CxM Alhama Trail 2027: date, distances and course

Plan your race pace

The CxM Alhama Trail 2027 will take place on Saturday, 23 October, in Cervera del Río Alhama, La Rioja. The event will count towards the Spanish mountain running cup for point-to-point races and will host the Spanish championship for blind athletes.

The date, location and competitions have been announced, but the 2027 distances, start times and registration conditions have yet to be confirmed. The 2026 edition offers a guide to the type of race, although the new event rules may introduce changes.

A national event in Cervera del Río Alhama

Club de Montaña La Ribera organises the race with Cervera del Río Alhama town council. The town lies in southeastern La Rioja, close to the borders with Navarre and Soria, in an area of ravines and mountain paths.

The 2027 event adds two fixtures to the national calendar: it will count towards the Spanish point-to-point mountain running cup and host the Spanish championship for blind athletes. Competition details, including categories and eligibility requirements, have yet to be published.

The La Rioja race is different from the Alhama Trail in Alhama de Murcia. Their similar names do not mean they share an organiser, course or entry conditions.

Distances and elevation gain: the 2026 guide

At the third edition, held on 24 October 2026, the programme included two main running routes, a walking event and a race for the promesas category. These were their distances and elevation gains, meaning the total amount of climbing along each route:

• Long trail: 25 km with 1,350 metres of elevation gain.
• Short trail: 12.7 km with 625 metres of elevation gain, also advertised as 13 km.
• Walking route: 16.2 km with 550 metres of elevation gain.
• Promesas race: 5 km with 207 metres of elevation gain.

Distance is not the only difference between the events. The 1,350 metres of climbing on the long 2026 route made it demanding for a 25 km race. The short route accumulated 625 metres, making it a different proposition from a flat race of similar length.

When estimating time on a mountain course, a usual road pace is of limited value without accounting for climbs and descents. Choosing a distance should take into account trail experience and the ability to sustain an effort for longer than the same distance would take on flat ground.

Course and mountain terrain

The 2026 route combined footpaths, tracks, sections of the GR 93 and a greenway. It also passed through Cervera del Río Alhama, starting and finishing in the town hall square. The 2027 course and its exact route points have yet to be announced.

The Rioja Baja area offers a landscape of ravines and Mediterranean vegetation, unlike the mountain ranges in the north of the region. In this kind of race, changes between tracks and narrow paths can affect both pace and footing, particularly on descents.

Trail shoes with suitable grip are better suited to that terrain than a model designed exclusively for roads. Preparation can also include elevation gain and practice on trails, without assuming the previous course will be repeated.

Registration, race numbers and rules

The 2027 entry fee and registration dates have not yet been announced. Event information is published on the CxM Alhama Trail website, where the rules for the new edition will also be available.

Before entering, it is worth checking what the fee includes, what sports insurance is required and whether different conditions apply to championship competitors. The 2026 registration dates applied only to that edition and do not establish a deadline for 2027.

If an injury or another unforeseen event prevents attendance, a race entry should not be assumed to be transferable: whether it can be reassigned, the process and any fee will depend on the organiser’s conditions. A private sale alone does not replace an authorised transfer.

Equipment and travel planning

The 2027 rules will establish whether there is any mandatory equipment, along with checkpoints, aid stations and any cut-off times. Those details affect the choice of a running pack or hydration system and how runners plan their effort; a list from another edition does not establish the requirements for the next one.

For visitors travelling from outside La Rioja, Cervera can serve as a base or as a destination reached from nearby towns. When choosing accommodation, it is worth considering the journey to the start and cancellation conditions, particularly while the schedule and race number collection details remain unpublished.

In 2026 the start and finish were in the town hall square, a useful point of reference within the town but not confirmation that the location will remain the same in 2027.

From regional championship to national stage

The 2026 edition hosted the La Rioja point-to-point club championship on its long course. A year later, the Spanish cup and the Spanish championship for blind athletes place Cervera del Río Alhama on the national mountain running calendar.

That change in sporting status does not itself establish which distances will be open to the public or how the categories will be organised. The final format will depend on the 2027 programme and rules.