Badalona’s 2026 year-end race: date and distances

Plan your race pace

Badalona has scheduled a new edition of its year-end road race for Sunday, Dec. 27, 2026, with 5K and 10K distances announced. The event will take place on paved roads and is part of Catalonia’s running calendar during the final weeks of December.

The date and two distances are the most consistent details currently available, but key information for planning participation is still missing: there is no confirmed 2026 start time, final course, entry fee or exact start and finish location. Some third-party listings give Dec. 28, although the date provided for this edition and several references place the race on Dec. 27; that is the date to use provisionally.

A year-end fixture in Badalona

The race takes place in Badalona, in Barcelona province, and follows a familiar format for a San Silvestre event: running in the final days of the year, when the festive mood in the streets meets the pace of people looking to finish the season on the move. The 2026 edition is listed as an urban road race, not a mountain or trail event.

The published programme for this edition includes two distances, 5K and 10K. That gives different runners options, from those who prefer a short, social race to those looking for a longer effort. However, the presence of two distances alone does not show how the starts will be arranged or whether the courses will share part of the route; those details depend on the official rules and course map.

Available listings associate the event with RACC. For the 2025 edition, information released by the organizer placed the start and finish on Rambla del Gorg, in front of a Honda dealership, but there is no confirmation that this location will be used again in 2026. The historical detail from the previous edition should therefore be kept separate from the location announced for the next race.

Announced date and calendar discrepancies

The date given for the 2026 edition is Dec. 27, which falls on a Sunday. A listing on an international race calendar, however, gives Dec. 28. The difference matters: a one-day change affects travel, accommodation and weekend plans, so it should not be treated as a detail that can be resolved by guesswork.

Several race listings and the information provided for this edition support the Dec. 27 date. Dec. 28, 2026, falls on a Monday, making it especially important to check the event details before finalizing plans. The available information does not show that every platform has updated its calendar consistently; a listing may retain an earlier date or include an input error.

It is also important to distinguish the scheduled date from confirmed registration details, start times and the route. The race is announced for that day, but there is no verified information about when registration opens or closes. The date is not a substitute for the race rules: before traveling or committing expenses, participants need to check the final information published for this specific edition.

What the 5K and 10K distances offer

The 5K is the shorter option in the known programme. In a popular road race, this distance often attracts runners looking for a short effort, people new to racing and participants who mainly want to enjoy the atmosphere. It can also be run at a demanding pace, though distance alone does not determine difficulty. The route, turns, crowd density and conditions on the day all play a part.

The 10K presents a greater challenge in terms of duration and pacing. For regular runners, it can be a way to assess fitness at the end of the year; for others, a sensible goal may be to maintain a comfortable pace and finish. Without an official course map, it is not possible to confirm that the route is flat, fast or suitable for a personal best. The asphalt surface is listed, but that does not reveal the elevation profile or street layout.

The two distances also allow for different ways to take part. Some runners arrive with a time target; others run with friends or make the event a shared year-end plan. Either way, it is worth choosing a distance based on recent experience, not only the excitement of the calendar. Anyone whose recent training has focused on shorter runs should consider their accumulated mileage, recovery and ability to sustain a longer effort before moving up to 10K.

Course, start and services: what is still unknown

For now, the available information does not include an official 2026 course map or a confirmed address for the start and finish. Although the previous edition used Rambla del Gorg, that detail is not enough to assume the same location will be used again. There is also no reliable basis for describing specific streets, turns, waterfront sections, elevation changes or spectator areas. Presenting such details as certain would confuse a possibility with a confirmed fact.

The 2025 edition does provide a historical reference for the event format. Information published that year listed a 9 a.m. start for the 5K and a 9:45 a.m. start for the 10K, followed by a children’s race at 11:30 a.m. It also described services including a bag drop, medical assistance, insurance, refreshments, timing and pacers. Those schedules and services apply to 2025; they should not automatically be carried over to the 2026 programme.

The same applies to the children’s race. An event platform mentions it as part of the general offering, but the specific information available for 2026 only lists the 5K and 10K. Until an updated programme is published, it cannot be confirmed that a kids’ race will take place, or what its distance, age requirements or cost might be. The race rules should clarify those questions as well as bib, timing and start-area procedures.

Registration and entry fees: why old figures should not be reused

No 2026 entry fee is confirmed in the reference information. The previous edition’s page published different prices by distance and purchase date: in 2025, the 5K cost €14 through Nov. 30 and €15 from Dec. 1; the 10K cost €16 and €17, respectively. Those prices applied to runners with a yellow Championchip timing chip and could increase by €3 if a chip had to be rented.

The difference between the 2025 prices and the 2026 cost could be zero, small or substantial; it cannot be forecast without an official announcement. It is also unwise to estimate the current price using other races in the area, since each organizer sets its own terms and may change registration tiers, timing arrangements or included services. Last year’s fees provide context, not a valid budget for this edition.

When registration opens, participants should check what the entry includes and whether there are additional charges. The 2025 information indicates that chip rental could add a fee, while access to race photography and other services were among the listed benefits. However, there is no confirmation that those terms will remain unchanged. The closing date, bib limit and any categories are also unknown. Without those details, it is not possible to calculate the final cost or confirm that places are available.

How to read the event information

Race listings on search engines and specialist calendars can help identify dates and distances, but they are not always updated at the same time. Here, several references agree on the 5K and 10K, while one moves the event to Dec. 28. Others give different locations or mix details from previous editions. Agreement between sources helps build confidence, but it does not make every detail final.

The safest approach is to separate the information into three categories. The Dec. 27, 2026, date and 5K and 10K distances are the details presented as the basis for this edition. The Rambla del Gorg location, start times, fees and services belong to the 2025 edition. The 2026 course, start time, current prices and possible children’s race, by contrast, remain unconfirmed in the available material.

This distinction helps avoid two common mistakes: planning around outdated information and treating a third-party listing as official when it may be incomplete. If platforms disagree, current organizer communications and the rules for the relevant edition should take priority. Until those documents are available, operational details should be treated cautiously, however precise they may look in a short listing.

A year-end race, with the details still to come

December races often have a different feel from events elsewhere on the calendar: the date encourages people to share the experience and turn the effort into a sporting send-off to the year. In Badalona, the two announced distances suggest an event with options for different experience levels, although the atmosphere, course and services will depend on how the race day is ultimately arranged.

The confirmed information makes it possible to mark Dec. 27, 2026, and note the planned 5K and 10K road races. The rest requires a specific announcement: start time, exact location, course, registration, fees and any parallel activities. Details from 2025 provide useful context, but they do not replace information for the new edition.

With those limits in mind, the event looks set to be one of Badalona’s late-December running options. The difference between a preliminary listing and reliable planning lies in checking details that can change from year to year. The date and distances place the race on the calendar; the updated rules will show how it unfolds on the streets.