Formentera All Round Trail: dates, distances and key details

Plan your race pace

Formentera once again turns its perimeter into a full-on racing stage. The trail event that circles the island brings together long distance, intermediate routes and a short, popular option in a single day, with start and finish in La Savina for several of the formats. In the 2026 edition, scheduled for March 28, the event combines sea, cliffs, dirt paths and stretches exposed to the wind, a mix that has made this race one of the most distinctive on the Balearic calendar.

The main race reaches 72 kilometers and shares the spotlight with other official distances that let you read the territory of Formentera from different angles: 40.5 kilometers, 19 kilometers and 9.5 kilometers. It is not just a demanding competition; it is also a way of crossing the island at human pace, with the Mediterranean right alongside the route and a profile that rewards both endurance and effort management.

A route that goes all the way around the island

The main course circles Formentera and places runners before a very clear geometry: follow the island’s outline and absorb its changes of landscape almost like successive scenes in a film. The start is set at Port de la Savina, and the race finishes there too, with an itinerary that makes the coast visible and forces runners to live with open terrain, sun, salty air and the uneven ground typical of Mediterranean trail running.

The queen distance is designed for those looking for a long, complete day. The cutoff time for the 72-kilometer category is set at 12:30, a detail that already speaks to the selective nature of the event: it is not enough to run well, you have to know how to pace yourself, eat on time and understand that on a small island the surroundings may seem friendly, but the wear and tear builds up fast. The elevation gain is not alpine, but Formentera’s toughness does not come from mountains, it comes from the terrain, the wind and the repeated foot strikes on changing surfaces.

The island thus becomes a sporting ring where each section has its own personality. There are faster areas, exposed segments, sandy stretches and others with a firmer texture, and all of it shapes an experience very different from that of a city half marathon or a high-mountain trail. The race lives off that tension between being visually accessible and physically demanding.

The official distances and their profile

The competitive range is well stepped. The 72-kilometer format is the most ambitious and can be done individually or by two-person relay. Next comes the 40.5-kilometer version, with a start in Es Arenals and finish in La Savina. Then there is the 19-kilometer race, which starts in Es Caló and also ends at Port de la Savina. The shortest option, 9.5 kilometers, starts from Es Pujols and loops around the Estany Pudent i Ses Salines area before returning to the finish.

That distribution makes it possible to understand the event as a kind of progressive map of the island. The long format demands reading Formentera from end to end, the intermediate one proposes a partial reading and the short one opens the door to a more contained effort, without giving up the scenery. It is not a festival of distances by accumulation, but an organization that layers the territory into levels of effort.

The 40.5-kilometer race is presented as a half loop around the island, with a later start along the course and a maximum of eight hours to complete it. The 19-kilometer race, starting in Es Caló, concentrates part of the more technical and selective character of the day, while the 9.5 kilometers offer a popular experience in a more accessible range. The start times, moreover, set a very clear script: 9:00 for the long race, 11:30 for the half loop, 16:00 for the 19-kilometer distance and 18:00 for the shortest one.

Port de la Savina as the operational center

La Savina works as the logistical and sporting core of the race. That is where the main and short distances start and finish, and the port acts as a reference point for runners, companions and organizers. In an event that takes place across an entire island, the centrality of the port is no minor detail: it simplifies access, brings services together and turns the space into a kind of temporary main square for running.

In a race like this, the place matters as much as the mileage. The runner does not experience only the sequence of kilometers; they experience the start facing the sea, the passage between checkpoints and the finish in the same place where it all began. That closed circle reinforces the feeling of a complete journey. It is a circular race in the most literal sense, and that condition gives it a very recognizable identity on the trail calendar.

The relationship with the port also underlines one of the event’s key points: the coexistence of sport and tourist landscape. Formentera does not lose its character as a Mediterranean destination, but for a few hours it becomes an athletic circuit where logistics must respect the island’s rhythm without distorting it.

The 2026 edition and its calendar

The next edition is set for Saturday, March 28, 2026. That date places the race in a particularly favorable stretch of the year for running in the Balearics, with temperatures usually more moderate than in the middle of summer and a still clean, low, very photogenic light that often accompanies coastal competitions. It is not a decorative detail; in a race exposed to the outdoors, the weather completely shapes the effort strategy.

The event schedule concentrates several starts on the same day and organizes the day in time blocks. That creates a continuous atmosphere, with the island receiving runners from early morning until the afternoon. Temporal continuity is one of its hallmarks: while some tackle the long distance, others prepare shorter routes and the event keeps the pulse of trail running alive for much of Saturday.

The information seen in sports calendar references also places previous editions in March 2025 and April 2024, a sign of organizational stability that reinforces the idea of a well-established race. For the runner, that usually translates into a more predictable experience in terms of services, signage and event structure.

Why this race has so much personality

Formentera offers a kind of toughness that is not always obvious on a map. There are no huge climbs or dramatic mountain ranges, but there is a sum of elements that wear you down: uneven ground, exposed stretches, changes in footing, intense light and a landscape that, because it is so beautiful, can be misleading. Whoever runs here is not fighting the mountain; they are fighting time, wind and the management of effort in an open setting.

That combination turns the race into something more than a simple coastal trail. The Mediterranean coast here is not just decoration, it is part of the difficulty. Running with sea views may seem like a privilege, but it also demands concentration when the ground changes and when the horizon, so wide, tempts you to go out too fast. The landscape seduces; the race corrects.

The event’s aesthetics also matter. The race’s visual message, with its idea of living the paradise, sums up well the contrast that defines it: relaxed beauty on the outside, sporting demand on the inside. That duality explains its appeal among runners looking for more than a time. They want a complete experience, the kind that leaves a memory of salt on the skin and sand in the shoes.

The two-person relay and the strategic reading of effort

One of the most striking variants is the two-person relay format. It is not just a simple reduction in load, but a different way of understanding the long distance. Each participant must complete at least two of the six sections, which forces effort to be shared out and the race to be approached in strategic terms, not just endurance.

That system changes the race narrative. Instead of continuous fatigue from start to finish, the relay runner works in blocks, manages their turns and adjusts intensity according to the assigned section. For many runners, that format adds a very interesting tactical dimension and, above all, turns the challenge into a shared experience. The island is covered in pairs, but each section is still real and demanding.

The value of this format is not only that it makes the race more approachable. It also introduces a component of mutual support that fits well with an open-environment race, where the landscape sets the tone and collective work finds room to organize itself. In races like this, strategy does not take away the epic feel; it spreads it out better.

Registration, services and what awaits the runner

The organization includes a broad registration package which, according to the available information, includes a finisher medal, gift bag, event T-shirt, single-use timing chip, aid stations, nutrition stations, medical assistance, baggage drop, toilets, accident insurance and a personalized bib. These are standard elements in a race of this level, but together they help explain the standard required by an event with several distances and an island course.

Race bib and race pack collection is also mentioned, although in the public information observed there is no fixed schedule in the excerpt consulted. That absence is not minor: in competitions like this, the pre-race logistics are often as important as the race itself, especially when participants are coming from off the island and have to coordinate transfers, accommodation and ferry schedules.

Medical support and hydration points are key in a setting like Formentera, where open terrain can amplify the feeling of heat and sun exposure. Even if the course is not extreme in elevation, the race demands a cool head, regular fluid intake and a simple but steady strategy. In trail running, as in navigation, mistakes usually come when you stop paying attention to the surroundings.

How this race fits within Spanish trail running

Within the national calendar, the race occupies a very particular place. It does not compete in height or sheer brutality with the big mountain ultras, but it does in identity. It is a race that offers sea, low landscapes, Mediterranean paths and a very recognizable aesthetic, something that clearly sets it apart from inland events. In Spain, where trail running has grown strongly in the mountains, an island proposal like this adds variety and freshness to the competitive map.

That trait also influences the kind of runner who chooses it. Some look for elevation gain, mud or long climbs; others, instead, prefer a race where the challenge comes from sustained pace, exposure and heat management. Formentera plays in that second league, but with a lot of personality. It does not rely on the epic feel of altitude, but on the clarity of the landscape and the constant demand of a circuit that gives no respite.

The event also fits well into a spring season in which many runners begin looking for goals after winter. By calendar, climate and format, it works as a transition race toward the main spring and summer block. That helps explain why it continues to gain presence among the most closely watched races in the Mediterranean area.

The image the island leaves when the last clock stops

When it ends, Formentera leaves more than a classification. It leaves a sequence of images that is very hard to confuse with any other race: the port, the still water, the dusty paths, runners crossing the coast and the contrast between the effort of the bib and the calm of the island. It is a race that combines the precision of timing with the slowness of the landscape.

That is why its appeal goes beyond the bib. The event has established itself as a sporting experience with its own identity, where each distance tells a different version of the same territory. Whoever starts is not chasing only a time; they are crossing a whole island or a significant part of it in a day that mixes competition, orientation and visual memory. That explains why the name Formentera All Round Trail keeps appearing strongly in the Balearic trail conversation.

The strength of the race lies in its well-measured simplicity: one island, several distances, a port as the center and a coast that needs no makeup. The rest is provided by the legs, the wind and the ability to keep going when the landscape seems to invite you to stop.