Valencia is the flattest, fastest big-city marathon we know: under 30 meters of total gain, finishing on a 300-meter blue pontoon over the water by the City of Arts and Sciences. Early December runs 12 to 17 degrees, dry and close to ideal. The catch is the new 2026 ballot, plus a waitlist that fills, so plan a year out. Flat also means no downhill to coast on late.
Better info coming — we're still verifying 4 fields on this race.
Why we'd pick it
- Flat and fast: 30 m of total climb, so it's a genuine PR course.
- It's a lottery. Enter the day it opens, not the week before.
- A non-racing partner gets a real weekend here — 4/5.
- Race day usually sits 12–17°C, about 25% chance of rain.
The course
One of the flattest, fastest marathons anywhere — under 30 meters of total gain, run almost entirely at sea level on wide avenues, with only a mild rise around km 31. It holds a World Athletics Platinum Label, and Valencia's streets have produced a string of records, including Letesenbet Gidey's women's half-marathon world record (1:02:52) in 2021. The finish runs out onto a roughly 300-meter blue pontoon over the water in front of the Hemisfèric at the City of Arts and Sciences.
