Sgrail 100 Girona: route, distances, and key points of the event

Plan your race pace

SGRAIL 100 Girona does not fit neatly into the label of a classic triathlon or a stage race. Its hallmark is combining 1.5 km of open-water swimming, a long gravel bike segment, and a run finish over mixed terrain, with the start in Cadaqués and the finish in Girona. The result is an endurance event with an adventurous feel, closer to a sporting crossing than to a conventional competition.

The 2026 edition maintains a very well-defined format: a total course of about 100 km in individual mode, with participation limited to 400 spots and a planned start at 09:00. The combination of sea, gravel tracks, road sections, and trails turns this event into a very particular showcase of the Girona coast and inland areas, with a profile that alternates beauty and toughness without concessions.

A format that blends disciplines and territory

The event was born with a logic very different from that of road triathlons or urban duathlons. Here, geography sets the rules. The swim takes place in the bay of Cadaqués, the cycling segment links Cadaqués and Celrà crossing the Empordà plain and the most technical areas around Cap de Creus, and the final run connects Celrà with Girona along paths in the Gavarres massif. It is a design meant to make the landscape part of the effort, almost like a second race clock.

That approach explains why the event has earned a singular reputation within the endurance calendar. There is no monotony of identical kilometers; there are changes in surface, pace, and temperature. The swim demands calm and orientation, the bike rewards reading the terrain, and the run requires a final reserve of legs that often runs out before reaching Girona. The logic of effort changes in each sector, and that is precisely what gives it identity.

The human setting also matters. The organizers present the event as an experience with a festive atmosphere, a mix of sport and community that moves between the coast and the city. The race is not just about covering a distance, but about offering an experience with logistical sections, transfers, and transitions that are part of the story. In that sense, the event resembles more a brief, controlled expedition than a typical mass-start race.

This is the course: sea, gravel, and trails

The first sector starts at Platja Gran, in Cadaqués, with a 1,500-meter swim and a maximum limit of 59 minutes. The start time is listed at 09:00 and the arrival of the first man and first woman is estimated at around 09:19 and 09:23, respectively, according to the available reference. In October, the water usually sits between moderate and cool temperatures, with averages around 18.5 °C, a fact that makes choosing the wetsuit and managing the first effort especially important.

Then comes the section that most defines the event’s character: a 86.4 km bike segment with around 1,200 meters of positive elevation gain. The organizers describe this segment as a GPS route with no markings, with support at specific points and passage through technical and faster-rolling areas. The recommendation of 38 to 40 mm tires for technical profiles and 45 mm for those who prefer more stability sums up the nature of the terrain well: real gravel, not a disguised road.

The run finish adds about 10.5 km, although the communicated actual course is around 10 km, with 320 meters of positive elevation gain and the same total descent. The start is from Torre desvern, in Celrà, and the finish is at La Comuna, Girona. The route combines mountain paths and more open stretches of the Gavarres massif, with an aid station at Sant Miquel castle, halfway through the segment. In a race, that final stretch usually feels shorter than it is: fatigue distorts distance, and every climb weighs twice as much.

Logistics are also part of the event

One of the most practical features of the event is that the organizers provide bike transport between Girona and Cadaqués, and between Celrà and Girona. That is no small detail, because it simplifies the transport puzzle that linear races often create. Services such as personalized race numbers, timing, aid stations, route support, emergency points, transition areas, and toilets are also provided, elements that reduce logistical friction in an event of this type.

The logistics make more sense when viewed through the day’s schedule. The departure bus to Cadaqués is listed at 06:30 from Girona, arrival at Platja Gran is around 08:00, and preparation for the first sector takes place from 08:00 to 08:45. In a race like this, arriving rested matters as much as arriving prepared; the day’s script is long, and the clock starts running long before the starting gun.

There is also a very clear time limit in each segment. The swim must be completed by 09:59, the bike by 15:49, and the run by 17:59. Those barriers outline the margin for maneuver on race day and underline the event’s overall demands. It is not enough to survive one segment; you have to link three disciplines without breaking the rhythm of the day.

Support points and the value of detail

On the bike leg, there are two relevant aid stations: Castelló d’Empúries, at kilometer 34.2, and Jafre, at kilometer 68. The organizers mention water, isotonic drinks, and sweet and savory products, a basic but effective setup for sustaining a multi-hour race. In the swim segment, support is concentrated in the transition, with drinks, food, showers, timing, and an emergency point. Simplicity here does not detract; on the contrary, it avoids noise and keeps the focus on racing.

In the final stretch, the intermediate support point is located at Sant Miquel castle, a place that adds a mental reference point to a phase already heavily punished by accumulated fatigue. When an event links disciplines, aid stations and checkpoints are not just material resources: they also organize the mind. A sign, a table, or a distance reference can matter more than a power curve when the body starts negotiating every meter.

The weather reference also helps explain the type of effort involved. In October, Cadaqués and Girona have a pleasant climate in absolute terms, but one that is variable enough to change how the day feels. On the coast, highs hover around 25 °C and averages are close to 18 °C; in Girona, the range dips slightly and the lows can feel cool. That transition from sea to inland, almost like moving from a Mediterranean postcard to a mountain afternoon, adds another nuance to the experience.

What kind of participant is best suited to this event

SGRAIL 100 does not seem designed for someone looking for a uniform, predictable competition. Its layout favors athletes with experience in combined events, the ability to read terrain, and a certain comfort with tactical uncertainty. The swim opens the day, but it does not define it entirely; the gravel segment determines much of the outcome, and the final run separates those who managed the effort well from those who paid the price of overreaching.

The difficulty profile circulating in the event references describes it as intermediate or advanced, depending on the source consulted, and as a hilly route with enough elevation changes to break the rhythm. That description matches the real experience this kind of event usually delivers: it is not just about piling up volume, but about managing sudden changes in surface, technical sections, and a progressive wear that punishes improvisation.

There is also a strong mental component. The fact that the cycling is a GPS route with no markings requires constant attention, with no long distractions or easy autopilot. Add to that the open surroundings, where the sea may seem gentle at first and the gravel turns the day into a sequence of small decisions. In events like this, navigation is part of the effort, not a footnote.

Girona and the Costa Brava’s sporting identity

Girona has long occupied a prominent place on the European map of cycling and endurance, and SGRAIL 100 draws on that territorial capital to build its own experience. The connection between Cadaqués, Empordà, the Gavarres massif, and the city of Girona offers a very powerful visual narrative: open sea at dawn, gravel tracks in mid-morning, and trail paths with a woodland feel at the end of the day. That sequence has something cinematic about it, but without artifice.

The added value of the event is not just scenic. There is also a broader sporting reading, because the race brings together different ways of moving across the territory and requires resolving them in a single day. Open-water swimming rewards orientation and calm; the bike demands control of tires, cadence, and traction; the run calls for economy on the climbs and a cool head to avoid burning what little remains. It is a competition of complex sum, where each discipline leaves a different mark.

That is why the event name has become more than just a commercial label. It works as a signal for those seeking hybrid challenges, and as a draw for those who want a race that feels different from the first meter. Girona’s geographic setting is not just scenery; it structures the difficulty, sets the aesthetics, and gives meaning to the concept.

Dates, spots, and useful information for the 2026 edition

The clearest reference for the 2026 edition places the event between 16 and 18 October, with the main competition day set for 18 October 2026. The start is fixed at 09:00 and the field is limited to 400 participants. That cap on entries reinforces the feeling of a contained event, closer to a select experience than to a mass gathering.

The price listed in the reference information starts at 265 euros, although registration availability and status may vary depending on when it is checked. The documentation analyzed also mentions registration opening for later dates, suggesting a strongly edition-based management and demand controlled through limited spots. In this kind of event, the number of places is not just a figure; it also defines the organization’s pace and the scale of the race-day community.

The event structure is completed by legal notices, contact information, and organizer references, with Klassmark appearing as the name linked to the event in one of the reference listings and Plan A GmbH in the website documentation reviewed. Beyond the administrative detail, what matters for the athlete is that the event is presented as a highly organized experience, with a closed course, differentiated segments, and services designed to support a long day.

An event measured as much in kilometers as in memory

There are races that are remembered for the final time and others that stay with you because of the sequence of images. SGRAIL 100 Girona clearly belongs to the second group. The dawn on the coast, the tense calm of the swim, the rattling of the gravel, the final run climb, and the finish in Girona make up a short, intense film that is hard to repeat with the same script. The memory of the event is built in layers, not just by stopwatches.

That quality explains its appeal within the world of endurance events. It offers not one isolated discipline, but a complete narrative thread between the Mediterranean and the city, between logistical precision and physical adventure. It stands as an event for anyone looking for more than a result: an experience where the territory does not accompany the race, but writes it. And in sport, few things leave such a clear mark as running, riding, and swimming with the landscape pushing from every side.