San Sebastián Marathon 2026: every workout until November 22, sent to your Garmin

A flat city course, from Calle Hernani to the Boulevard

The course is flat, fully urban and at sea level: that is how the organizer describes the route introduced in 2022, "more central, more scenic, faster and even flatter." The start is on Calle Hernani, in the heart of the city; the finish is on the Boulevard, at the end of a dead-flat straight more than half a mile long.

In between, the race crosses the Centro, Antiguo, Amara and Gros neighborhoods, runs along La Concha promenade and passes the Victoria Eugenia theater, Anoeta stadium, the Buen Pastor cathedral, the Kursaal and Plaza Gipuzkoa. The organizer calls it Spain's second-oldest marathon; 2026 is its 47th edition.

Time limit: 5 hours, with cutoffs along the way (35 min at 5 km, mile 3.1; 2:20 at 20 km, mile 12.4; 3:30 at 30 km, mile 18.6; 4:40 at 40 km, mile 24.9), counted from when the first runner of each of the two starts crosses the line. Eight pacers run for 2:45, 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:30 and 5:00.

Three workouts for a flat, even-paced marathon

On a flat course, it all comes down to evenness: the same pace from the first mile to the last, including the long straight on the Boulevard. With less than four weeks left, three workouts are enough to lock it in. Ask your assistant for them: it builds them and sends them to your watch.

• — Four weeks out (late October): 10 miles with 3 × 2.5 miles at marathon pace, 0.6 mile easy between blocks. It is the last big race-specific session.
• — Three weeks out (weekend of November 1): long run of 1 h 45 to 2 h, with the last 30 minutes at marathon pace, to hold pace on tired legs, as in the final straight.
• — Race week (Wednesday, November 18): 40 minutes easy including 3 × 0.6 mile at marathon pace, 2 minutes of jogging between, to find the feel of the pace without fatigue.

November: taper, don't try to catch up

Race day is November 22: the big weeks are behind you, what remains is the taper. Volume drops week by week while a few short pace reminders stay in. If you are traveling, note that bibs are collected at the Kursaal center on Friday afternoon and Saturday until 8 p.m., never on race day: you need to be in town by Saturday at the latest.

A cold, a trip, a week that slips away: tell your assistant. It reads your Garmin activities, reviews the week and reschedules the remaining workouts up to November 22, without trying to make up lost volume. The day before, it can also send a 26.2-mile race workout with your pace range to your watch. For the 2027 edition, the full Running Workout plan will line up with the date as soon as it is announced.

Bibs and race day

The marathon is sold out: in June 2026 the organizer announced that all 7,000 bibs were gone. The gun goes at 9 a.m., after the 10K (8:15 a.m.), held the same morning. After the finish, your assistant reads the activity recorded by your watch: mile-by-mile pace, heart rate, the gap between the two halves.

Frequently asked questions