The mountain race in Santa Cruz del Valle has a date

Plan your race pace

The next edition of Trail Pajarero is scheduled for May 1, 2027. The event is set to take place in Santa Cruz del Valle, a town in the province of Ávila, although there is not yet enough information to confirm the full programme, start times or entry fees.

The most recent available information describes an event with several distance options, including mountain races and a walking route. Those details relate to the 2026 edition and offer an indication of the event’s format, but they should not be treated as confirmed for 2027 until organizers publish information for the new edition.

Date and town confirmed for the next edition

The information provided for the 2027 edition lists Saturday, May 1, as the race date and Santa Cruz del Valle as the host town. The municipality is in Ávila, in the Castile and León region. The date places the event in the spring calendar, but it does not yet clarify when each distance will start or the exact locations of the start and finish.

Knowing the date is not the same as having a complete event guide, particularly for people arranging travel. Without start times, a precise start location, bib pickup details or cutoff times, it is not yet possible to make firm travel plans. The date is the solid piece of information currently available; the rest needs to be checked once the official programme is published.

Registration status also remains unconfirmed. The available information does not include a verifiable entry fee or opening and closing dates, so prices from previous editions or nearby races should not be used as a guide. Those details affect both budgeting and planning, especially for participants travelling from outside the province.

Distances offered in the previous edition

Information published for 2026 listed three options: a 23-kilometre mountain race, an 11-kilometre race and a 9-kilometre walking event. The range offered different levels of challenge, from a longer race with greater physical demands to a shorter, noncompetitive activity. However, there is no confirmation yet that all three options will return in 2027.

Elevation figures associated with those distances vary across the available listings. The long course is shown with about 1,300 metres of elevation gain in one 2026 listing and 1,350 metres in results from the 2025 edition. The difference may reflect route changes, measurement methods or data from different platforms. Without an official 2027 course profile, it would be unwise to present a single figure as definitive.

The 2026 short course was listed with 650 metres of elevation gain over 11 kilometres, while the 9-kilometre walk was shown with 400 metres. These figures describe a past edition, not a promise about the next route. Elevation can greatly change a course’s difficulty: two events of the same length can demand very different efforts depending on the gradients, terrain and distribution of climbs.

A mountain race with options for different ability levels

The event’s name and earlier listings place it in trail running, a discipline that combines running with natural terrain. In these events, distance alone cannot predict the effort involved: narrow paths, changing surfaces and long climbs can make the pace much slower than on a road race. The route profile and surface matter as much as the mileage.

The 23-kilometre race in 2026 came with substantial elevation gain, suggesting an event that called for mountain-running experience and preparation suited to climbs and descents. That is guidance based on previous data, not a definitive description of the 2027 route. Organizers would still need to publish the course track, elevation profile and participation rules for the next edition.

The 11-kilometre distance may have offered a shorter alternative, although 650 metres of elevation gain is still a notable challenge over that distance. A short mountain race is not necessarily an easy one: gradients, descending technique and uneven ground can make it demanding in a concentrated period. Choosing a distance should take elevation and terrain into account, alongside personal experience.

The walking event broadens the programme

The 2026 edition included a 9-kilometre walk with 400 metres of elevation gain. It made room for participants who preferred to explore the area on foot rather than race. It has not been confirmed whether this activity will return in 2027, or whether it will keep the same distance, elevation gain or place in the schedule.

A walking event shares the setting and landscape of a mountain race, but it should not be confused with a competitive category. The pace is different, and practical needs can vary too, from equipment to estimated duration. If it remains on the programme, participants will need to check whether companions may join, what participation rules apply and whether the walk starts on the same day as the races.

The 2026 listing scheduled the walk for the day after the two races, while general information for that edition listed May 2 for the 23- and 11-kilometre events. That detail cannot automatically be carried over to 2027: the next edition is scheduled for May 1, but the schedule for each event has not been specified. The split across days requires explicit confirmation.

What has yet to be announced

The date and town identify the event, but they do not answer the usual practical questions. There is no confirmed start time, start and finish address, registration process, participant limit or entry fee. Information on aid stations, categories, race rules, available services and refund policies is also missing.

The route is another essential detail still to come. In a mountain race, a map and elevation profile help participants assess the difficulty and see where the climbs are concentrated. They also help distinguish the actual distance from the event’s headline distance and identify technical sections. Until an updated course is published, the 2026 distances and elevation figures should be treated as background information, not as details for the next edition.

The same caution applies to results and any sporting points. A results platform identified the 2025 long race as a 23-kilometre event with 1,350 metres of elevation gain and published results for that edition, but this does not establish which awards, categories or scoring systems will apply in 2027. Each edition may introduce changes and needs its own documentation.

No official event domain or verifiable registration channel appears in the available information. Before paying or sharing personal data, participants should check that an announcement comes from the organizers and that its terms apply to the 2027 edition. The absence of a published fee does not mean registration is free; it means that the figure has not yet been confirmed.

How to read the information without mixing editions

Race listings draw on calendars, results platforms and directories that do not always update at the same pace. One page may retain the elevation figures from a previous edition while another already shows a new date. That is why race information should be read with the year and event category clearly in mind, rather than treated as a permanent profile.

In this case, the available listings show that the event has been held in Santa Cruz del Valle and provide information from 2025 and 2026, as well as a date for 2027. They do not establish that the route will be identical or that the same number of events will be offered. Separating confirmed details from historical information helps avoid false expectations about distance, elevation or the walking event’s schedule.

For experienced mountain runners, figures from earlier editions can provide general context, as long as they are understood as historical estimates. For people considering their first trail race, however, the published distance is not enough to make a decision. The profile, terrain, cutoff time and mandatory equipment can change the experience completely and should be known before signing up.

A spring event awaiting its final programme

Santa Cruz del Valle is set to appear on the mountain-running calendar on May 1, 2027, according to the date provided for the next edition. The town and date define a specific event, while the known distances from 2026 offer a clue to its character: several trail options and a walking event, with notable elevation gains on the routes.

The available information does not yet establish which events will return, what the course will look like or how much it will cost to take part. Start times and exact start and finish locations are also missing. The full picture will come with the publication of the 2027 rules and programme; until then, the most accurate approach is to distinguish the announced date from the details that remain pending.

This uncertainty does not make the event less interesting, but it does call for care when planning. A mountain race is truly defined by its route, elevation and conditions, not just its name or the distance used in a previous edition. In Santa Cruz del Valle, a date is now on the calendar; the final profile of the event is still to come.