Preparation guide · Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso
Valencia Marathon 2026: split times, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 6 December 2026, starting in Valencia (City of Arts and Sciences, Spain) at 8:15. Here you have the Valencia Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Valencia Marathon: route and profile
2025 edition route (third-party track, not official); the aid stations are from the official 2026 map. Wave starts from 8:15 to 9:35 depending on your expected time; time limit 5 h 30 from when you cross the start.
No hills that change your pace: what matters is starting under control, and the wind.
Route keys
- It's one of the flattest marathons there is (under 30 m of elevation gain on the whole course): hills won't slow you down here, starting too fast will. Run the first 10 km at your pace or 5 s/km slower; going faster isn't time gained, it's time borrowed from the end.
- Between km 30 and 34 the course rises very gently towards the west of the city (about 13 m in 4 km). You can't see it, but you feel it just as «the wall» arrives: hold your effort, not your pace.
- The last 6 km drop slightly towards the City of Arts and Sciences and the finish is on the walkway over the water: if you've held back, this is where you gain the most time.
- Aid stations every 4–5 km with water and sports drink (fruit from km 23) and organiser gels at km 16.2, 25.8 and 34. If you haven't tried that brand in training, carry your own.
6 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 08:15 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 | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:16 8:36 | 0:24:48 8:39 | 0:28:21 8:43 | 0:31:53 8:46 |
| km 10 | 0:42:39 8:57 | 0:49:46 9:04 | 0:56:52 9:11 | 1:03:59 9:18 |
| km 15 | 1:04:00 9:19 | 1:14:40 9:29 | 1:25:20 9:40 | 1:36:00 9:51 |
| km 20 | 1:25:14 9:40 | 1:39:26 9:54 | 1:53:38 10:08 | 2:07:50 10:22 |
| Halfway | 1:29:54 9:44 | 1:44:54 9:59 | 1:59:53 10:14 | 2:14:52 10:29 |
| km 25 | 1:46:38 10:01 | 2:04:24 10:19 | 2:22:10 10:37 | 2:39:57 10:54 |
| km 30 | 2:08:02 10:23 | 2:29:23 10:44 | 2:50:43 11:05 | 3:12:04 11:27 |
| km 35 | 2:29:32 10:44 | 2:54:27 11:09 | 3:19:22 11:34 | 3:44:18 11:59 |
| km 40 | 2:50:44 11:05 | 3:19:11 11:34 | 3:47:39 12:02 | 4:16:06 12:31 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 11:15 | 3:30:00 11:45 | 4:00:00 12:15 | 4:30:00 12:45 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: 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 16.2, 25.8 and 34: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 3 h 30) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.5 | water, sports drink | 8:42 | ~300 ml |
| km 10.0 | water, sports drink | 9:05 | ~250 ml · gel just before |
| km 14.5 | water, sports drink | 9:27 | ~200 ml |
| km 16.2 | organiser gels | 9:35 | no gel due here |
| km 18.7 | water, sports drink | 9:48 | ~200 ml |
| km 23.0 | water, sports drink, fruit | 10:09 | ~200 ml · gel just before |
| km 25.8 | organiser gels | 10:23 | no gel due here |
| km 28.3 | water, sports drink, fruit | 10:35 | ~250 ml · gel just before |
| km 33.1 | water, sports drink, fruit | 11:00 | ~250 ml |
| km 34.0 | organiser gels | 11:04 | no gel due here |
| km 37.1 | water, sports drink, fruit | 11:19 | ~200 ml |
| km 40.4 | water, sports drink, fruit | 11:36 | ~150 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 450 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.1 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.4 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.7 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 Marathon: weather in early December
What the weather was like during the race (from 8:15 to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 ºC | 14 ºC | 0.0 mm | 27 km/h |
| 2022 | 10 ºC | 13 ºC | 1.0 mm | 6 km/h |
| 2023 | 6 ºC | 12 ºC | 0.0 mm | 11 km/h |
| 2024 | 11 ºC | 15 ºC | 0.0 mm | 6 km/h |
| 2025 | 14 ºC | 19 ºC | 0.0 mm | 15 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Valencia 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 6 December 2026, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Valencia Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Route measured on a third-party track of the previous edition (not official); aid stations from the official map; weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.