MBA Gijón Half Marathon "Villa de Jovellanos" 2026

Race registration for the MBA Gijón Half Marathon "Villa de Jovellanos" opens the door each year to one of the most well-established events on the north coast of Spain: a 21.097 km race certified by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, jointly organized by Gijón's Municipal Sports Board and A.D. Gijón Atletismo, and included in the RFEA's national road race calendar. The 2026 edition — the fifteenth in its history — takes place on Saturday, October 10th, with a start time of 5:30 pm, in the afternoon, from Avenida Albert Einstein, very close to the historic El Molinón Stadium, home of Real Sporting de Gijón. The field is capped at 3,000 runners, with registration handled in pricing tiers: €22 up to September 27th, and €30 from September 28th to October 6th — the final closing date, unless all spots sell out sooner; runners also registered for the Asturias Championship pay only 50% of the standard fee.The course itself is one of the race's biggest draws: completely flat, at sea level, with very few turns, designed for runners to chase and achieve strong personal records in a truly privileged setting. The route covers much of the Gijón coastline, running along the iconic Paseo del Muro facing the spectacular San Lorenzo Beach, crossing the Piles Bridge, and continuing toward the Marina and the Poniente Beach area, before returning to the Las Mestas Sports Complex, where the finish line is located. In the words of those who've run it, this is a race that combines the rigor of a demanding distance with the pleasure of having the Cantabrian Sea as a constant backdrop for much of the course — something few half marathons in Spain can offer with this intensity.It's worth noting that in 2025 the race underwent a significant change: urban construction work directly affecting the certified course forced the event to move from its traditional April date to October, in an afternoon time slot. The strong response from both runners and spectators to this new date led the organizers to make it permanent, so 2026 carries forward the autumn format for good.Bib pickup takes place at the Runner's Fair, set up in the covered hall at the Las Mestas Sports Complex, where numerous commercial brands are present throughout the day before the race. The runner's bag includes a bib with electronic timing chip, a commemorative technical t-shirt for each edition, and various gifts from event sponsors, including MBA, Coca-Cola, and Triocar. Besides hosting the start and finish, the Las Mestas complex offers runners changing rooms, gear-check, and showers — a particularly welcome comfort given this is an afternoon race. Along the course there are liquid aid stations at km 5, 10, 15, 20, and the finish line, with timing checkpoints at those same kilometer marks to ensure accurate classification for all participants. The overall time limit to complete the race is 2 hours and 30 minutes, with intermediate cut-off times of 1:15 at km 10 and 1:50 at km 15.As has become customary in recent editions, the Gijón Half Marathon distributes a generous cash prize pool among the top finishers in both categories, totaling €9,200 this edition, split among the top eight places in the overall classification, plus trophies for the top finishers in each age category. Beyond the competitive side, the race retains a strong grassroots spirit: anyone over 18 on race day can take part, whether federated in athletics or not, in an atmosphere where, according to those familiar with it, the constant warmth of the Gijón crowd accompanies runners along the entire route. For those visiting the city for the first time, race day also doubles as a good excuse to discover the historic Cimavilla neighborhood, take a leisurely walk along San Lorenzo Beach, or visit one of the local museums, such as the Railway Museum or the Elogio del Horizonte viewpoint, before or after lacing up.