with moderate elevation gain. Its purpose is to introduce children to trail running in a controlled setting, with more emphasis on the experience and enjoyment than on recreating the demands of the adult race.

Under-14 and under-17 categories have also been mentioned among the youth activities. Because the specific 2026 rules have not been published here, the age groups and distances for each start should not be treated as final. In children’s races, a difference of just a few years can change the course, pace and participation requirements, making the final program essential for families.

The event has a different identity from an urban race. In Collserola, the landscape and path conditions are part of the experience: the ground can alternate between wide tracks and narrower trails, while elevation changes effort in a different way from pavement. Earlier-edition descriptions characterize the middle-distance course as relatively accessible to runners new to this format, though with technical sections that require attention and some experience.

Collserola, a natural area with its own rules

Collserola Natural Park is not merely the race venue; it also sets limits on what can be organized there. It is surrounded by a large metropolitan area, and its paths are used daily by hikers, cyclists and residents. That shared use helps explain why a large race must be coordinated with park management and why a health or environmental restriction can affect an event prepared months in advance.

In an urban race, closing streets and redirecting traffic is often the main visible challenge. In the hills, less obvious issues also matter: concentrated foot traffic on trails, protecting vegetation, preventing litter and respecting everyday uses of the park. A path that seems wide when one person walks along it can become narrow when runners, hikers and event staff meet. The environment’s capacity to absorb the event is part of the planning, not a minor detail.

The previous cancellation also showed that access rules can change for reasons beyond the sporting calendar. In this case, restrictions related to African swine fever meant large activities could not take place inside the park. There is no basis for saying the same situation will recur in 2026 or for predicting new restrictions; any decision will depend on the conditions and permits in force as the date approaches.

For participants, staying on the route and following the organizers’ instructions are particularly important in a protected area. Leaving a trail can increase erosion, disturb wildlife or damage sensitive areas, even when the intention is simply to pass another runner or find a more comfortable surface. The enjoyment of trail running depends on the park remaining a park after the runners have passed: a shared landscape, not a closed sports facility.

What is known and what still needs confirmation

The available information provides a clear reference: the event is planned for the weekend of Dec. 12-13, 2026, in Collserola, with a mountain half marathon and races for minors. Calendar information places the main race on Sunday, Dec. 13, while the event spans two days. The announced weekend and the exact day of each activity are not necessarily the same thing, so the final schedule should be checked when the official program is released.

The exact start and finish locations for 2026, start time, entry fee, participant limit, registration opening date and official website domain are not yet verifiably available. Nor has a map of the new route been provided. Information about similarly named races or previous editions is not enough to fill those gaps: it may refer to different organizers, municipalities or courses.

The same caution applies to the distance. The 22-kilometer reference describes the main race, but it does not establish whether the route will retain the same mileage in 2026. Courses in a natural park can change to accommodate authorized paths, ground conditions or conservation requirements. Until the rules are published, the figure should be treated as an indication of the announced format, not as a guaranteed final measurement.

The logistics for youth races call for the same care. The Cursa dels Raions and its general age range are part of the event information, but start times by category, distances and accompaniment requirements are still missing. For families, these details shape registration, travel and waiting time in the park. The 2026 program will need to clarify them; there is no need to infer them from older editions.

A mountain race for different kinds of runners

A trail half marathon demands something different from running 21 kilometers along a flat avenue. The pace is usually less consistent because the surface changes, climbs interrupt the stride and technical sections require runners to watch the ground several meters ahead. A runner’s usual road pace cannot simply be transferred to a mountain course: finishing time depends on fitness as well as elevation, surface and the ability to move safely.

Descriptions of previous editions refer to a route with more track than trail and some technical sections. That mix may appeal to runners beginning to explore middle-distance mountain races, but accessible does not mean easy for everyone. A rocky descent with roots or tight turns can demand more control than a steady climb. General preparation benefits from getting used to varied terrain and from not turning every run into a speed workout.

For younger participants, the focus is different. Age-based courses can adjust distance and difficulty, helping children with different abilities share an outdoor activity without putting the pressure of the main race on them. The 2026 details still need confirmation, but the known intention to combine tracks and trails with moderate elevation gain points to an event designed to introduce them to trail running in an age-appropriate way.

The event also brings together different motivations: competing, trying a new distance, accompanying a child or spending a morning in the park. That variety helps explain the appeal of local trail races. The clock matters to some; for others, the experience means finding a sustainable pace, getting up a climb without walking more than expected or reaching the finish eager to return. Sharing a course does not mean every participant has the same goal.

Solidarity and the work behind the event

The cancellation of the previous edition had financial consequences for the organizers, but their statement said donations for La Marató de TV3 would be retained and directed to cancer research. That detail matters because solidarity races often involve different flows of money: an entry fee covers organizational costs, while a donation may have a specific destination. In this case, the announced refund did not mean withdrawing the charitable contributions.

The work of more than 50 collaborators, volunteers and suppliers also shows the scale of the event. A race in a natural park depends on tasks runners may barely notice: marking the course, managing crossings, responding to incidents, coordinating starts and removing equipment. If an event is cancelled, much of that work may already have been planned even if it is never deployed. Asking the same people to return without confidence the race could happen would have shifted a burden onto them that the organizers considered unreasonable.

The next edition will need to rebuild that coordination with enough time and clear information. Announcing a date alone is not enough: every collaborator needs to understand the program, course requirements and conditions for working inside the park. Participants experience the result in a smooth start or a well-placed marker; behind those simple details is a network of tasks that makes the event dependable.

The race’s continuity also depends on a respectful relationship with people who use Collserola throughout the year. An event may bring hundreds of runners for a few hours, but the landscape remains afterward, with its paths, wildlife and regular visitors. The organizers and participants therefore share a responsibility: ensuring the sporting event does not leave a disproportionate mark on the place that gives it meaning.

How to interpret the announced return

The December 2026 announcement resolves an important question: the race will not disappear after the previous edition was cancelled. At the same time, it is not the same as having the full information pack for the next event. The weekend date makes it possible to pencil the race into a calendar, but the course, registration, price and start times must be verified with information from the organizers before making final plans.

For people who travelled or registered for the cancelled edition, the full refund announced for that event should be distinguished from the conditions for the new one. A past registration does not mean a guaranteed place in 2026, and no information has been provided about priority, discounts or transferring race numbers. Claiming any of those benefits without confirmation would create expectations unsupported by the published details.

Training can be planned with the same caution. Anyone aiming for a mountain race of around 22 kilometers can build endurance and familiarity with trails, but should not base a training plan on a specific profile that has not yet been released. Elevation, aid stations and surface type can substantially change what a race requires. An official map and rules will be more useful than an estimate based only on distance.

For families, knowing the weekend in advance makes it easier to set aside time, but it does not yet reveal when each children’s race will start. Age categories may begin at different times to organize the course and avoid crowding. Until the program is available, the responsible reference is that activities for children and young people are planned, not a particular start time or distance for each participant.

Collserola is part of the experience

The CEC-Collserola Race represents a way of running in which the setting is not an interchangeable backdrop. The park offers shade, changing surfaces and a sense of distance from the city, even though Barcelona and its metropolitan area are close. On a climb, the noise can fall away and the effort becomes more intimate: breathing, footsteps and the ground ahead. That atmosphere is part of the attraction, but also a reason to protect the landscape.

That is why the race’s return brings two considerations together: holding a sporting event and complying with the park’s rules. The first excites runners looking forward to competing; the second makes it possible for the race to continue in future years. The previous cancellation showed that even an established event can be subject to health and environmental circumstances, and that the desire to hold it does not replace the necessary permits.

With the weekend of Dec. 12-13, 2026, announced and a mountain half marathon at its center, the event has a place on Barcelona’s calendar again. The details that will turn the announcement into a practical plan remain unknown: the authorized course, event operations, categories and registration. For now, the expectation is that the race will return without losing sight of the condition that makes it possible: running in Collserola means taking care of Collserola.