Entries for the 2025 Valencia Marathon have just opened up and are filling up fast! Having run the Valencia Marathon for the last two years, I decided to shift gears in 2025 and head to Chicago for my fall marathon. That said, there are so many special things about the Valencia Marathon that you should strongly consider signing up for the 2025 edition. Despite getting into my late thirties, I’ve seen two big PBs in Valencia the last two years – from a 3:07 in Lisbon 2022 to 2:53 in Valencia 2023 to 2:44 in Valencia 2024. In this piece, I unpack the top 10 reasons why you should make the Valencia Marathon your next marathon, especially if you’re targeting a big personal best.

1. It’s FLAT. One of the reasons why tens of thousands come to Valencia each year is because the flat–just 56m elevation gain according to the Strava route—makes it perfect PB material.

2. It’s FAST. This year, the elite runners in the Valencia Marathon achieved an unprecedented feat, with the top 10 finishing under 2:05, something that has never happened in a road marathon before. But it’s not just the elites. Fast times run deep in Valencia. In both 2023 and 2024, over 5,000 runners broke three hours. If you care about being a contender in your age group, Valencia probably isn’t the race for you, but if you want assurance that you’ll have other runners to work with throughout the race, you’ll have a sure thing in Valencia. Whatever your goal, you’re bound to find plenty of others chasing a similar time.

3. The weather is perfect. While the torrential rain and flooding in early November may have given runners concerns over Valencia’s weather, in reality the weather is almost always perfect in early December. Here’s a look at the Valencia race-time temperature over the last 5 years. This year, the great weather trend continued (13°C / 55°F at the start). An inconvenient truth in marathon training, is that race-day weather can make or break your PB opportunity. Whereas Berlin and Chicago can be exceptionally warm or cold in late September and mid-October, respectively, Valencia is reliably near perfect in early December.

4. The course is beautiful. The marathon course takes you past dozens of city landmarks, including the Porta de la Mar, the Estadio de Mestalla, and the Torres de Serranos. Most of the scenery is between kilometers 25 and 31 and then 35k onwards. The start and finish at the epic Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias is truly inspiring, rivaling the Rome Marathon, which starts and finishes at the Colosseum.
5. Valencia is awesome for kids. The city is full of fun, family-friendly activities. The Oceanografic Aquarium is a top highlight, with a dolphin show, beluga whales, and an incredible underwater tunnel that lets you get up close to sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays. The Science Museum has loads of interactive exhibits that kept my four-year-old running around giddily. The Hemispheric offers a range of iMax movies in an iconic, futuristic building. All three are right near the race start / finish area and offer a 15% discount for Marathon runners and their families. There’s also the Bioparc zoo, the central market, the beaches, and old churches and towers where you can learn about the city’s history.

6. Valencia has great food. Valencia—or more specifically, nearby Palmar on the Albufera—is the birthplace of paella. Whether you’re loading carbs before race day or celebrating after the race, a great meal is easy to find. After our post-race trip to the aquarium, we headed to Llar del Pescador in Palmar (since we were staying at an Airbnb near the Albufera) for a late lunch and watched the sunset along the water afterward. We also had some 10/10 meals in town earlier in the weekend, with Lia (near the Mercat Central) being one of our favorite stops for creative tapas.

7. The race is reasonable. The cost of major marathons has jumped to over $250, which is wild when you compare to smaller races. Starting at just €80, Valencia gives you the vibe of a world major without the cost. You can spend some of the money you save on some of the exclusive Valencia Marathon New Balance kit. The race organizers give runners a local transport pass to use while they’re visiting the city, and many of the city’s tourist attractions are free or discounted with your marathon bracelet. It’s not just the race that’s reasonable, but the city itself is also very affordable.

8. The city is affordable. Europe in general seems to be more and more affordable compared to the US these days, but in particular, you gotta love Spain’s affordability. We spent just $130/night on our 4.9/5-rated two-bedroom Airbnb with a beautiful ocean view. Meals out were comfortably under $25 per person. Bananas, bread, honey, pasta, sauce, and sports drink at the corner store cost next to nothing. The only notable expense was the aquarium, which costs $25-30 per person but is worth it.
9. Great giveaways and kit. The Valencia Marathon gives runners a nice bag of sponsor freebies at registration—including Vaseline, oatmeal, chocolate milk powder, non-alcoholic beer, and massage oil—and another bag at the finish, which food to refuel. One of the features I particularly like is that runners can choose between a race t-shirt and a race singlet, with men’s and women’s versions of each. Whereas most other races just offer a unisex t-shirt, Valencia lets you choose, and the quality is nicer than most. I love racing in my bright pink 2023 Valencia Marathon singlet – it helps me stand out and makes it easier for my wife and daughter to spot me during a race. This year’s kit was navy blue with yellow – another beautiful piece of running gear that I’ll use for years to come.

10. Valencia is crazy about running. The marathon carries special significance for Valencia and the entire pueblo comes out to celebrate and cheer on the runners. Similar to Boston, London, and New York, many runners say they felt like the Valencia crowds carried them to the finish line in the last few kilometers. Coming from Geneva, whether you only really have a crowd for the last couple kilometers and everyone’s just waiting to cheer for the person they came to see, it really feels like the Valencia crowds are in the race with you. I must have heard “¡Vamos Zak!” a hundred times in the last 5k – people don’t just clap, they personally and enthusiastically cheer each runner on. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

So those are my top 10 reasons to make the Valencia Marathon your next marathon. Sign up early because prices go up and it always sells out. I guarantee this is a race that will leave you with wonderful life-long memories.