Trail dels Fars Nocturna 2024: route and schedules

Plan your race pace

The night race that links the Favàritx lighthouse with Mahón has become one of the most recognizable images of Balearic trail running: headlamp switched on, the sea on one side, rock underfoot, and a coastal path that changes completely when the light fades. Against that backdrop unfolds an event that is part of the Illa dels Trails league and combines the appeal of the Camí de Cavalls with the added attraction of running at night in Menorca.

The edition held on September 28, 2024 was divided into two distances, one of 23 kilometers and another of 13, with a shared finish at the San Isidro Military Base in Mahón. The first started at 20:00 from Favàritx and the second at 21:00 from Es Grau; both required specific gear, respect for the environment, and a smart management of effort, because darkness here is not scenery but part of the test.

A route that changes character as night falls

The Camí de Cavalls is the great thread running through this race. The course makes use of one of Menorca’s most emblematic trails, the coastal ring that embraces the island and, in this case, becomes a corridor between cliffs, rocky sections, technical passages, and more open areas toward the interior. By day it is already imposing; by night, with your head reduced to the white beam of the headlamp, it gains an almost cinematic dimension.

The longer start, 23 kilometers, set off from the Favàritx lighthouse, a setting that sums up the character of the race very well: bare landscape, clear horizon, and a coast that seems carved by wind. From there, the route linked up with the trail until the San Isidro Military Base, with a stated positive elevation gain of 600 meters in the course information. The popular 13-kilometer version started from Es Grau and shared the finish, allowing the organizers to offer two different experiences within the same sporting story.

The geometry of the course matters as much as the landscape. It is not just about distance, but about how the effort is distributed across terrain that punishes any lapse in concentration. Rocky sections demand secure footing, changes in surface break the rhythm, and nighttime stretches require reading the ground with almost artisanal attention. In trail running, muscle memory matters; here, visual memory of the path matters too, because the reference changes when the coast goes dark.

Two distances, two ways of reading the island

The 23-kilometer race is the one that captures the event in its fullest form. The start in Favàritx at 20:00 brings the runner into a long night, with a finish reached after hours of sustained effort and an unmistakable technical demand. The rules themselves set a 4-hour time limit, with intermediate cutoffs in Es Grau at 2 hours and in Sa Mesquida at 3 hours, clearly showing that the organizers did not intend a scenic stroll but a race with genuine course control.

The 13-kilometer distance had a more accessible profile, though by no means an easy one. It started at 21:00 from Es Grau and shared the finish at San Isidro. It was the popular option in the program, less prolonged but equally nocturnal, where the headlamp, hydration, and terrain management remain decisive. In Menorca, shorter length does not mean less attention; the trail is still there, equally exposed to the relief, the wind, and loose rock.

The key point is that both races were designed for different audiences, even if they shared the same philosophy: running with the sea beside you and the night ahead. The long race rewards endurance and a cool head; the short one, the ability to maintain a lively pace without losing technical precision. That duality explains much of the format’s success, because it prevents the event from being limited to a single runner profile.

Schedules, starts, and logistics on an island that requires planning

The logistics of the Trail dels Fars Nocturna are not a minor detail. The organizers provided buses from the parking area at the San Isidro Base to the start lines, leaving at 19:00 for the 23-kilometer race and at 20:15 for the 13-kilometer popular race. In an island event, with controlled access and a sensitive natural setting, this coordination avoids improvisation and reduces the race’s impact on the environment.

Bib pickup was concentrated on the same Saturday between 13:00 and 18:00 at Biosport Marítimo, in the port of Mahón. A digital briefing was also made available in advance, along with a short review just before the start, a formula that reduces crowding and keeps the focus on useful information: mandatory gear, conduct on the course, aid stations, and environmental respect rules. In a night race, any delay or oversight weighs more than usual.

The shared finish at San Isidro served as the event’s center of gravity. There, the trophy presentation, final check, and much of the finish-line atmosphere came together, with runners arriving from the trail with dust-stained legs, headlamps still on, and that highly recognizable mix of relief and satisfaction. In night races, the end always seems brighter than the beginning.

Mandatory gear and rules that set the tone of the race

The regulations were very clear on one essential point: in a race of this kind, you cannot show up with the bare minimum improvised. The organizers required a hydration system with a minimum capacity of 0.50 liters, a windbreaker or rain jacket, a headlamp limited to 50 lumens and 50 meters of range, a rear red light, a mobile phone with credit and battery, a thermal blanket, bib number, and chip. Gear checks were also carried out before the start.

The emphasis on the headlamp makes sense. It was not just about lighting the ground, but doing so without exceeding a power level that would alter the race experience or affect coexistence with other participants. Added to this was the obligation to carry gel and bar wrappers marked with the bib number, a measure designed to make control easier and, above all, to reinforce individual responsibility within a very fragile natural environment.

The environmental rules were strict: do not leave the marked course, do not shout, avoid stepping on vegetation, and do not leave any kind of waste. Outside assistance was also not allowed except at the designated points. The spirit of the race is not limited to performance; it also speaks to how one runs in a place that demands respect. On an island where the coastline is living heritage, each runner becomes, if only for a few hours, a guardian of the trail.

Registration, prices, and participation conditions

Registration opened on February 5, 2024 at 18:00 and closed on September 1 or when all available spots were filled. The regulations described a tiered pricing system tied to the total number of entrants, with an initial block of 200 places, a second up to 350, and a third up to the planned 500. For the 23-kilometer half marathon, fees were set at 22 euros, 35 euros, and 45 euros depending on the tier; for the 13-kilometer popular race, at 15 euros, 25 euros, and 35 euros.

The race also included one-day insurance for those not affiliated with the Balearic Athletics Federation, with a cost of 5 euros. In addition, bib transfers and distance changes had specific deadlines and surcharges: 15 euros for the transfer and 10 euros for the category change, provided there were places available and the request was made within the established deadline. These details, in the end, show an organization that tried to manage the participant flow with fairly precise criteria.

The minimum age was also set: 18 years for the long race and 16 for the popular one, in this case with parental authorization. In a night race on coastal trails, that limit is not a bureaucratic formality but a prudence measure. The demands of the terrain, the time of day, and the duration mean that sporting maturity matters as much as physical condition.

Aid stations, checkpoints, and rules designed to avoid excess

Aid stations were placed at three points along the course, offering water, sports drink, food, and fruit. The organizers also warned that there would be no cups, so each runner had to carry their own container. That decision, now common in mountain and trail races, reduces waste and requires a small extra level of discipline that has become part of the modern language of the sport.

The race included online tracking through timing points, a gear drop service, medical support, and a finisher’s medal. Chip-based checkpoints were also established, so that every split time would be recorded. In a nighttime setting with multiple starts, that technical control is important not only for classification, but also to ensure that each participant completes the correct route without shortcuts or navigation errors.

Penalties for breaking the rules were scaled but unambiguous. Leaving the course, littering, not wearing the bib correctly, or receiving outside help could result in penalties or even disqualification. This is not a race designed to find loopholes; on the contrary, the organizational message was clear: compete, yes, but without breaking the logic of the event or the landscape that supports it.

Why this race has special value within Balearic trail running

Menorca offers a rare combination of beauty and character. Trail running here is not fed by great altitude or endless climbs, but by a jagged coastline, technical trails, and a very direct relationship with the sea. The Trail dels Fars Nocturna takes advantage of that context and pushes it further by choosing the night as its main stage. It is not gratuitous staging; it is a way of rewriting the territory through the runner’s experience.

The race also fits a clear trend in modern trail running: formats that blend local identity, unusual schedules, and distances manageable for a broad audience. The island already had other events within Illa dels Trails, and this night race added a different nuance to the calendar. Where other races seek extreme toughness, this one builds a more subtle difficulty, based on attention, mental navigation, and managing fatigue in a visually hypnotic environment.

The result is a race with its own personality. It has the echo of the lighthouse, the texture of the coastal trail, and the tension of a start under darkness. It also carries an emotional component that is hard to measure: running along the edge of an island, with the sound of the sea nearby and the headlamp cutting through meters of ground, leaves a mark that goes beyond the clock. In Menorca, night does not erase the landscape; it makes it sharper.

What a night of trail running between Favàritx and Mahón leaves behind

The Trail dels Fars Nocturna is not understood only as a competition, but as a territorial experience. Its route, schedules, and rules all respond to the same idea: running in a valuable environment requires precision, discipline, and a certain humility. The island is not offered for free; it is traveled, listened to, and respected as the light slowly fades.

That is probably the trait that best defines it. The race does not need embellishment to be appealing: it has a start at one of Menorca’s most iconic lighthouses, a finish in Mahón, and two distances that capture the diversity of modern trail running quite well. Whoever puts on the headlamp to take the start enters a script already written by the coast, the wind, and the rock. The merit, in the end, is in following it without breaking it.

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