Sierra de Gata’s first ultra gets a date and route

Plan your race pace

The first edition of the Sierra de Gata Ultra 100K will take place on April 10, 2027, starting and finishing in Perales del Puerto, in Cáceres province. The event will offer a 100-kilometre ultra and a 20-kilometre trail race, and registration has opened, according to information released at the race’s official presentation.

The project aims to do more than add another event to the calendar: it sets out to showcase the region through its paths, towns and landscapes. The long course will pass through places including Villasbuenas de Gata, Gata, Villamiel and Hoyos, as well as mountain sections and historic trails. For runners, the appeal lies in combining an ultra-distance challenge with a journey through a region with a strong local identity.

A new race with a date and two distances

The event was unveiled at the Centro Social Integrado in Perales del Puerto, where organizers announced that it will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2027. The program includes two routes: a 100-kilometre ultra and a 20-kilometre trail race. The organizers are planning both a long-distance challenge and a shorter option, with both taking place in the mountainous surroundings of Sierra de Gata.

The longer race is the project’s centrepiece and gives the event its name. Covering 100 kilometres means managing effort over many hours, not simply maintaining a pace: terrain, nutrition, hydration, sleep and accumulated experience can all matter as much as speed. The 20-kilometre option broadens the event to include runners seeking a shorter mountain outing, although full technical details have not yet been provided in the available information.

Registration opened during the launch event. The published information does not include entry prices, registration deadlines or participant limits, so those details should be checked through official channels before arranging travel or calculating the full cost. Secondary schedules and services should not be assumed final unless they have been clearly announced.

Perales del Puerto, the start and centre of race day

Perales del Puerto will host the start and finish of the main distance. The available race listing gives Avenida de Extremadura as the location and states a 6 a.m. start for the 100-kilometre race. Since this is the inaugural edition, those details are particularly useful for planning travel, accommodation and support, though it remains sensible to check for operational updates closer to race day.

An early start is common in ultra-distance events: it makes the most of daylight and allows runners to spread their effort before the day advances. April brings more daylight than the winter months, but mountain mornings can still be cool, and conditions may vary between valleys and higher ground. The date alone cannot predict the weather; a useful forecast will only be available in the days before the event.

The town also gives the experience a clear focal point. Unlike major city races, which tend to stay on avenues and in densely populated areas, this event is built around small villages, tracks and trails. Starting and finishing in the same municipality gives runners and supporters a familiar meeting point, while the route through other towns spreads the event across the region and may bring it closer to local residents.

A route linking villages and mountains

Available information describes a 100-kilometre course that starts and finishes in Perales del Puerto and crosses several parts of Sierra de Gata. Named locations include Villasbuenas de Gata, Gata, Puerto Castilla, Jálama, Villamiel and Hoyos. Together, they suggest a journey through northwestern Cáceres, where inhabited places alternate with wooded areas, mountain paths and routes between ridges.

Those place names help explain the race’s regional character, but they are not a substitute for an official map. The available information is not enough to identify every turn, checkpoint or section of the route precisely, and elevation figures published in different listings do not match. For that reason, it would be unreliable to present one elevation profile as definitive. The course profile, measured distance, aid stations and cut-off times should be checked in the official race documents.

On an ultra, knowing the course is part of preparation, not a minor mapping detail. The distance between towns, the surface and the distribution of climbs can change how a runner approaches each hour. A forest track may allow a steady stride; a rocky trail or sustained climb calls for a more measured pace and careful energy management. In Sierra de Gata, the interest is not only in completing 100 kilometres, but in moving through a landscape that combines mountains and rural life.

The landscape and identity of Sierra de Gata

Sierra de Gata lies in northwestern Cáceres province, near the borders with Salamanca and Portugal. The region brings together villages with traditional architecture, valleys, forests and paths that have historically connected its communities. That mix gives the event a setting unlike a closed-loop course: runners travel through a lived-in landscape, with changing scenery and cultural landmarks along the way.

The race presentation highlighted nature, villages and the character of the area as central to the event’s identity. A documentary about an earlier Edition 0 was also screened. That preliminary outing covered 100 kilometres to test the project’s feasibility and showcase the route. That trial explains how the initiative began, but it should not be confused with the 2027 official race, which will be the first edition open to the public as a competitive event.

The appeal of a mountain race can also be measured by what lies beyond the clock. The villages along a route, the feel of a track underfoot and the transition from woodland to an open hillside create an experience that is difficult to reproduce on an urban course. At the same time, that connection to the land requires care: following race instructions, leaving no litter and respecting trails are part of running in a shared natural environment.

What is known and what still needs confirmation

The confirmed details so far are the date, the start and finish town, and the two announced distances. Information also gives a 6 a.m. start for the ultra and a location on Avenida de Extremadura in Perales del Puerto. The final elevation, entry price, aid-station locations and schedule for the shorter race are not consistently confirmed in the available material, so they should not be treated as settled facts.

The variation in published elevation figures deserves attention. Some listings mention about 2,718 metres of ascent; others cite 5,436 metres of accumulated elevation or around 6,000 metres of total elevation change. These figures are not necessarily equivalent: positive elevation gain adds the climbs, while accumulated elevation may use a different calculation or refer to ascents and descents together. Until organizers publish the definitive technical profile, comparing those numbers as though they describe the same thing can be misleading.

It is also worth distinguishing the confirmed race date from the administrative status of other event details. Registration has been announced, but the regulations, mandatory kit, outside assistance rules, cut-off times and change policy are not included in the available information. For a 100-kilometre race, those conditions can significantly affect preparation, so they should be read in the official rules when they are published.

A new event on the trail calendar

The arrival of a 100-kilometre race gives Sierra de Gata a place in the mountain-running calendar and a chance to raise the region’s profile. The event could bring athletes, supporters and visitors together around a day that crosses several towns. Its wider impact will depend on participation, organization and how well the race fits its surroundings, but the launch has introduced a proposal with both sporting and regional dimensions.

For anyone considering the long course, the challenge cannot be reduced to the round figure of 100 kilometres. An ultra calls for progressive experience, practice on similar terrain and the ability to manage discomfort and fatigue; training should suit each individual, and there is no single schedule that works for everyone. The 20-kilometre option is shorter, but it remains a mountain race and may include elevation and uneven ground.

April 10, 2027, will mark the event’s official debut in Perales del Puerto. Until then, the detailed route and participation rules will be essential to understanding the challenge each distance presents. The first edition will test both the runners’ endurance and the event’s ability to tell the story of Sierra de Gata through its trails: a journey in which the landscape is not a backdrop, but a central part of the course.