XIV Zoquetes edition: date, distance and key details

Plan your race pace

Alcorisa will host the 14th edition of the Trail Zoquetes on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027, in a race organized by the Alcorisa Fondistas club. The start is listed for 8:30 a.m., and the information published for this edition gives the main course as 36 kilometers with 1,700 meters of positive elevation gain. The event takes place in Alcorisa, a municipality in Teruel province, Aragón.

The race is part of the winter mountain-running calendar and pairs a demanding distance with elevation that makes pacing and effort management important. Registration is scheduled to open at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2026, and close at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 19, according to the available information. The detailed route, entry fee and exact start location are not confirmed in the material reviewed, so they should be distinguished from the published date and distance.

Race date, start time and location

The event is set for Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027, in Alcorisa. The listed start time is 8:30 a.m. That places the race early in the day, although full details have not been provided about bib pickup, access opening times, schedules for other formats or the awards ceremony.

Alcorisa lies in the Bajo Aragón area of Teruel, where villages and country roads meet mountain terrain and wooded ground. For visitors, the municipality is a useful general reference, but it does not identify the start line address. The precise meeting point should be checked in the organizer’s information once the final event program is published.

The date falls in the heart of winter, a factor that can affect clothing, trail conditions and the time spent outdoors. Conditions can change from one day to the next in January; it is not possible to reliably predict temperature, rain, wind or mud for a future date. A forecast close to race day and official notices will be more useful than estimates made months ahead.

Distance and elevation: what the available figures show

The announced distance for the main race is 36 kilometers, with 1,700 meters of positive elevation gain. This is neither a short event nor a course that can be judged by distance alone: the accumulated climbing adds muscular strain and can make the race take considerably longer than an equivalent distance on flat ground.

The combination of distance and climbing puts the challenge among longer mountain races. Positive elevation gain is the total of the climbs, not the difference between the start and finish elevations. Two 36-kilometer routes can therefore demand very different efforts. Without an official elevation profile or segment details, it is not possible to tell where the climbs are concentrated or how the difficulty is distributed.

It is also important not to confuse the 2027 figures with those from earlier editions. One reference lists 1,800 meters of elevation gain for the 2025 race, while the figure published for the upcoming event is 1,700. Distances and elevation can change from one edition to another, so historical figures should not automatically be applied to a future race. For this edition, the available reference is 36 kilometers and 1,700 meters of climbing.

A race connected to the landscape around Alcorisa

The event takes place around Alcorisa, in northern Teruel province. A general description of earlier editions refers to trails and forest tracks and places part of the route in the Sierra de los Caballos. This is a rural mountain setting rather than an urban road circuit, although the exact route for 2027 has not yet been established in the published information.

This kind of terrain often brings changing surfaces and conditions: a wide track may allow runners to regain their rhythm, while a narrow path calls for constant attention to foot placement. Without a current map, elevation profile or technical description, specific sections, summit crossings or trail percentages should not be attributed to this edition. The landscape offers context; it is not a substitute for the official course.

The appeal of a mountain race in this area also comes from the connection between sport and place. Rural paths can pass through landscapes that, in winter, bring low-angle light, cool temperatures and ground conditions different from those in drier months. The experience will depend on both fitness and the actual course conditions, which will only be clear once the organizer provides updated details.

Registration and opening dates

The registration information reviewed lists an opening time of 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2026, and a closing time of 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 19. As of the current date, before the listed opening, registration is a future window. The published dates describe the planned schedule, but do not clarify whether it may change, whether there is a participant cap or whether entries could close early if places run out.

The race is associated with Alcorisa Fondistas, and the registration reference points to trailzoquetes.com. Before entering, runners should check the current conditions, available formats and participation requirements there. The entry fee is not included in the reference information, so no reliable price or comparison between entry periods can be given.

Registration pages often contain practical details that do not appear in calendar summaries: transfer policies, required documents, included services, bib pickup and withdrawal terms. None of those matters, nor the existence of additional distances, has been confirmed here. Registration dates alone do not settle every administrative detail; the event rules and edition-specific entry form can clarify them.

What is known about the course and what remains unclear

For now, the verifiable information establishes the municipality, date, start time, main distance and announced elevation gain. It does not provide a downloadable track, official elevation profile or aid-station locations. Checkpoints, cut-off times, age categories and mandatory equipment are also unspecified. Those details are essential to understanding the full course and should not be filled in through guesswork.

The 1,700 meters of climbing indicate the overall challenge, but do not reveal the gradient of the climbs, the difficulty of the descents or the balance between tracks and trails. A long gradual ascent is different from a succession of short, steep ramps; a technical descent can also be more taxing than a steady climb. Without the profile, a more detailed interpretation would be speculative.

When the rules are published, it will be worth checking whether the route retains the familiar references to forest tracks and trails, as well as the safety arrangements for a winter event. Weather, construction or environmental-protection needs can lead to changes in mountain races, although no such change has been announced for this edition. The latest course map and rules should take precedence over older descriptions.

The background of a long-running mountain event

The race name is tied to a long history in Teruel’s running calendar. The 2027 event is listed as the 14th edition, while previous descriptions present it as an established race and recall runners and hikers taking part in earlier years. This history helps explain its local roots, but it cannot predict participation or the format of the 2027 edition.

In previous years, the race has been described as an event bringing together running and hiking formats and as part of regional sports initiatives. The documentation for the 2027 edition does not confirm whether those formats, leagues or awards will continue. The safe assumption is that the main race will take place, not that every element of past editions will automatically return.

Local races often have a different scale from major city events: terrain and the host community shape much of the experience. In Alcorisa, a winter event may also help open the area’s annual mountain-running calendar, as historical descriptions have noted. The race’s sporting and local importance is best understood by separating its history from the details still pending for this edition.

Preparation and gear for a winter race

A 36-kilometer race with substantial positive elevation gain calls for endurance and practice on climbs and descents. General preparation for this kind of event often combines progressive runs, strength work and varied terrain, but the right volume and intensity depend on each runner’s experience and fitness. The distance alone is not enough to create an individual training plan, and caution matters when increasing workload.

Footwear should be chosen according to the terrain described by the organizer and the runner’s own experience. A grippy outsole can help on wet or loose trails, but no single model guarantees comfort across all feet and surfaces. Until the 2027 course is known, a specific shoe choice would be premature. Fit, stability and how shoes perform in training matter more than a marketing label.

Winter adds another variable: starting in cold weather does not mean the temperature will remain the same throughout the race. Lightweight layers, a windproof garment and hydration are often considered for long events, but only the rules can establish mandatory equipment. No specific requirements have been published for this race. Clothing and gear should match the forecast and final rules, not assumptions.

A useful reference, with details still to come

The available information clearly identifies the essentials: Alcorisa, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027, a scheduled 8:30 a.m. start, 36 kilometers and 1,700 meters of elevation gain. Registration is scheduled to run from Oct. 19 to Dec. 19, 2026, and Alcorisa Fondistas is listed as the organizer. Together, those details describe a long winter mountain race, although they do not answer every logistical question.

The entry fee, exact start location, elevation profile, downloadable route, aid stations and possible additional formats remain unconfirmed. It will also be important to check whether the final program retains the announced times and conditions. Presenting unsupported details as confirmed would turn an incomplete event listing into false certainty, especially for a race whose course may be adjusted.

The 14th edition is shaping up as a demanding event for runners seeking mountain terrain in Bajo Aragón, with a distance and elevation gain that call for advance planning and attention to official updates. The clearest picture of the race will come with the final rules and course map; until then, the published date, location and figures are the reliable basis for placing it on the calendar.