Dama Blanca 2026: date, entry fees and the Aigües backyard course

Plan your race pace

The inaugural Dama Blanca backyard race will take place on October 24, 2026, in Aigües, Alicante, starting and finishing at CEIP Mirador d’Aigües school. Organized by Club Dark Trail Running Alicante, it challenges runners to complete a 6.706-kilometer loop every hour and keep repeating it for as long as they can remain in the race. The main event has no fixed finishing distance.

The event includes individual participation, a team classification for groups of three or four runners, and a non-competitive four-loop option. The announced entry deadline is October 18, with tiered fees starting at €60 for the backyard and €40 for the shorter option. The available information does not specify the first starting time or the price at each entry tier.

The course combines tracks, trails and paved sections, with 175 meters of elevation gain per loop. That mix makes this a different challenge from a purely urban race: maintaining pace matters, but so does managing climbs and moving between surfaces. According to the event description, the loop will be marked and will bring participants back to the same base after every lap.

Aigües also appears as Aguas de Busot in some race calendar listings. The precise location is the municipality in Alicante province and the school announced as the start and finish venue. The province is Alicante; the Valencian Community is the autonomous region, not the province. That distinction prevents a regional location from being confused with the actual destination for runners and their supporters.

The format changes a deeply familiar running routine: covering a distance and crossing the finish line is not enough. Each hour brings a new commitment. Participants must complete the loop within the available time and be ready to start again when required. Finishing earlier does not bring the next lap forward; it provides more recovery time before the next shared start.

A loop completed in 50 minutes leaves, by straightforward calculation, 10 minutes until the next start. A 55-minute lap leaves five. Both cover exactly the same course, but the time available to drink, eat or adjust equipment changes considerably. These are not recommended finishing times: they show how pace determines rest time and why running faster does not always mean managing effort more effectively.

Victory is not decided by a conventional ranking based on cumulative times, either. The supplied description states that the winner must complete the final loop alone within the hour. Remaining at the start after everyone else has stopped is not enough: the outcome requires that last circuit to be completed. This detail distinguishes a backyard from an event where the winner is simply whoever covers the greatest distance.

If a participant does not finish the loop before the next hourly start, they no longer meet the requirement to continue. Starting procedures, incidents and any exceptional circumstances are governed by the event-specific rules. The supplied information does not explain those details, so it cannot support claims about specific penalties or exceptions that have not been announced for this edition.

Viewed in isolation, 6.706 kilometers may seem manageable. The difficulty emerges when that distance is repeated against a clock that provides no extra time. Four loops total 26.824 kilometers; six reach 40.236, and eight reach 53.648. The main event is therefore not a seven-kilometer race, even if that rounded figure appears in a calendar: approximately seven kilometers describes one circuit, not the entire participation.

Elevation gain accumulates in the same way. Four loops add up to 700 meters of ascent and eight to 1,400, provided the announced course is repeated without changes. These calculations come from the 175 meters per circuit; they are not alternative race distances offered by the organizer. They help illustrate the accumulated workload of an event whose profile may initially seem moderate but becomes far more demanding after several hours of movement.

At 12 loops, the total would be 80.472 kilometers and 2,100 meters of ascent. At 24, it would reach 160.944 kilometers and 4,200 meters of elevation gain. Neither figure predicts how long this first edition will last. They are arithmetic reference points that explain the scale of ultra-endurance and why the distance of one loop tells only part of the story.

The alternation between tracks, trails and pavement also prevents the race from being judged on distance alone. A regular surface makes a steady cadence easier to maintain; uneven ground or a climb may require adjustments. Without a detailed profile or surface percentages, it is impossible to say how much of each terrain is involved. The event can, however, be described as a mixed-surface circuit, rather than an entirely road-based race.

Paved sections encourage a consistent stride, while trails may require closer attention to foot placement. On tracks, footing depends on the condition of the surface and the weather. The technical difficulty of the course is not stated, so calling it easy or describing specific obstacles would be speculative. Footwear choices need to consider grip and lasting comfort, alongside the fit each runner normally finds reliable.

Repeating the same route has an obvious advantage: the terrain stops being a surprise. After the first laps, runners become more familiar with the climbs and the places where easing the pace feels most natural. Yet familiarity does not remove the challenge. A recognizable climb is still there when legs feel heavier. Repetition turns effort management into an ongoing process of adaptation, not simply a replay of the first circuit.

In a race with a fixed finishing distance, runners can distribute their effort knowing how far remains. In this backyard, the next lap is the immediate horizon, but the finish remains open-ended. That uncertainty is part of the format and needs no dramatic promises to make it compelling. Endurance involves both moving forward and maintaining sound decisions under fatigue, when eating, resting or changing pace demands greater attention.

The Backyard 4 Vueltas option offers a different relationship with the same setting. It is non-competitive and covers 26.824 kilometers on the announced loop, with 700 meters of accumulated ascent. It is neither a 21.0975-kilometer half marathon nor a 42.195-kilometer marathon. Its appeal lies in experiencing four cycles of the format without taking on the main event’s indefinite duration.

The approximately 27-kilometer distance listed in some calendars is a rounding of those four loops. For preparation and expectations, the precise figure matters: this is not a second distance laid out on a completely different route, but a repetition of the circuit. The supplied information does not describe an alternative course for this option or specify a different starting time from the main event.

Its non-competitive status does not automatically make the shorter option an easy outing. Almost 27 kilometers and 700 meters of ascent represent a substantial workload for anyone unaccustomed to running on varied terrain. It may offer a more contained experience, but previous experience and tolerance for several hours of activity still matter. A shorter expected duration does not mean the same level of difficulty for every runner.

The team classification accepts groups of three or four members and follows the event’s loop format. That is the confirmed information in the available description. It does not explain how results are combined or what happens if one member stops. Nor does it support describing this category as a relay race in which teammates divide the laps between them: that would introduce an undocumented rule.

The distinction has practical consequences. A team may provide a way to share the experience and compete in a collective classification without necessarily reducing the individual workload. Until the full conditions are available, it is not possible to calculate how far each member would need to run or claim that taking turns is sufficient. Collective scoring rules, tiebreaking criteria and final team composition remain details absent from the supplied material.

The announced registration opening was April 8, 2026, at noon, through RockTheSport. The planned closing date is October 18, six days before the race. These are the event’s published dates, not a real-time check of availability. The documentation mentions limited places but provides no numerical entry cap from which to report total capacity or the number of remaining entries.

The published amounts are starting prices: from €60 for the backyard and €40 for the four-loop option. The difference between those minimums is €20. Because pricing is tiered, those amounts should not be assumed to remain valid until registration closes. No change dates or later prices are given, so the current final entry cost cannot be stated more precisely from the information available.

Details of what the entry fee includes are also missing. Refreshments, insurance, gifts, refund conditions and possible processing fees are not specified here. Their absence from these references does not mean the event lacks them; it means they are not described. Distinguishing between announced details and unspecified services prevents runners from organizing their participation around benefits that this material cannot confirm.

With the start and finish at CEIP Mirador d’Aigües, the school is the central reference point for race day. In a backyard, repeatedly returning to base can help with personal organization, but the time between laps remains limited. Bib collection hours, parking arrangements and permitted supporter areas are not stated. Neither is the race starting time, an essential detail for planning the journey.

Without that time, it is impossible to calculate when the four-loop option would end or when an eventual transition into darkness might occur in the open-ended event. A backyard’s potential duration makes personal lighting relevant, but the available reference does not specify mandatory equipment. A headlamp, extra clothing or batteries may form part of a runner’s planning; they should not be presented as race rule requirements without an explicit instruction.

Physical preparation for this kind of event includes something that is not always present in a continuous training run: stopping and starting again. Repeatedly moving from running to resting and back onto the course changes how the legs feel and how effort is organized. Gradually becoming familiar with repeated starts can provide useful information, but it does not require recreating an indefinitely long competition in training.

An appropriate pace cannot simply be derived from a 10-kilometer personal best. Runners need to leave a margin within the hour without spending more energy than necessary, and that balance depends on terrain, experience and their condition. Insisting on identical lap times at all costs may be counterproductive when physical sensations change. In this setting, sustainable consistency matters more than turning every circuit into a demonstration of speed.

Fueling and hydration deserve attention because the same circuit may be repeated for many hours. Brief rests require several tasks to fit into a small window and leave less time than an outside observer might expect. There is no universal quantity suitable for every participant or a specific published fueling plan for this edition. Digestive tolerance and experience with food during prolonged exercise are more useful than trying unfamiliar products on race day.

Drinking should not become a mechanical obligation to consume large volumes at every stop. Needs vary with exertion and environmental conditions, and both insufficient replacement and excessive consumption can cause problems. A specific weather forecast for October 24 is not included in the supplied information. It would therefore be inaccurate to predict temperatures or favorable conditions merely because the event takes place in autumn.

Fatigue calls for the same caution. Continuing for another loop is part of the sporting appeal, but that does not make every symptom something to endure. Chest pain, fainting, confusion or disproportionate breathing difficulty require stopping exercise and seeking medical attention. This general advice does not describe the event’s medical provision, which is not detailed here. Participant safety remains more important than staying in the race.

For supporters, the format creates a different rhythm from a trail race where runners pass each location only once. Participants return repeatedly to the same base, with rest intervals varying according to their lap time. That may make following the race easier, but it does not guarantee unrestricted access to all facilities. Rules governing outside assistance and use of the race base must be distinguished from what the format might lead people to imagine.

The event’s name refers to the Dama Blanca and the landscape of the Aigües hills. The organizer’s presentation links the race with respect for the mountains and the memory of their old paths. That gives it a local identity without turning a legendary reference into an established historical fact. In sporting terms, the defining feature is returning to the same circuit, hour after hour, within a shared landscape.

The event is presented as part of the official Backyard Ultra calendar. That description places it within a recognizable family of races, but does not by itself establish qualification for another championship or a particular international status. Those conditions would require additional information. What is confirmed for this edition is the progressive elimination format, together with the announced course, participation options and date.

Dama Blanca’s debut therefore offers two distinct experiences: an open-ended participation whose distance depends on completed laps, and a non-competitive four-circuit option. Both share the scale of a small loop that stops feeling small through repetition. On October 24, Aigües will introduce a different way to compete: not toward a distant finish, but toward the ability to be back at the start when the next hour arrives.

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