Los Villares hosts a mountain race with two distances

Plan your race pace

Los Villares, in the province of Jaén, will host the third edition of Periche Trail on November 7, 2026, a mountain event with two competitive distances and a hiking option. The start and finish will be at Plaza Fernando Feijoó, in the town centre. From there, the routes will head into the surroundings of Paraje de Las Cimbras and Otíñar, a mountain landscape combining trails and elevation gain.

The programme includes a 23-kilometre race and a 15-kilometre race, as well as a non-competitive hike along the shorter course. The longer distance has 1,369 metres of positive elevation gain; both 15K options, including the hiking event, total 922 metres. Organisers have set an overall limit of 350 participants and plan to provide aid stations, medical assistance and safety services during the event.

A mountain event in Los Villares

The 2026 edition will be the third running of a race that places Los Villares on the autumn trail calendar. The town in Jaén will serve as both meeting point and start and finish location: Plaza Fernando Feijoó will host the beginning and end of the events. This change of venue, announced for this edition, brings the activity closer to the town centre and gives the day a familiar local landmark.

Los Villares town council is organising the event with the support of Club de Atletismo Los Villares. The programme brings together competition and recreational participation, with distances for runners seeking either a longer or shorter route, as well as the option to walk. That combination defines the day’s character: a mountain race with different ways to take part, rather than a single start reserved for competitive runners.

The announced setting includes Paraje de Las Cimbras and Otíñar. The available information identifies both places as part of the landscape crossed by the routes, but does not set out the course turn by turn. That distinction matters for anyone looking into the event in advance: knowing the general area helps picture the day, but it does not replace the map or official rules once the full route is published.

Two competitive distances and a hiking option

The longer race, called CxM Periche 23K, covers 23 kilometres and 1,369 metres of positive elevation gain. That accumulated climbing is a more revealing reference than distance alone: the route involves ascents and terrain changes typical of a mountain event. Without a detailed elevation profile, it is not possible to determine how much climbing falls in each section or how the ascents are distributed along the course.

The CxM Periche 15K covers 15 kilometres and records 922 metres of positive elevation gain. It is also the course planned for the non-competitive hiking option. Sharing a route allows runners and walkers to enjoy the same surroundings with different aims, although the specific participation conditions, schedules and rules for each event should be confirmed through the organisers’ information.

The difference between the two races is not limited to eight kilometres. The longer option adds 447 metres of positive elevation gain compared with the shorter one, a load that may affect overall effort and completion time. These figures are useful for comparing the routes, but they do not by themselves determine difficulty: gradient, surface, weather and each participant’s experience also matter.

What the elevation figures tell us

Positive elevation gain is the sum of the route’s climbs; it is not the difference between the lowest and highest points. So the 1,369 metres of accumulated climbing on the longer distance describes a series of climbs that may repeat or alternate with descents, not a single ascent of that height. The 922-metre figure for the shorter route confirms that the 15K option also has a demanding climbing component.

The relationship between kilometres and climbing helps put the event in context. The 23K route accumulates almost 60 metres of positive elevation gain per kilometre; the 15K route records just over 61. This indicative comparison shows that both options involve substantial climbing relative to their length. It does not, however, establish a suitable pace or create an exact equivalent to a road race, where the surface is usually more even.

The type of surface and the distribution of gradients will complete the picture once the official route is available. In the mountains, a seemingly manageable distance can take longer if the trail is uneven or climbs require runners to adjust their pace. The sensible reading of the available figures is clear: these routes should not be judged by kilometres alone, and the elevation profile will be especially useful when choosing between the two races.

The landscape of Las Cimbras and Otíñar

The announced routes cross the surroundings of Paraje de Las Cimbras and Otíñar, two geographic landmarks that provide context for the event. The available description points to trails and elevation gain in a mountain setting, but does not specify which paths will be used, how long participants spend in each area or which precise points mark the runners’ passage. Those details should be checked against the edition’s route map.

In a mountain race, the landscape is not scenery separate from the effort. Gradients, trail turns and changes in surface affect how people run and the pace they can maintain. Knowing that the route crosses a mountain environment offers participants an initial guide; the course profile and technical description will later provide a more precise sense of its sections and demands.

Otíñar and Las Cimbras are part of the event’s geographic identity, but the information provided does not describe a tourist route or guarantee passage by specific monuments or viewpoints. Avoiding such assumptions matters: a place name identifies an area, not necessarily an exact waypoint. What is confirmed is that both routes take place in this natural area near Los Villares, with their final layout still to be detailed in official materials.

Start and finish at Plaza Fernando Feijoó

Plaza Fernando Feijoó will be the start and finish location for the events. Organisers have announced this venue for the third edition, giving runners, hikers and spectators a shared landmark within Los Villares. Having the same start and finish point also makes it easier to understand the event’s general layout, but does not confirm details such as access, parking or the arrangement of services around the square.

Placing the start in the town centre makes the event more visible to residents and visitors who come to watch. For participants, the start area is usually where they gather before the race and return after finishing; in this case, both roles belong to the same square. The start time for each event is not included in the available information, so it is not possible to say when each one will begin.

The specific location is one of the most useful details for planning a visit, but confirmed information should be distinguished from what is not yet available. The town and square are specified; schedules, arrival instructions and detailed information for spectators are not. Organisers’ official communications will be the reference for those details, while the square already makes it possible to identify the central meeting point without confusing it with the mountain route.

A hiking option on the shorter course

Alongside the two competitive events, the programme includes a non-competitive hiking option on the 15-kilometre route. It offers a way to complete the course on foot and enjoy the surroundings without taking part in the standings. The distance and elevation gain match those of the shorter race: 15 kilometres with 922 metres of positive climbing, a combination worth considering before treating the hike as an easy stroll.

The option broadens the range of participants, but it does not remove the demands of the terrain. Walking makes it possible to regulate effort differently, although distance, climbs and surface still shape the experience. The available details do not specify time limits, mandatory equipment or particular conditions for hikers. These points should therefore be checked in the rules when published, rather than inferred solely from the activity’s non-competitive nature.

Having runners and walkers share a course also makes start arrangements and movement along the trails relevant. No staggered start times or passing rules have been provided, so it is not possible to say how these matters will be handled. What is clear is that the hiking option uses the shorter route and forms part of the event programme, rather than being a separate route with a different distance or elevation profile.

Organisation, safety and participant limit

Los Villares town council is organising the event with support from Club de Atletismo Los Villares. For race day, organisers plan to provide aid stations, medical assistance and safety services, all important resources for an event on mountain terrain. The information provided does not specify the number or location of aid stations or the precise scope of medical cover, so those details remain subject to further announcements.

The announced overall limit is 350 participants. The figure applies to the event as a whole and has not been broken down between the two races and the hiking option. No entry fee, registration opening or closing dates, or sign-up process is provided here either. Without those details, it is not possible to say whether places are available or calculate the cost of taking part; registration updates should come from the organisers.

Confirmation of the date and venue does not mean all operational details are available. Start times, rules, cut-off times, mandatory equipment, categories and procedures for weather changes do not appear in the reference information. In a mountain event, these details can affect preparation as well as logistics, so it makes sense to wait for the official documents. For now, the date, location, distances and elevation gain are the specific confirmed details.

How to assess the difficulty before choosing

Distance is a starting point, but not the only factor when choosing between 15K and 23K. The longer route adds eight kilometres and 447 metres of positive elevation gain; the shorter one still has 922 metres of climbing. Both figures are significant for a mountain event. Experience on trails and with accumulated climbing may be a better guide than comparing these distances with urban routes of the same length.

Without a profile, detailed surface information or published cut-off times, a definitive assessment of difficulty would be premature. A trail with sustained gradients creates a different effort from one with climbs spread out along the route, even if both have the same total elevation gain. More information about the course will help clarify that distribution. Until then, it is sensible to treat the available figures as objective references, not as a promise about the time needed to finish or how the course will feel.

The hiking option should not be mistaken for a physically undemanding alternative either. Its 15 kilometres and 922 metres of positive elevation gain call for enough time and a realistic assessment of one’s experience walking on uneven terrain. Participation requirements and recommended pace are not known, so any decision should take account of the information organisers publish. The most suitable choice will depend on personal goals and familiarity with the mountains, not just on the name of each distance.

Details still needed for planning

The confirmed information establishes the essentials: the event will take place on November 7, 2026, in Los Villares, with its start and finish at Plaza Fernando Feijoó. It will offer 15K and 23K races, plus a hike on the shorter course. Elevation figures and the overall participant limit are also available. However, the start time, entry fee and registration process have not been specified, so they should not be assumed.

A full course map is also still needed. An official map and elevation profile would show the climbs, checkpoints and aid stations, while clarifying which sections the two distances share. The general description mentions Las Cimbras and Otíñar but does not give the order or length of each section. Publishing those materials will turn a geographic overview into practical planning information, particularly for participants travelling from outside the town.

Other practical details, including the rules, categories, time limits, required equipment and access instructions, are also absent from the available reference. That does not mean they will not be published; it means they cannot yet be presented as confirmed. For outdoor events, checking the organisers’ information before travelling helps avoid relying on outdated schedules or rules. The event information already provides a clear starting point, but it is not yet a complete logistics guide.

A day bringing together sport and mountain surroundings

The event combines two competitive formats with a walking alternative and centres the activity in a municipality in the Sierra Sur of Jaén. The route through Las Cimbras and Otíñar provides the natural setting; the elevation figures show that neither distance is simply about covering kilometres. The third edition therefore brings together participation, climbing and mountain scenery in a day that starts and finishes within Los Villares.

For anyone considering taking part, the most reliable information is also the simplest: confirmed date, start and finish square, distances, elevation gain and an overall limit of 350 participants. Everything else — from the schedule to the detailed map and entry fee — still needs confirmation from the organisers. Keeping that distinction clear helps with planning without turning pending details into certainties, and gives a realistic picture of what the event offers based on what has actually been announced.

On November 7, the trails in the surrounding mountains will provide the setting for an event bringing together runners and hikers at different paces. The longer race sets a challenge of 23 kilometres and 1,369 metres of positive elevation gain; the shorter race and its hiking option share 15 kilometres and 922 metres. The combination of course, climbing and an urban meeting point defines this edition, while the rules and practical details will complete the picture when they become available.