Preparation guide · Medio Maratón Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich
Valencia Half Marathon 2026: split times, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 25 October 2026, starting in Valencia (Avenida de los Naranjos, university area, Spain) at 8:25. Here you have the Valencia Half Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Valencia Half Marathon: route and profile
Official 2026 route (organisers' route). Wave starts by target time from 8:25 to 9:27; the finish is on the same avenue, a little further on.
No hills that change your pace: what matters is starting under control, and the wind.
Route keys
- It's one of the fastest half marathons in the world: flat (between 3 and 22 m altitude, no hills worth mentioning) and with few turns. If you're after a PB, this is the place: start at your pace and hold it, there's no terrain to win back what you give away early.
- From km 5 to 14 you're in the centre: along the old Turia riverbed, around the old town (Torres de Serranos, Town Hall square) with several tight corners. Among the buildings your watch's GPS struggles: go by the km markers.
- Water (33 cl bottle) and Aquarius in cups at km 5.4, 10.4, 15.5 and 19.4, and Enervit gels with and without caffeine at km 15.2. If you plan to take their gels, try them in training first.
- From km 15 to 21 you pass the City of Arts and Sciences, the Marina and the beach before heading back along Avenida de los Naranjos: it's the breeziest part, off the sea. Find a group around km 17 and save something for the final straight.
2 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (the profile hardly changes anything), with the clock time counted from the 08:25 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 1 h 30 | 1 h 45 | 2 h | 2 h 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:24 8:46 | 0:24:58 8:49 | 0:28:32 8:53 | 0:32:06 8:57 |
| km 10 | 0:42:48 9:07 | 0:49:56 9:14 | 0:57:04 9:22 | 1:04:12 9:29 |
| km 15 | 1:04:04 9:29 | 1:14:45 9:39 | 1:25:26 9:50 | 1:36:06 10:01 |
| km 20 | 1:25:17 9:50 | 1:39:30 10:04 | 1:53:43 10:18 | 2:07:56 10:32 |
| Finish | 1:30:00 9:55 | 1:45:00 10:10 | 2:00:00 10:25 | 2:15:00 10:40 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 1 h 45: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water. The organisers hand out gels at km 15.2: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 1 h 45) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.4 | water, sports drink | 8:52 | ~250 ml |
| km 10.4 | water, sports drink | 9:17 | ~250 ml · gel just before |
| km 15.2 | organiser gels | 9:40 | your gel: this one or yours |
| km 15.5 | water, sports drink | 9:42 | ~250 ml |
| km 19.4 | water, sports drink | 10:01 | ~200 ml |
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h 30 | 60 g/h | 1 × 35 g | 0.9 l | 450 mg/h |
| 1 h 45 | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 1.0 l | 450 mg/h |
| 2 h | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 1.2 l | 450 mg/h |
| 2 h 15 | 60 g/h | 2 × 35 g | 1.4 l | 450 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Valencia Half Marathon: weather in late October
What the weather was like during the race (from 8:25 to the finish of a 1:52 runner) in other editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 14 ºC | 18 ºC | 0.0 mm | 11 km/h |
| 2024 | 12 ºC | 12 ºC | 3.8 mm | 10 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Valencia Half Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Sunday 25 October 2026, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Valencia Half Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Route measured on the organisers' official 2026 route (Strava); aid stations from the official 2026 course map; weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.