The charity climb to the Ermitas gets its 2026 date

Plan your race pace

The Córdoba race that brings running together with organ donation awareness already has a date for 2026: it will take place on Sunday, Dec. 13, in Córdoba. The event takes runners from the city to the Ermitas area in the hills, combining an urban start with a demanding climb. The date is confirmed in the available information, although the start time, entry fee and specific route for this edition have not yet been provided.

The event is associated with Club Deportivo Amigos del Coche Escoba and a campaign highlighting the value of donation and transplantation. The previous documented edition attracted about 600 runners and covered 13.5 kilometers with 513 meters of elevation gain. Those figures help explain the nature of the race, but should not be treated as final for 2026 until the organizers publish updated conditions.

Confirmed date, with details still pending

The calendar places the next edition on Dec. 13, 2026, keeping the race in the final stretch of the year and within the period when it has traditionally been held. However, the available information does not include an official start time for this edition. In 2025, the race started at 10 a.m., but automatically carrying that time over to the new year would confuse a previous schedule with a confirmed one.

There is also no information on the entry fee, registration opening, bib limit, or pickup dates and locations. The 2025 information said places sold out within hours of going on sale, a sign of interest that does not establish when registration for 2026 will open or how many places will be available. The cost and availability should be considered pending until the entry rules for this edition are published.

The race is associated with the Córdoba sports club Amigos del Coche Escoba. In previous years, the Asociación Amigos de las Ermitas, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía and Córdoba Municipal Sports Institute also collaborated. That history helps explain the event’s community character, but the 2026 partners and program are not detailed in the available information.

A race linking the city with the hills

The route described for the 2025 edition started on Ronda de los Tejares and finished at the Ermitas, after crossing urban areas and gaining elevation toward the Córdoba hills. The published distance was 13.5 kilometers, a course longer than a short fun run and one that calls for saving energy for the climb. An uphill finish changes the effort compared with a flat course: pace means something different once the gradient begins to bite.

That edition’s route passed through central streets including Colón, Acera de Guerrita and Llanos del Pretorio before heading toward El Brillante. From there, it continued along the CO-110 road to Lagar de la Cruz, then followed the CV-79 toward the Ermitas. The sequence describes a course that leaves urban pavement and gradually enters a hilly landscape, although it does not confirm that the same roads or direction will be used in 2026.

The previous edition listed 513 meters of elevation gain. That is significant over a 13.5-kilometer race: it makes the climb central to the experience and means managing effort matters as much as the opening pace. The first urban kilometers may tempt runners to go faster than is sensible if the 2026 course keeps a similar profile. Difficulty depends on total elevation gain and how it is distributed, details that only an updated official course profile can clarify.

What to expect from the physical challenge

A distance of 13.5 kilometers may seem manageable to someone who runs regularly, but elevation and a sustained climb change how it feels. On uphill terrain, every stride demands more muscular work and heart rate can rise even as the pace per mile slows. The race is therefore not designed as a fast-course time trial, but as an endurance effort shaped by the gradient.

Experience on hilly routes helps runners recognize when to shorten their stride and maintain a sustainable effort. On a long climb, pushing too hard at the start can leave little in reserve for the final section; briefly walking on a steep slope is not the same as giving up, but can be a reasonable way to conserve energy. These are general guidelines: training should match each runner’s fitness and does not replace professional assessment when health problems are involved.

The historical figure of 513 meters of elevation gain offers an initial guide, but it is not enough to estimate the difficulty precisely. Maximum gradient, the distribution of climbs, the surface, weather and time limit all matter. December may bring cool temperatures or rain, conditions that affect how the air feels and how well shoes grip. The 2026 course profile and rules will be needed to assess the actual challenge.

The charitable message behind the race bibs

The race does more than connect two points in Córdoba. Its awareness goal is to support organ donation and highlight how transplants can offer a chance of life to people with serious illnesses. In previous editions, the official race shirt carried the message Give life, donate organs, and the event had support from Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía and transplant associations. The charitable cause is part of the race’s identity, not a decorative addition to the course.

That connection also explains activities and support beyond the clock. The 2025 information mentioned live music during the event, volunteers along the route and a technical shirt for registered runners. The work of those who guide participants, cover crossings and keep the race moving is particularly visible on a course stretching from the city into the hills. Safety and the event’s smooth operation also depend on organizers and volunteers.

Organ donation is a personal decision managed within a regulated and coordinated health system; a popular race does not replace medical information or official procedures. Its contribution is different: keeping the subject present in public life and linking it with a participatory activity. The value of that collective gesture is not measured in minutes or finishing places. The message reaches runners and spectators as the event moves through the city.

Services and atmosphere described in the previous edition

In 2025, a bus service was provided to take runners from the finish area back toward the city, a practical solution because the start and finish were in different places. The organizers also announced physiotherapists and the traditional hot broth served at the finish by Asociación Amigos de las Ermitas. These details help picture the event logistics, but they have not been confirmed for the 2026 race.

Return transport matters in a point-to-point race: runners finishing at an elevated location cannot assume they can walk back to the start without adding considerable effort. Before registering, it is worth checking whether the service will continue, where it departs, when it operates and whether a reservation is required. The same applies to finish-line care and any bag drop. Services offered in a previous edition should not be assumed to carry over without an updated announcement.

The previous edition also reported prizes for the top finishers in the men’s and women’s categories, along with a technical shirt for participants. It set seven categories for each sex and a minimum age of 18. Those conditions can change, so it is not sensible to assume they will be repeated without checking the 2026 rules. Age requirements, categories and prizes must be set out in the current regulations.

Registration, preparation and useful checks

The reference information does not confirm that 2026 registration is open or publish an entry fee. It also provides no bib collection schedule. For the 2025 edition, bibs were collected at a Córdoba store over several days and at the start area on race morning, but that procedure belongs to last year and does not establish how bibs will be distributed in 2026. The rules and official registration channel should clarify these points when published.

Before committing to a race of this kind, it makes sense to check the official distance, elevation profile, time limit, any required equipment and cancellation terms. On a hilly race, shoes should fit securely and have a sole suited to the announced terrain; it is not possible to recommend a particular model without knowing the final surface. It is also worth considering how to get back from the finish and what to wear while standing at elevation after running. Logistics are part of preparation, especially on a point-to-point course.

Training can gradually include hills, alternating uphill sections with easy runs and recovery. For runners unused to climbs, increasing the workload abruptly raises the risk of strain, particularly in the calves and thighs. Being able to talk comfortably during some training runs is often a more useful guide than chasing flat-road pace. A gradual build is more appropriate than immediately trying to replicate the race’s demands.

Córdoba, December and a different kind of finish

The course’s distinctive feature is its changing setting. The race starts on city streets and heads toward higher ground, so the landscape accompanies the effort and signals that the finish is getting closer. In the urban section, the noise of spectators and music may give way to a more open, exposed feeling as the route approaches the hills. The setting is part of the sporting experience, even though the exact 2026 course has yet to be confirmed.

The Dec. 13 date places the event at a time of year when mornings can be cold and conditions can change quickly. Temperature is not the only factor: wind and rain affect both comfort and safety, especially on exposed and uphill sections. Choosing clothing that allows runners to manage heat and checking the forecast before setting out are sensible measures, in line with the organizers’ instructions. Weather can change a race without changing a single mile of the course.

The finish at the Ermitas, high on the route described, contrasts with the usual finish line on a closed city circuit. It marks the end of a climb that requires careful pacing and acceptance that the clock does not tell the whole story. For participants, a finishing time can coexist with the event’s collective purpose; for spectators, the race offers a sporting gathering tied to a health cause. The finish brings together individual effort and charitable purpose.

An event whose next edition still needs to fill in the details

The firmest information about 2026 is the date: Sunday, Dec. 13, in Córdoba. The race is associated with organ donation awareness and has a previous edition documented at 13.5 kilometers with 513 meters of elevation gain, starting on Ronda de los Tejares and finishing at the Ermitas. Those earlier details describe the nature of the event, but do not replace an official announcement of the new route.

The start time, entry fee, registration opening, number of bibs, categories and services remain unconfirmed. It is also unclear whether the 2025 route will be retained and whether there will be return transport, physiotherapy or finish-line refreshments. Distinguishing confirmed information from historical details prevents confusion and allows runners to assess the event using reliable information.

The Córdoba climb has an appeal that goes beyond distance: it turns an urban hill race into a public reminder of donation and transplantation. When the 2026 rules are published, practical details will complete the picture without assigning conditions from previous years to the new edition. In the meantime, the date puts a day on the calendar when running and sharing a message of life follow the same route.